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History
Artaxerxes I was king of the Persian Empire from 465 BC to 424 BC. He belonged
to the Achaemenid dynasty and was the successor of Xerxes I. His name is mentioned
numerous times in the Bible, in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. He allowed
the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem. |
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Tomb
of Artaxerxes - Naqsh-e Rustam
Naqsh-e Rustam is an archaeological site
located about 3 km northwest of Persepolis, Iran.
The center of the Archaemenid Dynasty.
Naqsh-e Rustam, contains seven tombs which belong to the Achaemenian kings. One
of those at Naqsh-e Rustam is expressly declared in its inscriptions to be the
tomb of Darius I. The three other tombs, besides that of Darius I, are those
of Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I, and Darius II.
Darius the Great's Inscription at Naqsh-e Rustam
"I am Darius the Great King, King of Kings, King
of countries containing all kinds of men"
Compare that with Ezra 7:12 which Artaxerxes wrote. He was from the same dynasty
of Darius and ruled after him.
Ezra 7:12 Now
this is the copy of the letter that
the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra
the priest. Artaxerxes,
king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a
scribe of the law of the God of heaven,
perfect peace, and at such a time. |
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Silver
Bowls of Artaxerxes
This silver bowl (pictured on the left) has an inscription
of Artaxerxes I in Old Persian cuneiform around the inner rim:
"Artaxerxes, the great king, king of
kings, king of countries, son of Xerxes the
king, of Xerxes who was son of Darius the king,
the Achaemenian, in whose house this silver
drinking cup was made."
This bowl is one of four similar examples found before 1935. |
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Persepolis
- Home of the Persian Kings
Persepolis
is the greatest surviving set of ruins of ancient
Near Eastern civilizations, and its scale and grandeur
is magnificent. It burned down when Alexander the
Great visited in 330BC because, despite being made
mostly of stone, the roof had wooden timbers and
when the fire raged these burned, melting the iron
clamps that held the columns in place.
The remains of Persepolis include bas-reliefs and sculptures that provide an
insight into the hearts and beliefs of the ancient Iranians. It can be seen that
the buildings at Persepolis are divided into three areas, military quarters,
the treasury and the reception and occasional houses for King of Kings. These
included the Great Stairway, the Gate of Nations (Xerxes), Apadana palace of
Darius, the Hall of a Hundred Columns, the Tripylon Hall and Tachara palace of
Darius, the Hadish palace of Xerxes, palace of Artaxerxes, the Imperial Treasury,
the Royal Stables and the Chariot house. |
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The
Historian Herodotus on Artaxerxes- The Histories
484 B.C.
"Darius the son of Hystaspes and Xerxes the son of Darius and Artoxerxes
the son of Xerxes" - Book 6 : 98
"The Argives at that time sent envoys
to Susa, and these asked Artoxerxes the
son of Xerxes, if the friendship still remained" -
Book 7:151 |
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The
Elephantine Papyris
From Ancient Near East Texts - Volume I - ANET
"On the 21st of Chisleu, that is the 1st of Mesore, year 6 of King
Artaxerxes, a Jew of Elephantine, of the detachment of Haumadata, said
to Jeziniah. - Mibtahiah's First Marriage
"On the 25th of Tishri, that is the 6th
day of the month Epiphi, year.... of King
Artaxerxes" -
Contract of Mibahiah's Third Marriage |
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Scriptures
Ezra 7:12 Now
this is the copy of the letter that the
king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest. Artaxerxes,
king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a
scribe of the law of the God of heaven,
perfect peace, and at such a time.
Ezra 8:1 These
are now the chief of their fathers,
and this is the genealogy
of them that went up with me from Babylon,
in the reign of Artaxerxes the
king.
Ezra 6:12 according
to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius,
and Artaxerxes King
of Persia.
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