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Xerxes I of Persia
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Xerxes the Great
Khshayathiya Khshayathiyanam, King of Kings

Artistic depiction of Xerxes

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Reign 486 to 465 BC

Coronation October 485 BC
Born 519 BC
Birthplace Persia
Died 465 BC (aged 54)
Place of death Persia
Buried Persia
Predecessor Darius I
Successor Artaxerxes I
Consort Amestris
Royal House Achaemenid
Father Darius I of Persia (the Great)
Mother Atossa
Religious beliefs Zoroastrianism
Xerxes I of Persia (English: /ˈzɜrksiːz/) (Ancient Greek: Ξέρξης, Old Persian: ‫ خشایارشا‬Ḫšayāršā,
IPA: [xʃajaːrʃaː]), also known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth Zoroastrian king of kings of
the Achamenid Empire.

Contents
[hide]
• 1 Life
○ 1.1 Youth and rise to power
• 2 Campaigns
○ 2.1 Invasion of the Greek mainland
○ 2.2 Thermopylae and Athens
• 3 Construction projects
• 4 Death
• 5 Children
• 6 Depictions in popular culture
• 7 Notes
• 8 References
○ 8.1 Ancient sources
○ 8.2 Modern sources

[edit] Life
[edit] Youth and rise to power
Immediately after seizing the kingship, Darius I of Persia (son of Hystaspes) married Atossa
(daughter of Cyrus the Great). They were both descendants of Achaemenes from different
Achaemenid lines. Marrying a daughter of Cyrus strengthened Darius' position as king.[1] Darius
was an active emperor, busy with building programs in Persepolis, Susa, Egypt, and elsewhere.
Toward the end of his reign he moved to punish Athens, but a new revolt in Egypt (probably led
by the Persian satrap) had to be suppressed. Under Persian law, the Achaemenian kings were
required to choose a successor before setting out on such serious expeditions. Upon his great
decision to leave (487-486 BC),[2] Darius prepared his tomb at Naqsh-e Rostam and appointed
Xerxes, his eldest son by Atossa, as his successor. Darius' failing health then prevented him from
leading the campaigns,[3] and he died in October 486 BC.[3]
Xerxes was not the oldest son of Darius and according to old Iranian traditions should not have
succeeded the King. Xerxes was however the oldest son of Darius and Atossa hence descendent
of Cyrus. This made Xerxes the chosen King of Persia.[4] Some modern scholars also view the
unusual decision of Darius to give the throne to Xerxes to be a result of his consideration of the
unique positions that Cyrus the Great and his daughter Atossa have had.[5] Artobazan was born to
"Darius the subject", while Xerxes was the eldest son born in the purple after Darius' rise to the
throne, and Artobazan's mother was a commoner while Xerxes' mother was the daughter of the
founder of the empire.[6]
Xerxes was crowned and succeeded his father in October–December 486 BC[7] when he was
about 36 years old.[2] The transition of power to Xerxes was smooth due again in part to great
authority of Atossa[1] and his accession of royal power was not challenged by any person at court
or in the Achaemenian family, or any subject nation.[8]
Almost immediately, he suppressed the revolts in Egypt and Babylon that had broken out the
year before, and appointed his brother Achaemenes as governor or satrap (Old Persian:
khshathrapavan) over Egypt. In 484 BC, he outraged the Babylonians by violently confiscating
and melting down[9] the golden statue of Bel (Marduk, Merodach), the hands of which the
rightful king of Babylon had to clasp each New Year's Day. This sacrilege led the Babylonians to
rebel in 484 BC and 482 BC, so that in contemporary Babylonian documents, Xerxes refused his
father's title of King of Babylon, being named rather as King of Persia and Media, Great King,
King of Kings (Shahanshah) and King of Nations (i.e. of the world).
Although Herodotus' report in the Histories has created certain problems concerning Xerxes'
religious beliefs, modern scholars consider him as a Zoroastrian.[10]
[edit] Campaigns
[edit] Invasion of the Greek mainland
Main article: Greco-Persian Wars
Xerxes lashing the Hellespont
Darius left to his son the task of punishing the Athenians, Naxians, and Eretrians for their
interference in the Ionian Revolt and their victory over the Persians at Marathon. From 483 BC
Xerxes prepared his expedition: A channel was dug through the isthmus of the peninsula of
Mount Athos, provisions were stored in the stations on the road through Thrace, two bridges
were built across the Hellespont. Soldiers of many nationalities served in the armies of Xerxes,
including the Assyrians, Phoenicians, Babylonians, Indians, Egyptians and Jews.[11]
According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Xerxes' first attempt to bridge the Hellespont ended
in failure when a storm destroyed the flax and papyrus bridge; Xerxes ordered the Hellespont
(the strait itself) whipped three hundred times and had fetters thrown into the water. Xerxes'
second attempt to bridge the Hellespont was successful.[12] Xerxes concluded an alliance with
Carthage, and thus deprived Greece of the support of the powerful monarchs of Syracuse and
Agrigentum. Many smaller Greek states, moreover, took the side of the Persians, especially
Thessaly, Thebes and Argos. Xerxes set out in the spring of 480 BC from Sardis with a fleet and
army which Herodotus claimed was more than two million strong with at least 10,000 elite
warriors named Persian Immortals. Xerxes was victorious during the initial battles.
[edit] Thermopylae and Athens
Relief of an Achaemenid king, possibly Xerxes or Darius, on the wall of Persepolis Palace[13]
At the Battle of Thermopylae, a small force of Greek warriors led by King Leonidas of Sparta
resisted the much larger Persian forces, but were ultimately defeated. According to Herodotus,
the Persians broke the Spartan phalanx after a Greek man called Ephialtes betrayed his country
by telling the Persians of another pass around the mountains. After Thermopylae, Athens was
captured and the Athenians and Spartans were driven back to their last line of defense at the
Isthmus of Corinth and in the Saronic Gulf. The delay caused by the Spartans allowed Athens to
be evacuated.
What happened next is a matter of some controversy. According to Herodotus, upon
encountering the deserted city, in an uncharacteristic fit of rage particularly for Persian kings,
Xerxes had Athens burned. He almost immediately regretted this action and ordered it rebuilt the
very next day.[citation needed] However, Persian scholars dispute this view as pan-Hellenic
propaganda,[citation needed] arguing that Sparta, not Athens, was Xerxes' main foe in his Greek
campaigns, and that Xerxes would have had nothing to gain by destroying a major center of trade
and commerce like Athens once he had already captured it.

