Ochus

• A river in Bactriana, that empties into the Oxus, Plin. 6, 16, 18, § 49; Curt. 7, 10, 15; Amm.23, 6, 57.—
• II A surname of Artaxerxes III., king of Persia, Curt. 10, 5, 23.—
• III Son of Darius Codomannus, Curt. 4, 14, 22.

[Artaxerxes III.]

OCHUS (ὁ Ὦχος, Strab. 11. p. 509; Ptol. 6.11. § § 2, 4; Ammian. 23.6), a river of Central Asia, which has been attributed to the provinces of Hyrcania and Bactriana by Strabo and Ptolemy respectively, as flowing through them both. It took its rise on the NW. side of the Paropamisus (or Hindú--Kúsh), and flowed in a NW. direction through part of Bactriana towards the Caspian Sea, arid parallel with the Oxus. Pliny makes it a river of Bactriana, and states that it and the Oxus flow from opposite sides of the same mountain (6.16.18). There can be no reason for doubting that it is represented by the present Tedjen. It is clear that in this part of Asia all Ptolemy's places are thrown too much to the east by an error in longitude. (Wilson, Ariana, p. 145.)

A surname of Artaxerxes III., king of Persia, who reigned B.C. 359-338. In order to secure his throne, he began his reign with a merciless extirpation of the members of his family. He himself was a cowardly and reckless despot; and the great advantages which the Persian arms gained during his reign were owing only to his Greek generals and mercenaries. These advantages consisted in the conquest of the revolted satrap Artabazus and in the reduction of Phoenicia, of several revolted towns in Cyprus, and of Egypt, B.C. 350. The reins of government were entirely in the hands of the eunuch Bagoas and of Mentor the Rhodian. At last he was poisoned by Bagoas, and was succeeded by his youngest son, Arses. See Persia.

(Ὄχος). A great river of Central Asia, supposed by some to be the same as the Oxus (Pliny , Pliny H. N. vi. 48).