King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 486 to 465 BC
Xerxes I Xšayār̥šā 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠
King of Kings
Great King
King of Persia
King of Babylon
Pharaoh of Egypt
King of Countries
Rock relief of Xerxes I, found in Persepolis, kept at National Museum of Iran
King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire Pharaoh of Egypt
Reign
October 486 – August 465 BC
Predecessor
Darius the Great
Successor
Artaxerxes I
Born
c. 518 BC
Died
August 465 BC (aged approximately 53)
Burial
Naqsh-e Rostam
Spouse
Amestris (or Vashti and Hadassah in Biblical tradition)
Issue
Darius
Hystaspes
Artaxerxes I
Arsames
Amytis
Dynasty
Achaemenid
Father
Darius the Great
Mother
Atossa
Religion
Indo-Iranian religion (possibly Zoroastrianism)
Xerxes (Xašayaruša/Ḫašayaruša)[1] in hieroglyphs
Xerxes I[a] (c. 518 – August 465 BC), commonly known as Xerxes the Great,[3] was a Persian ruler who served as the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 486 BC until his assassination in 465 BC. He was the son of Darius the Great and Atossa, a daughter of Cyrus the Great. In Western history, Xerxes is best known for his invasion of Greece in 480 BC, which ended in Persian defeat. Xerxes was designated successor by Darius over his elder brother Artobazan and inherited a large, multi-ethnic empire upon his father's death. He consolidated his power by crushing revolts in Egypt and Babylon, and renewed his father's campaign to subjugate Greece and punish Athens and its allies for their interference in the Ionian Revolt. In 480 BC, Xerxes personally led a large army and crossed the Hellespont into Europe. He achieved victories at Thermopylae and Artemisium before capturing and razing Athens. His forces gained control of mainland Greece north of the Isthmus of Corinth until their defeat at the Battle of Salamis. Fearing that the Greeks might trap him in Europe, Xerxes retreated with the greater part of his army back to Asia, leaving behind Mardonius to continue his campaign. Mardonius was defeated at Plataea the following year, effectively ending the Persian invasion.
After returning to Persia, Xerxes dedicated himself to large-scale construction projects, many of which had been left unfinished by his father. He oversaw the completion of the Gate of All Nations, the Apadana and the Tachara at Persepolis, and continued the construction of the Palace of Darius at Susa. He also maintained the Royal Road built by his father. In 465 BC, Xerxes and his heir Darius were assassinated by Artabanus, the commander of the royal bodyguard. He was succeeded by his third son, who took the throne as Artaxerxes I.
^Jürgen von Beckerath (1999). Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen. Mainz: Von Zabern. ISBN 3-8053-2310-7, pp. 220–221
^Littman, R. J.. "The Religious Policy of Xerxes and the 'Book of Esther'". The Jewish Quarterly Review, January 1975, New Series, Vol. 65, No. 3, footnote 2, accessed 30 December 2022
^Carey, Brian Todd; Allfree, Joshua; Cairns, John (19 January 2006). Warfare in the Ancient World. Pen and Sword. ISBN 1848846304.
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Great. In Western history, Xerxes is best known for his invasion of Greece in 480 BC, which ended in Persian defeat. Xerxes was designated successor by...
Achaemenid Empire, from 465 to December 424 BC. He was the third son of XerxesI. In Greek sources he is also surnamed "Long-handed" (Ancient Greek: μακρόχειρ...
Look up Xerxes in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Xerxes (/ˈzɜːrksiːz/ ZURK-seez) may refer to: XerxesI of Persia, "Xerxes the Great", reigned 486–465...
I declare that he will not be restrained until he utterly tears apart one of these. In August 480 BC, Leonidas marched out of Sparta to meet Xerxes'...
Tomb of XerxesI (Persian: آرامگاه خشایارشا) is a catacombs located in Marvdasht. This tomb is part of the Naqsh-e Rostam and is XerxesI's Tomb. Wikimedia...
in Ancient Greek as Ξέρξης Xérxēs. Many newer English translations and paraphrases of the Bible have used the name Xerxes. "Ahasuerus" is given as the...
brother of Xerxes and admiral of the Persian navy, floating amongst the shipwrecks, and brought the body back to Xerxes. Jar of XerxesI After the battle...
Jar of XerxesI The Jar of XerxesI is a jar in calcite or alabaster, an alabastron, with the quadrilingual signature of Achaemenid ruler XerxesI (ruled...
thər-MOP-i-lee; Greek: Μάχη τῶν Θερμοπυλῶν, Máchē tōn Thermopylōn) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Persian Empire under XerxesI and an alliance...
Achaemenid destruction of Athens was carried out by the Achaemenid Army of XerxesI during the Second Persian invasion of Greece, and occurred in two phases...
Nations was ordered by the Achaemenid king XerxesI (486–465 BC), the successor of the founder of Persepolis, Darius I the Great. It is from an inscription...
assassinated Xerxes with the help of a eunuch, Aspamitres. The exact year and date of Xerxes' assassination is disputed among historians. After XerxesI was assassinated...
performance in the television series Lost and Westworld, as well as for playing XerxesI in 300 and 300: The Rise of the Empire. Rodrigo Santoro was born in Petrópolis...
Xerxes Canal The Xerxes Canal (Greek: Διώρυγα του Ξέρξη) was a navigable canal through the base of the Mount Athos peninsula in Chalkidiki, northern Greece...
Kings, Bahram II (r. 274–293 CE). Xerxes, the eldest son of Darius and Atossa, succeeded to the throne as XerxesI; before his accession, he had contested...
kings buried at Naghsh-e Rostam are probably Darius I, XerxesI, Artaxerxes I and Darius II. Xerxes II, who reigned for a very short time, could scarcely...
King Leonidas I in reply to the demand by XerxesI that the Spartans surrender their weapons. The exchange between Leonidas and Xerxes occurs in writing...
Sardis. She was the daughter of Xerxes' brother Masistes. At the behest of Xerxes, Artaynte committed adultery with him (Xerxes). When Amestris found out,...
guardian of Esther, who became queen of Persia under the reign of Ahasuerus (XerxesI). Mordecai's loyalty and bravery are highlighted in the story as he helps...