Artaxerxes III: Restorer of the Achaemenid Empire

On this page7 sections

Introduction

Artaxerxes III, born Ochus, reigned as King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from about 359/358 to 338 BC. He inherited a realm weakened by long internal divisions, powerful satraps and repeated provincial revolts. During a reign of roughly two decades he reasserted central authority across Anatolia, Phoenicia and the eastern Mediterranean, recovered Egypt for Persia after a long period of independence and launched a campaign of building and administration at the imperial capitals. His rule matters because it represents a determined, if ultimately short-lived, effort to reverse the fragmentation of the empire in the waning years before Macedon under Philip II and later Alexander transformed the eastern Mediterranean political order.

Early Life and Rise to Power

Ochus was a legitimate son of Artaxerxes II and his queen Stateira, and he grew up in a royal household crowded with many half-brothers and competing factions. The long reign of his father left succession uncertain; several of his brothers were designated or considered heirs at different times. Ochus navigated that environment as a military commander and satrap under his father. When Artaxerxes II died, the path to the throne had already been cleared by a brutal sequence of intrigue and killings. Ochus moved quickly to secure the succession, employing court allies to eliminate rival claimants and then assuming the dynastic name Artaxerxes III upon accession.

Consolidation of Power

Once on the throne, Artaxerxes III undertook a deliberate program to curb the autonomy of powerful provincial governors. One of his early measures was to order satraps in western Anatolia to disband their private mercenary forces, a step intended to reduce their capacity to act independently. When a notable satrap, Artabazus, revolted after being threatened with dismissal, the king used a mix of military pressure and diplomacy to bring the region back under control; the episode illustrated both the fragility of central rule and the new king’s willingness to enforce it.

Artaxerxes III also moved decisively against potential dynastic rivals at court. He ordered the killing or removal of many members of the royal family, an action aimed at preventing future plots against his authority. The result was a regime in which the vaulting power of the crown was reinforced by ruthless measures at the center, while trusted commanders and officials were elevated to key commands to implement the king’s will across the empire.

Reforms and Achievements

Artaxerxes III’s most tangible long-term achievement was the restoration of imperial control over rebellious provinces. After initial setbacks, he brought Cyprus, Phoenicia and other Mediterranean territories back into Persian hands; this reconquest reestablished Persian influence over critical coastal regions and maritime routes. The most consequential military success was the recovery of Egypt, accomplished in the late 340s or early 330s BC after careful preparation and the employment of Greek mercenaries. Egyptian territory was reincorporated into the empire and a Persian satrap was installed, returning to Persia a substantial inflow of resources and prestige.

Beyond warfare, Artaxerxes III supported building projects at major imperial centers. Work at Persepolis resumed under his direction, including a palace and a hall of columns, while additions were made to palatial complexes in Babylon. These initiatives indicate an attempt to renew royal ceremonial and administrative capacities, and they left archaeological traces that help scholars understand late Achaemenid court life. The minting of coinage modeled on Greek types, including tetradrachms struck while the king was in Egypt, shows an engagement with contemporary monetary practices and the economic networks of the eastern Mediterranean.

In administrative terms, the king relied on trusted lieutenants who combined Persian command with Greek mercenary leadership. Men such as Mentor of Rhodes and the court eunuch Bagoas rose to prominence after distinguishing themselves in campaigns; Mentor was installed with broad authority along the Anatolian littoral, consolidating Persian control of the Aegean seaboard, while Bagoas became a central figure in the capital administration. These appointments strengthened the practical reach of the crown during the final decade of Artaxerxes III’s reign.

Challenges and Failures

Artaxerxes III faced notable reverses and controversies. His first attempt to reconquer Egypt ended in failure when the Persian army, despite its size, was defeated by native resistance supported by Greek mercenaries. That setback exposed limits in Persian expeditionary practice and emboldened regional rebellions in Phoenicia and Asia Minor. The suppression of the Sidon revolt became particularly notorious; when the city surrendered, a massacre and the destruction of Sidon followed, with large numbers of civilians killed and the city left in ruins. The severity of that repression alienated local populations and contributed to a perception of the king as ruthless in dealings with unrest.

The king’s dependence on Greek soldiers and commanders proved a mixed blessing. Greek mercenaries were decisive in the reconquest of Egypt and in pacifying coastal provinces, yet their presence reflected the empire’s reliance on foreign military specialists rather than on uniformly loyal imperial forces. At the same time, developments in the Greek world presented a new external problem that Artaxerxes III could not solve. The rise of Macedon under Philip II shifted the balance of power in Greece, and while Persian interventions helped blunt at least one Macedonian siege, Persia was unable to halt Macedon’s growing potency in the region.

Death and Succession

In 338 BC Artaxerxes III died from poisoning administered by his court physician at the instigation of the powerful eunuch Bagoas. The circumstances of his death exposed vulnerabilities at the heart of the palace. Bagoas then removed or ordered the killing of most of the king’s sons, leaving only a few survivors. He placed one of the remaining princes on the throne as a pliant successor, effectively acting as kingmaker. The transition was therefore abrupt and violent; a period of palace manipulation followed, and the stability gained during Artaxerxes III’s active rule unraveled in the years after his assassination.

Legacy

Artaxerxes III is remembered as a ruler who reestablished Persian authority across much of the western empire after a period of fragmentation. His military campaigns restored territories and renewed Persian presence in Egypt and along the Mediterranean coast, and his building activity signaled an effort to revive central court institutions. At the same time, his methods left enduring marks: the harsh reprisals at Sidon and the murders within the royal family contributed to a reputation for ruthlessness in contemporary accounts and later histories.

Scholars view his reign as a momentary recovery for the Achaemenid state, a last phase in which central power was reasserted sufficiently to bring order but not to remove deeper strategic challenges. The use of Greek mercenaries, the elevation of powerful court figures like Bagoas, and the sudden, violent end of his rule all help explain why these gains were short lived. Within a few years of his death, the empire confronted new pressures from Macedon that would culminate in conquest by Alexander the Great. For the Achaemenid world, Artaxerxes III stands as a complex figure: an energetic restorer of imperial control whose achievements were substantial but whose political choices and untimely death limited their durability.