Inscription of Xerxes the Great near the Van Citadel

At that time, anti-Persian sentiment was high among many mainland Greeks, and the rumor that
Xerxes had destroyed the city was a popular one, though it is equally likely the fire was started
by accident as the Athenians were frantically fleeing the scene in pandemonium,[citation needed] or that
it was an act of "scorched earth" warfare to deprive Xerxes' army of the spoils of the city.
At Artemisium, large storms had destroyed ships from the Greek side and so the battle stopped
prematurely as the Greeks received news of the defeat at Thermopylae and retreated. Xerxes was
induced by the message of Themistocles (against the advice of Artemisia of Halicarnassus) to
attack the Greek fleet under unfavourable conditions, rather than sending a part of his ships to
the Peloponnesus and awaiting the dissolution of the Greek armies. The Battle of Salamis
(September 29, 480 BC) was won by the Greek fleet, after which Xerxes set up a winter camp in
Thessaly.[citation needed]
Due to unrest in Babylon, Xerxes was forced to send his army home to prevent a revolt, leaving
behind an army in Greece under Mardonius, who was defeated the following year at Plataea.[14]
The Greeks also attacked and burned the remaining Persian fleet anchored at Mycale. This cut
off the Persians from the supplies they needed to sustain their massive army, and they had no
choice but to retreat. Their withdrawal roused the Greek city-states of Asia.
[edit] Construction projects

