Late Period
Artaxerxes III Ochus
31st Dynasty (Second Persian Period) · 343-332 BCE
Open full-size illustration →Source: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Background
Artaxerxes III's conquest of Egypt in 343 BCE is well documented, but the two most dramatic details usually attached to his story, a sacrilegious killing of the sacred Apis bull and his death by poison at a eunuch's hand, both rest on shakier ground than the traditional account suggests. Further reading: UCL Digital Egypt.
Chronological source: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Full profile
Re-imposing Persian rule
Artaxerxes III led a massive military invasion of Egypt in 343 BCE, successfully crushing native rule under Nectanebo II. After demolishing the defensive walls of key Egyptian cities and carrying off temple treasures and royal family members, he established the 31st Dynasty as a second period of Achaemenid control. His harsh administration and heavy suppression of local religion deeply embittered the Egyptian populace before his reign was cut short by assassination.
A recycled accusation and a disputed death
Classical writers accused Artaxerxes of personally slaughtering Egypt's sacred Apis bull in a show of contempt for native religion, but modern historians note that the same charge, almost word for word, was already attached to the earlier Persian conqueror Cambyses II two centuries before, making it look more like a stock literary insult aimed at hated foreign rulers than a documented event. His death is similarly contested: the Greek historian Diodorus states plainly that the eunuch courtier Bagoas poisoned him in 338 BCE and installed his son Arses on the throne, yet a surviving Babylonian astronomical diary from the period is read by some scholars as pointing to death from natural causes instead. Arses himself would be murdered by the same Bagoas only a few years later, which at least is not in dispute.
Sources for this profile
- Shaw, I. (Ed.). (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press.
- Dodson, A., & Hilton, D. (2004). The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson.
- Leprohon, R. J. (2013). The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary. Society of Biblical Literature.
- UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. Chronology. UCLA.
- University College London. Digital Egypt for Universities.
The complete, APA-formatted reference list is on the Academic Sources & Bibliography page.