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Bessus

Achaemenid satrap and pretender to throne (died 329 BC)

PersonhumanQ296434

Also known as Artaxerxes V · Artaxerxès V

Born: 4th century BCE
Died: 329 BCE
1
Sources
1.Stated in Great Norwegian EncyclopediaRetrieved 2026-10-17
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Place of death: Ecbatana
Citizenship: Achaemenid Empire
Occupation: politician
Positions held: satrap

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Bessus or Bessos, also known by his regnal name Artaxerxes V, was a Persian satrap of the eastern Achaemenid satrapy of Bactria, as well as the self-proclaimed King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 330 to 329 BC.

Overview

All data

28 statements · 11% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Sex or gender: male
Religion or worldview: Zoroastrianism
Name in native language: Βήσσος
Bessus
Family: Achaemenid dynasty
Cause of death: decapitation

On other databases

16 identifiers linking Bessus across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

11%

externally sourced

Source last edited October 17, 2026. AIDb refreshes this page daily.

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AIDb. (2026). Bessus (Q296434). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/bessus-Q296434