The rock-cut tomb at Naqsh-e Rustam north of Persepolis, copying that of Darius, is usually
assumed to be that of Xerxes
After the military blunders in Greece, Xerxes returned to Persia and completed the many
construction projects left unfinished by his father at Susa and Persepolis. He built the Gate of all
Nations and the Hall of a Hundred Columns at Persepolis, which are the largest and most
imposing structures of the palace. He completed the Apadana, the Palace of Darius and the
Treasury all started by Darius as well as building his own palace which was twice the size of his
father's. His taste in architecture was similar to that of Darius, though on an even more gigantic
scale.[15] He also maintained the Royal Road built by his father and completed the Susa Gate and
built a palace at Susa.[16]
[edit] Death
In 465 BC Xerxes was murdered by Artabanus, the commander of the royal bodyguard and the
most powerful official in Persian court (Hazarapat/commander of thousand). He was promoted to
this most prestigious of positions in Achamenid court through his successful withdrawal of the
second Persian army out of Greece even though this involved him refusing to help Mardonius in
Plataea. Although Artabanus bore the same name as famed uncle of Xerxes, a Hyrcanian, his rise
to prominence was due to his popularity in religious quarters of the court and harem intrigues.
He put his seven sons in key positions and had an effective master plan to dethrone the
Achamenids.[17]
In August 465 BC, Artabanus assassinated Xerxes with the help of a eunuch Aspamitres. Greek
historians give contradicting accounts of what happened. According to Ctesias (in Persica 20),
Artabanus then accused the crown prince Darius (Xerxes' eldest son) of the murder and
persuaded Artaxerxes (another of Xerxes' sons) to avenge the patricide by killing Darius.
But according to Aristotle (in Politics 5.1311b), Artabanus killed Darius first and then killed
Xerxes. Later on after Artaxerxes discovered what Artabanus had done, Artaxerxes killed
Artabanus and his sons.[18] Participating in these intruiges was the general Megabyzus whose
decision to switch sides probably saved the day for the Achamenids.[19]
[edit] Children
By queen Amestris
• Amytis, wife of Megabyzus
• Artaxerxes I
• Darius, the first born, murdered by Artaxerxes I or Artabanus.
• Hystaspes, murdered by Artaxerxes I.
• Achaemenes, murdered by Egyptians.
• Rhodogune
By unknown wives
• Artarius, satrap of Babylon.
• Tithraustes
• Arsames or Arsamenes or Arxanes or Sarsamas satrap of Egypt.
• Parysatis[20]
• Ratashah[21]
[edit] Depictions in popular culture
Xerxes is the protagonist of the opera Serse by the German-English Baroque composer George
Frideric Handel. It was first performed in King's Theatre in London on 15 April 1738. The
famous aria, "Ombra mai fù" is taken from the opera.
Later generations' fascination with ancient Sparta, and particularly the Battle of Thermopylae,
has led to Xerxes' portrayal in a number of works of popular culture. For instance, he was played
by David Farrar in the 1962 film The 300 Spartans, where he is portrayed as a cruel, power-
crazed despot and an inept commander. He also features prominently in the graphic novel 300 by
Frank Miller, as well as the movie adaptation (portrayed by Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro),
where he was portrayed as an androgynous figure which has attracted much controversy
especially in Iran.
Other works dealing with the Persian Empire or the Biblical story of Esther have also referenced
Xerxes, such as the video game Assassin's Creed II and the film One Night with the King, in
which Ahasuerus (Xerxes) was portrayed by British actor Luke Goss. He is the leader of the
Persian Empire in the video game Civilization II and III (along with Scheherazade), although
Civilization IV replaces him with Cyrus the Great and Darius I.
American rapper King Gordy Released an album titled Xerxes the God King on August 1, 2010.

