Artaxerxes II
Artaxerxes II faced the revolt of Cyrus the Younger. His long reign offers a way to examine relations between court, princes and satraps.
Reign: about 404–359/358 BCE
These cultural and symbolic images do not depict Dorehami members or events.
Image and licence
File:Persepolis stairs of the Apadana relief.jpg — Phillip Maiwald (Nikopol) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / crop
File:Persepolis stairs of the Apadana relief02.JPG — Taranis-iuppiter — CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / crop
Object images show the period’s heritage and are not necessarily authenticated portraits of this person.
Context and a reading path
The conflict between Cyrus the Younger and Artaxerxes II provides one entry into this period. Do not confuse Cyrus the Younger with the empire’s founder, Cyrus II. Shared names do not erase differences in generation, role and date.
How to read the evidence
Read Xenophon with attention to his own presence and experience. Witnessing part of an episode does not mean knowing every court decision or everyone’s daily life. Note what a source observed and what it reports second-hand.
A question to discuss
Which parts of an event can an eyewitness know directly, and which not?
The answer need not be settled beforehand. First note what the source actually tells us, then separate questions from guesses. Children can draw an object or building from the period; an imagined picture should not be presented as historical evidence.
Sources and further reading
Content reviewed: 19 October 2026
Back to the Achaemenids
Cyrus II: Cyrus the Great
About 559–530 BCE
Cambyses II
530–522 BCE
Bardiya and the Gaumata question
522 BCE
Darius I: Darius the Great
522–486 BCE
Xerxes I
486–465 BCE
Artaxerxes I
465/464–424/423 BCE
Xerxes II
424/423 BCE
Sogdianus
424/423 BCE
Darius II
about 423–404 BCE
Artaxerxes III
359/358–338/337 BCE
Arses: Artaxerxes IV
338–336 BCE
Darius III
336–330 BCE
Bessus: a claimant after Darius III
330–329 BCE