| Darius II (Old Persian Dârayavauš): was a son of the Persian
king Artaxerxes I and his Babylonian concubine
Cosmartidene. His real name was Ochus. When his father died in December
424, his crown prince Xerxes II ascended to
the throne, but he was killed by his half brother Sogdianus, who called
himself king. In his turn, he was killed by Ochus, who became king in February
423 and called himself Darius II. (It is unclear why the Greeks called
him Nothos.) He had some experience as a ruler, because he had been satrap
of Hyrcania.
As a king, Darius II had to suppress several rebellions of satraps,
and lost Egypt in 410. His Greek policy was more
successful: he promised money to the warring cities Sparta and Athens,
and in return gained influence in the Greek towns in Asia. After his death
in 404, his sons Artaxerxes II and Cyrus
II started a civil war. |
