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Artaxerxes II

Artaxerxes II

9.9
King of Persia who ruled from 404 to 359 BC and made peace with Sparta
  • proper noun
: Artajerjes II
  • History records that Artaxerxes II made treaties with Sparta during his reign.

Examples

  • Artaxerxes II ruled Persia for over forty years, overcoming many internal rebellions.

  • Greek mercenaries fought under Cyrus the Younger, who was the younger brother of Artaxerxes II.

  • King Artaxerxes II ruled Persia for 45 years.

  • Did Artaxerxes II successfully make peace with Sparta?

  • Artaxerxes II ruled Persia for over forty years, overcoming many internal rebellions.

  • History records that Artaxerxes II made treaties with Sparta during his reign.

  • King Artaxerxes II successfully maintained peace in the region after several revolts.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Artaxerxes + II

This is a proper name formed from the personal name 'Artaxerxes' and the Roman numeral 'II'; a learner who knows those constituents would only infer 'Artaxerxes the second' but not the historical fact that he was a Persian king who ruled from 404–359 BC. The biographical and historical meaning is encyclopedic rather than compositional, so it is not derivable from the parts and is opaque to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Artaxerxes II may come from old Persian words that mean 'ruler through truth' or 'rule by justice'. He ruled Persia for over forty years, fought many revolts and made peace with Sparta, so the name fits a king who kept order.