Artaxerxes III, d. 338 B.C., king of ancient Persia (358–338 B.C.), son and successor of Artaxerxes II. He was originally named Ochus and is sometimes called Artaxerxes Ochus. He gained the throne by a general massacre of his brother's family, and throughout his reign he continued a policy of terror. An early expedition against Egypt failed (351 B.C.), but he set out again (c. 342) and, having destroyed Sidon on his way, reduced Egypt by bloody conquest. He also put down the unruly satraps and centralized and strengthened the empire. One of his ministers, the eunuch Bagoas, finally poisoned the king, put Artaxerxes' son Arses on the throne in 338, then deposed him in 336 in favor of Darius III.

Artaxerxes III re-established control over Persia and after several decades organized an attack against Egypt. He was able to dethrone Netanebo II, which ended the 30th Dynasty. After Ataxerxes III took the throne, most of the Egyptian treasures, including temple items were looted and taken back to Persia. During the rule of Artaxrexes III, sacred animals to the Egyptians were killed, cities were destroyed and the Egyptian people were either taken into slavery or were forced to pay incredibly high taxes. The reign of Artaxerxes III ended when he was poisoned after only 5 years of control over the Egyptian empire.

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