Late Period

Artaxerxes I

27th Dynasty (First Persian Period) · 525-404 BCE

Reign begins465 BCE

Reign ends424 BCE

Dynasty span525-404 BCE

Illustrated encyclopedia entry for Artaxerxes I

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Unrest and rebellion

Artaxerxes I's long reign over the Persian Empire was tested in Egypt by a major native revolt led by Inaros II, a Libyan chieftain, around 460–454 BCE. Backed heavily by the Athenian navy, the rebels succeeded in seizing control of much of the country and trapping the Persian garrison in Memphis. Artaxerxes eventually dispatched a massive army under his general Megabyzus, which crushed the rebellion, expelled the Athenians, and restored Persian rule.