Artaxerxes III and the Reconquest of Egypt

The Achaemenid Empire: Persia's Golden Age of Power — Fexingo History · Jun 1, 2026 · 6m

In 343 BCE, the Achaemenid Empire faced its most humiliating loss: Egypt had broken free decades earlier, and no Persian king had managed to bring it back. That changed under Artaxerxes III Ochus, a ruler often dismissed as a tyrant but whose military campaign to reconquer the Nile Valley was a masterpiece of strategy and brutality. This episode follows the Persian invasion through the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, the use of Greek mercenaries, and the treachery of Egyptian commanders. We explore the role of the satrap Bagoas, the aftermath of the reconquest, and how Artaxerxes III cemented…