Great King (Shah) of Persia, eleventh Emperor of the Achaemenid Empire, first Pharaoh of the 31st dynasty of Egypt.
425 BCE
to 338 BCE
Artaxerxes III of Persia (ca.
425 BCE – 338 BCE), is the Great King (Shah) of Persia and the eleventh Emperor of the Achaemenid Empire, as well as the first Pharaoh of the 31st dynasty of Egypt.
He is the son and successor of Artaxerxes II and is succeeded by his son, Arses of Persia (also known as Artaxerxes IV).
His reign coincides with the reign of Philip II in Macedon and Nectanebo II in Egypt.
Before ascending the throne Artaxerxes was a satrap and commander of his father's army.
Artaxerxes came to power after one of his brothers was executed, another committed suicide, the last murdered and his father, Artaxerxes II died at the age of 86.
Soon after becoming king, Artaxerxes murders all of the royal family to secure his place as emperor.
He starts two major campaigns against Egypt.
The first campaign fails, and is followed up by rebellions throughout the western empire.
In 343 BCE, Artaxerxes defeats Nectanebo II, the Pharaoh of Egypt, driving him from Egypt, stopping a revolt in Phoenicia on the way.
In Artaxerxes' later years, Philip II of Macedon's power is increasing in Greece, where he tries to convince the Greeks to revolt against Achaemenid Persia.
His activities are opposed by Artaxerxes, and with his support, the city of Perinthus resists a Macedonian siege.
There is evidence for a renewed building policy at Persepolis in his later life, where Artaxerxes erects a new palace and built his own tomb, and begins long-term projects like the Unfinished Gate.
According to a Greek source, Diodorus of Sicily, Bagoas poisoned Artaxerxes, but a cuneiform tablet (now in the British Museum) suggests that the king died from natural causes.
