Xerxes

King Xerxes Of Persia

Alex Feng

Global 9H Per. 5

Feb 14, 02

“Of all those tens of thousands of men, for goodliness and stature there was not one worthier than Xerxes himself to hold that command” (Herodotus 7.187). In this way the ancient Greek historian Herodotus praised King Xerxes of Persia, although Xerxes’ mission as king was not successful. Persia was the archenemy of the Greeks, and they fought at the battle of Marathon under the leadership of Xerxes’ father, Darius. Because Xerxes assumed the throne after his father’s death, he had a large impact on Greece and especially Athens.

Xerxes was born 518 B.C. to Darius I and Atossa, daughter of Cyrus the Great (Founder of Persian Empire). He married Amestris and Ester, whom bore him Darius, Hystaspes, Artaxerxes I. (Later became King after Xerxes) (Yamauchi 1) When a rebellion arose from the bordering Ionia, a Greek city-state, Athens became involved and supported it. After Darius quelled the revolt, he then turned his attention to Athens for the interference. When his father Darius failed in conquering Athens and died unexpectedly, Xerxes succeeded him to the throne and became King of Persia in 485 B.C. His late father’s generals easily convinced him to avenge his father’s defeat by attacking and conquering Athens, with the added benefit of expanding Persia’s borders westward. (Ellis 114) This was the spark that triggered the beginning of Xerxes’ campaign and participation in the Persian War against Athens, which would result in a series of battles ending finally with his defeat.

Xerxes first prepares by spending years collecting grain, money, weapons, and soldiers for the massive attack. (Knox 12) There is little doubt that he summoned the largest army and navy the world has ever seen, although the numbers recorded by Herodotus the historian arouses skepticism. Herodotus records that there were more the five million fighting men, although the impossibilities of space and supplies leads...