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.
Tombs of King of Kings - 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 belongs to 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 believed to be 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.
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.
Persepolis - Home of the Persian
Kings
Persepolis is
quite magnificent. Started under Darius I (the
Great) in about 518 BC, and built
out over 150 years, it 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.
The Historian Herodotus - 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
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
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. |
