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| Arses (king of Persia) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Arses |
| Succession | Shah of the Achaemenid Empire |
| Reign | 338–336 BC |
| Predecessor | Artaxerxes III |
| Successor | Darius III |
| Birth date | c. 370s BC |
| Death date | 336 BC |
| Dynasty | Achaemenid dynasty |
| Father | Artaxerxes III |
| Mother | Atossa (Achaemenid) |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Arses (king of Persia) was a short-reigned monarch of the Achaemenid Empire who ruled from 338 to 336 BC. His accession followed the assassination of Artaxerxes III and occurred amid court intrigue involving Bagoas and competing noble houses. Arses' brief reign intersected with major Mediterranean developments including the rise of Philip II of Macedon, the politics of Athens, and the unrest in provinces such as Egypt and Asia Minor.
Arses was born into the Achaemenid dynasty as a son of Artaxerxes III and a member of the royal family centered at Persepolis. His early life unfolded within the imperial court shaped by figures like Bagoas, Irbis], and satraps including Memnon of Rhodes, Pharnabazus III, and Mazaeus. The Achaemenid capital milieu linked him to ceremonial centers such as Susa, Ecbatana, and Pasargadae, and to administrative reforms associated with predecessors like Xerxes I and Darius I. Regional conflicts involving Egypt, Cilicia, Lydia, and Caria influenced aristocratic politics in which Arses matured alongside nobles who had interacted with generals like Nikon of Sparta and envoys from Sparta, Thebes, and Miletus.
Arses became shah after the death of Artaxerxes III under circumstances attributed to poisoning by the eunuch vizier Bagoas. His elevation was facilitated by court factions including members of the Achaemenid nobility and provincial powerbrokers such as Tissaphernes-era families, the descendants of Pharnaces II of Phrygia, and military elites formerly allied with Xerxes II. The decision to place Arses on the throne followed diplomatic missteps and revolts in territories like Egypt under Nectanebo II, unrest in Babylonia, and pressures from Greek mercenary commanders like Chares and Charidemus of Oreus who had served in Asia Minor.
Arses' reign was dominated by attempts to stabilize imperial authority after Artaxerxes III's costly campaigns and the loss of control in regions such as Egypt and western satrapies. He relied heavily on court officials including Bagoas and military commanders like Phocion-era mercenaries and Persian satraps such as Autophradates and Ariobarzanes of Phrygia. Administrative measures reflected precedents from earlier reforms and fiscal practices established under Artaxerxes II. Externally, he faced pressure from Philip II of Macedon whose consolidation in Macedonia and interventions in Thrace reshaped geopolitics, while Greek city-states like Athens and Thebes navigated alliances with figures such as Demosthenes, Isocrates, and Lysias.
During Arses' short rule, the strategic balance with Macedonia shifted as Philip II of Macedon expanded influence through victories like those at Chaeronea and diplomatic ties with Thrace and Illyria. Persia's traditional interactions with Greek polities—mediated by satraps in Asia Minor and commanders such as Memnon of Rhodes—were complicated by Macedonian ambitions and the activities of Greek mercenaries returning from Persian service, including veterans of campaigns under Conon, Iphicrates, and Timotheus (general). Envoys and orators in Athens—notably Demosthenes and Aeschines—debated Persian policy and the threat from Philip II of Macedon, while states like Rhodes and Chios navigated between Persian and Macedonian influence. Diplomatic correspondence likely involved intermediaries from Sicily, Corinth, and Euboea.
Arses was assassinated in 336 BC in a purge orchestrated by Bagoas, who had eliminated several rivals including members of the royal family and powerful satraps. The killing paved the way for the installation of Darius III by Bagoas, continuing a pattern of palace coups associated with eunuch factions and elite conspiracies similar to earlier intrigues in the reigns of Artaxerxes III and Xerxes II. The murder occurred against a backdrop of unrest in provinces like Egypt and Babylonia and at a moment when Philip II of Macedon and Greek states were consolidating power, presaging the forthcoming conquests by Alexander the Great and altering the trajectory of the Achaemenid Empire.
Historians assess Arses as a transitional and largely powerless monarch whose rule highlighted the erosion of central royal authority within the Achaemenid Empire. Ancient authors such as Diodorus Siculus, Justin, and later commentators in the Roman and Byzantine traditions portray his reign in the context of court corruption and the manipulations of Bagoas, echoing similar narratives found in accounts of Artaxerxes III. Modern scholars compare his fate with patterns described in studies of imperial decline and analyses of succession crises like those affecting Seleucid Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt, and they situate his assassination within the dynamics that enabled Alexander the Great's campaigns. Arses' brief tenure thus represents a moment of vulnerability that contributed to the eventual collapse of Achaemenid control in the face of Macedonian conquest and reshaped Near Eastern history.
Category:Achaemenid rulers