Hi there. You're listening to the Hellenistic Age podcast. Well, it has been a while since we last visited Alexander the Great. In the last episode, we left off with the Balkan campaigns in Illyria, rebellion in Greece, and the crossing of the Hellespontine. With the ghost of Achilles and the gods appealed to

with sacrifices at the ruins of Troy, Alexander was finally ready to begin his invasion of the Persian

Empire. But before I continue with the campaign, I need to bring you up to speed on the recent

goings on in the Persian Empire since the reign of

Artaxerxes III.

Artaxerxes have been ruling since the early 350s, relatively secure in his position on

the throne, and with few, if any, rebellions occurring in the empire, things seem to be

going pretty good, all things considered.

What disturbed him, however, was the rising

power of Macedonia under the King Philip II, and Artaxerxes, using the triadentoo technique

of his forebears, sought to check this upstart kingdom's power by funneling money and weapons

to Philip's enemies in Greece. Unfortunately, it seemed to do a little good, because

by the last year of Artaxerxes reign, Philip had begun to plan his inversion of Persia,

with a united Greece in the League of Corinth. Artaxerxes would not live to see this portent,

because he would die in 338, allegedly at the hands of a poisoning court eunuch named

Bagoas.

The less juicy version of the story, based upon finds from recent Cuneiform Tablis, suggests

that the king died of natural causes instead.

But whatever the case may be, the next few years were turbulent, to say the least.

Artaxerxes the third son, Artaxerxes the fourth, reigned for only two years before he, along with many other of his siblings, were killed in court plots and intrigue.

Eventually, the throne was passed to one Artaxata, who took the name Darius III in 336.

Darius was the distant descendant of Artaxerxes 2nd and was considered a brave soldier and loyal

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