Egyptian Rebellion: Athens’s Strategy for Causing Divergence in the Achaemenid Empire and the Policy of Artaxerxes I

There were few governments in ancient Iran that were completely protected from political turmoil and instability. The studies on the history of the Achaemenid Empire two centuries after the death of Cyrus the Great indicate that they faced many revolts and rebellions. When the Egyptians were informed of the death of Xerxes and the conflict that had arisen over his replacement, they decided to fight for their independence. Therefore, they immediately provided an army and from 460 to 454 BCE they rebelled against the Persians. The purpose of the present study is to examine the process of Egyptians’ insurrection during the reign of Artaxerxes I and to identify the factors that were effective in creating stability/instability or convergence/ divergence in the Egyptian territory under the rule of the Achaemenid. The results of the article indicate that in the satrapy of Egypt, there was an instability in the established political power and a temporary change of the positions of the politicians.