Artaxerxes II

Artaxerxes II, also known as Artaxerxes Mnemon, ruled the Achaemenid Persian Empire from 404 to 359 or 358 BC. He defeated Cyrus the Younger at Cunaxa and governed during a period of Greek and provincial pressure.

Born: c. 436 BCE
Died: c. 358 BCE
Role: Achaemenid king

Achaemenid king of Persia (404-358 BC)

c. 436-c. 358 BCE

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Portrait of Artaxerxes II in Achaemenid royal dress

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Also known as: Artaxerxes, Artaxerxes Mnemon
Region: Persia, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Persia

Facts

Artaxerxes II timeline facts

Selected specifics from this profile's life story.

404 BC: Taking the throne
401 BC: Cunaxa
4th century BC: Imperial strain
After 358 BC: Long reign, mixed legacy

Life Journey

The king who survived a brother's revolt

Follow Artaxerxes II through Cunaxa, imperial endurance, Greek diplomacy, and late Achaemenid strain.

1 of 5/Taking the throne

Next: Cunaxa

404 BC

Taking the throne

Artaxerxes II became king after Darius II, inheriting a large empire and a dangerous royal family.

401 BC

Cunaxa

Artaxerxes survived Cyrus the Younger's challenge at Cunaxa, where Cyrus was killed and the rebellion failed.

4th century BC

Greek politics

Artaxerxes ruled during a period when Persia remained deeply involved in Greek affairs through diplomacy, money, and alliances.

4th century BC

Imperial strain

Artaxerxes faced revolts, Egyptian resistance, powerful satraps, and the constant challenge of holding a vast empire together.

After 358 BC

Long reign, mixed legacy

Artaxerxes II left a long reign that preserved Achaemenid power while revealing the strains that later rulers faced.

404 BC

Taking the throne

Artaxerxes II became king after Darius II, inheriting a large empire and a dangerous royal family.

Complete chronology

Full overview and deeper context for every journey step.

404 BC

Taking the throne

Artaxerxes II came to power at a moment when the Achaemenid Empire remained wealthy and prestigious but politically tense. Royal succession was never merely ceremonial. Brothers, court factions, satraps, and armies could become part of the struggle. His younger brother Cyrus held power in the west and would soon become the most serious threat to the new king.

A long reign began with a succession that was anything but secure.

401 BC

Cunaxa

The Battle of Cunaxa was decisive because Cyrus died. Artaxerxes did not simply defeat a provincial rebel; he survived a royal challenge that could have replaced him at the center of the empire. The Greek mercenaries in Cyrus's army became famous for their retreat, but Artaxerxes achieved the essential political result. The throne remained his, and the empire did not fracture around Cyrus's claim.

Survival could be the most important victory for a Great King.

4th century BC

Greek politics

Artaxerxes II's reign shows that Persian influence in the Greek world did not end after the failed invasion of Xerxes. Persian money and diplomacy could shape rivalries among Greek city-states. The King could support one side, pressure another, and use Greek divisions to protect Persian interests in western Anatolia. This was not the spectacular invasion of 480 BC. It was quieter but often effective imperial politics.

Persia could shape Greece without occupying all of Greece.

4th century BC

Imperial strain

The empire under Artaxerxes II was still formidable, but its pressures were visible. Egypt resisted Persian control for long periods, western satraps could become dangerously autonomous, and court politics remained intense. These problems did not mean immediate collapse. The Achaemenid state could still recover, negotiate, and project power. But the margin between imperial flexibility and imperial fragmentation was narrowing.

The empire remained strong, but its strong men were becoming harder to control.

After 358 BC

Long reign, mixed legacy

Artaxerxes II ruled for decades, an achievement in itself within a courtly world of rivalry and violence. He outlived Cyrus's revolt and kept the empire intact. Yet his reign also belongs to the story of gradual Achaemenid vulnerability: Greek military confidence, Egyptian resistance, satrapal power, and succession politics all mattered. His importance lies in that tension between endurance and strain.

A long reign can preserve a system without solving its deepest problems.

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