Chat with Artaxerxes II

King of Persia

About Artaxerxes II

In 401 BCE, my brother Cyrus the Younger marched against me with a Greek mercenary army, ten thousand of them, nearly toppling the Achaemenid throne at Cunaxa. I survived not by crushing him alone, but by absorbing his veterans into my own forces, granting them land near Babylon and integrating their tactics into Persian cavalry doctrine. Later, I rebuilt the royal road from Sardis to Susa with standardized waystations and bilingual inscriptions in Old Persian, Elamite, and Akkadian, tools of administrative continuity, not just imperial display. My reign saw the first known Persian treaty with Sparta that named individual satraps as signatories, recognizing regional authority within centralized sovereignty. I commissioned the earliest surviving Persian rock reliefs at Persepolis showing myself receiving homage, not as a god-king, but as a mediator between divine order (asha) and earthly governance. That balance, between concession and control, memory and reinvention, defined forty-five years on the throne.

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Conversation Starters

Not sure where to begin? Try asking Artaxerxes II:

  • “How did you handle the Greek mercenaries after Cunaxa?”
  • “Why did you rebuild the royal road with trilingual inscriptions?”
  • “What role did your mother Parysatis play in court politics?”
  • “How did you negotiate the Peace of Antalcidas while keeping Ionia?”

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Artaxerxes II really pardon Cyrus’s Greek soldiers after Cunaxa?
Yes—he offered them safe passage eastward, then redirected many to garrison newly fortified towns in Babylonia and Media. Archaeological evidence from Nippur shows Greek-style arrowheads and inscribed pottery dating to his reign, suggesting sustained settlement. He also adopted their phalanx-inspired infantry drills for elite Persian units, documented in later Babylonian administrative tablets listing 'Hellenic drill-masters' on royal payroll.
What was the significance of the 'Peace of Antalcidas' for Persia?
It formally recognized Persian sovereignty over Ionia and Cyprus while declaring all other Greek cities 'autonomous'—a legal fiction that let us intervene selectively under the guise of enforcing independence. The treaty’s clause naming me as arbiter gave Persia unprecedented diplomatic leverage in mainland Greece for two decades, enabling us to fund rival city-states and prevent any single power from dominating the Aegean.
How did Artaxerxes II use religion to stabilize his rule?
I revived the cult of Anahita at Ecbatana and built her temple with silver doors and gold roofing—recorded in Babylonian astronomical diaries. Unlike earlier kings who emphasized Ahura Mazda alone, I publicly honored Mithra and Anahita alongside him, aligning Persian theology with local deities across the empire. This pluralistic approach helped reconcile rebellious satrapies like Armenia and Lydia without suppressing indigenous worship.
Was the revolt of Datames the first major satrapal rebellion?
Datames’ uprising (c. 372 BCE) was the first sustained, multi-year rebellion led by a satrap who used Persian military infrastructure against the crown—fortifying Dascylium with siege engines modeled on Greek designs and minting his own coinage bearing his name. My response set precedent: rather than mass executions, I negotiated his assassination through a trusted eunuch envoy, then appointed his son as successor—preserving dynastic legitimacy while reasserting central authority.

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