Xerxes I of Persia
Achaemenid dynasty
Born: 519 BC Died: 465 BC
Great King (Shah) of Persia
Preceded by 485 BC–465 BC Succeeded by
Darius I the Great Pharaoh of Egypt Artaxerxes I
485 BC–465 BC

[edit] Notes
1. ^ a b Schmitt, R., Atossa in Encyclopaedia Iranica.
2. ^ a b Dandamaev, M. A., A political history of the Achaemenid empire, p. 180.
3. ^ a b A. Sh. Shahbazi, Darius I the Great, in Encyclopaedia Iranica.
4. ^ Herodotus Book 7, Chap. 2. Excerpt: Artabazanes claimed the crown as the eldest of
all the children, because it was an established custom all over the world for the eldest to
have the pre-eminence; while Xerxes, on the other hand, urged that he was sprung from
Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus, and that it was Cyrus who had won the Persians their
freedom.
5. ^ R. Shabani Chapter I, p. 15
6. ^ Olmstead: the history of Persian empire
7. ^ The cambridge history of Iran vol. 2. p. 509.
8. ^ The Cambridge ancient history vol. V p. 72.
9. ^ R. Ghirshman, Iran, p.191
10. ^ M. Boyce, Achaemenid Religion in Encyclopædia Iranica. See also Boardman, J.; et al.
(1988). The Cambridge Ancient History Vol. IV (2 ed.). Cambridge University Press.
ISBN 0521228042. p. 101.
11. ^ Farrokh 2007: 77
12. ^ Bailkey, Nels, ed. Readings in Ancient History, p. 175. D.C. Heath and Co., USA,
1992.
13. ^ Livius Picture Archive: Persepolis - Apadana Audience Relief
14. ^ Battle of Salamis and aftermath
15. ^ Ghirshman, Iran, p.172
16. ^ Herodotus VII.11
 17. ^ Iran-e-Bastan/Pirnia book 1 p 873
18. ^ Dandamayev
19. ^ History of Persian Empire-Olmstead p 289/90
20. ^ Ctesias
21. ^ M. Brosius, Women in ancient Persia.
• Gore Vidal, in his historical fiction novel Creation, describes at length the rise of
Achemenids, and especially Darius I and presents the life and death circumstances of
Xerxes. His vision of history goes against the grain of Greek histories.
[edit] References
[edit] Ancient sources

• The Sixth Book, Entitled Erato in History of Herodotus.

• The Seventh Book, Entitled Polymnia in History of Herodotus.

[edit] Modern sources
• Dandamaev, M. A. (1989). A political history of the Achaemenid empire. Brill
Publishers. pp. 373. ISBN 9004091726.
• The Histories. Spark Educational Publishing. 2004. ISBN 1593081022.
• Shabani, Reza (1386 AP) (in Persian). Khshayarsha (Xerxes). What do I know about
Iran? No. 75. Cultural Research Burreau. pp. 120. ISBN 9643791092.
• Shahbazi, A. Sh.. "Darius I the Great". Encyclopaedia Iranica. vol. 7. Routledge &
Kegan Paul. http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v7f1/v7f136a.html#iii.
• Schmitt, Rüdiger. "Achaemenid dynasty". Encyclopaedia Iranica. vol. 3. Routledge &
Kegan Paul. http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v1f4/v1f4a109.html.
• Schmitt, Rüdiger. "Atossa". Encyclopaedia Iranica. vol. 3. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v3f1/v3f1a014.html.
• McCullough, W. S. "Ahasuerus". Encyclopaedia Iranica. vol. 1. Routledge & Kegan
Paul. http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v1f6/v1f6a062.html.
• Boyce, Mary. "Achaemenid Religion". Encyclopaedia Iranica. vol. 1. Routledge & Kegan
Paul. http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v1f4/v1f4a110.html.
• Dandamayev, M. A (1999). "Artabanus". Encyclopædia Iranica. Routledge & Kegan
Paul. http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v2f6/v2f6a002.html. Retrieved
2009-02-25.
• Frye, Richard N. (1963). The Heritage of Persia. Weidenfeld and Nicolson. pp. 301.
ISBN 0297167278.
• Schmeja, H. (1975). "Dareios, Xerxes, Artaxerxes. Drei persische Königsnamen in
griechischer Deutung (Zu Herodot 6,98,3)". Die Sprache 21: 184–88.
• Gershevitch, Ilya; Bayne Fisher, William; A. Boyle, J. (1985). The Cambridge history of
Iran. 2. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521200911.
 • Boardman, John; al., et (1988). The Cambridge ancient history. V. Cambridge
University Press. ISBN 0521228042.
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