Plutarch · c. AD 46-after 119
Life of Artaxerxes
ἈρτοξέρξηςPlutarch's Life of Artaxerxes covers the second Artaxerxes of Persia, surnamed Memor, from his accession to his death at ninety-four after a reign of sixty-two years. It centres on the revolt and death of his brother Cyrus at Cunaxa, the vengeance of the queen mother Parysatis and the poisoning of Stateira, the Peace of Antalcidas and the plots over the succession. Plutarch draws chiefly on Ctesias and Deinon and leaves the narrative of the battle to Xenophon.
Contents · 11 passages
- 1.1–3.5Artaxerxes and Cyrus: birth, succession and the plot at Pasargadae696 words
- 4.1–5.3The gentle king: Artaxerxes' clemency and Cyrus's preparations617 words
- 6.1–7.4Cyrus marches against his brother; Stateira's anger at Parysatis771 words
- 8.1–9.4The battle of Cunaxa: Clearchus and the death of Artagerses773 words
- 10.1–13.4How Cyrus died: Deinon, Ctesias and the king's drink of foul water1388 words
- 14.1–16.4The king rewards and punishes: the Carian, Mithridates and the torture of the boats1182 words
- 17.1–19.6Parysatis: the dice game, the flaying of Masabates and the poisoning of Stateira1372 words
- 20.1–22.6Agesilaüs, Conon and the Peace of Antalcidas1138 words
- 23.1–25.3Atossa, the Cadusian campaign and Teribazus1124 words
- 26.1–28.3Dareius, Aspasia and the grudge of Teribazus1147 words
- 29.1–30.5The plot against Artaxerxes and the death of the king926 words
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English translation by Bernadotte Perrin (1926). Original text: Bernadotte Perrin (ed. and trans.), Plutarch's Lives, vol. 11, Loeb Classical Library, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, 1926 (Greek text as digitised by Perseus).
Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.
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