the Younger: Death in Vain? Student Researcher: Michaela Walters Faculty Collaborator: Dr. Patricia Turner University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Department of History

Introduction: ’s quest for the crown of the Persian Empire, held by his brother, Artaxerxes II, culminated in the in 401 BC. The battle ended with his own death. The question remains: If Cyrus the Younger had lived through this battle could he have succeeded in supplanting his brother as King? Using primary sources such as and the Greek philosopher and historian , this project argues that Cyrus would not have succeeded in the end for two reasons. The first reason that caused Cyrus to fail in his attempted coup was the fact that he made extensive preparations. Normally this would be seen as an advantage to Cyrus; however, these preparations did not go unseen by his brother, Artaxerxes II. This allowed Artaxerxes II to make excellent plans, in advance, to thwart his brother’s assault. The second reason Cyrus would have failed was the fact that he had a very fragile support system. His mission to win the throne was doomed in the long term because of his inability to gain powerful and influential allies. These reasons would have led to Cyrus the Younger’s eventual demise even if he had survived the Battle of Cunaxa. THE ARCHAEMENID EMPIRE Source: http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/lecture_ancient_civ.htm Image of Cyrus the Younger: Conclusion: The final conflict between Cyrus the Younger and Artaxerxes II, known as the Battle of Cunaxa, left Cyrus the Younger dead and his brother’s crown intact. If Cyrus the Younger had lived through this battle he still would not have achieved this goal of winning the throne from his brother. His brother was forewarned of his plans and therefore well-prepared to defend his crown. Just as important, Cyrus lacked support in the form of a powerful and loyal military and key allies within the Persian aristocracy and bureaucracy to mobilize a successful rebellion against his brother. Cyrus the Younger was very good at making short-term allies however; in the long-term he was doomed to failure. Given this, death in battle was perhaps a merciful ending.

Methodology: Primary sources on the Persian Empire are scare. The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources from the Achaemenid Period by Amelie Kuhrt provides, however, a number of translated sources that I interpreted to understand the conflict between Cyrus the Younger and Artaxerxes II, including Plutarch’s Artoxerxes, Source: Amelie Kuhrt, The Persian Empire ,, page 355. Xenophon’s , and Diodorus’ Siculus XIV. Acknowledgments: Thank you to Dr. Patricia Turner for her advise, encouragement, and input throughout the completion of this research project. Bibliography: Amelie Kuhrt, Persian Empire, (New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007) This project was made possible through support by the UW-Eau Claire History Department and from the Diodorus Siculus XIV, apud Kuhrt, Persian Empire Artoxerxes, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Plutarch, , apud Kuhrt, Persian Empire Xenophon, Anabasis, apud Kuhrt, Persian Empire

The printing of this poster was funded by Differential Tuition and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.