The History of Artezorxes II

Plutarch claims that Darius had declared his eldest son Arcecaus to be his heir while one is deathbed. It seems very unlikely though that Darius would have waited until the very end of his life to name a successor, and Artezorxes' natural position as Crown Prince suggests that he had been named as Crown Prince years earlier. Cyrus was to remain state-trap of Lydia, and commander in the maritime provinces. But he could not accept this, and Plutarch reports that within days of ArteZorxes' ascension, he had made plans to have his brother assassinated.