Xerxes the Great

Xerxes, the "Great King" of the Persians was obsessed with conquering the Greeks. His father, Darius I, had embarked on a similar mission but was defeated at Marathon in 490 B.C. Herodotus, in his Histories, tells us about the plans of the Great King:

"My intent is to throw a bridge over the Hellespont and march an army through Europe against Greece, that thereby I may obtain vengeance from the Athenians for the wrongs committed by them against the Persians and against my father. Your own eyes saw the preparations of Darius against these men; but death came upon him, and balked his hopes of revenge. In his behalf, therefore, and in behalf of all the Persians, I undertake the war, and pledge myself not to rest till I have taken and burnt Athens, which has dared, unprovoked, to injure me and my father.

. . .For these reasons, therefore, I am bent upon this war; and I see likewise therewith united no few advantages. Once let us subdue this people, and those neighbours of theirs who hold the land of Pelops the Phrygian, and we shall extend the Persian territory as far as God's heaven reaches. The sun will then shine on no land beyond our borders; for I will pass through Europe from one end to the other, and with your aid make of all the lands which it contains one country."

In 480 B.C., Xerxes (who ruled from 486 to 465) was victorius at Thermopylae and Artemisium. He also sacked Athens but encountered a major setback at Salamis. In the above photograph, we see Xerxes on a relief honoring his father, Darius I (also known as "The Great"). The relief was originally located in Persepolis, on the north stairs of the audience hall (Apadana). It is now maintained in Tehran, Iran, at the National Archaeological Museum.

So what "wrongs" exactly were committed against Xerxes' father Darius?

To find the answer we go back to the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. The Battle of Marathon took place during (and actually ended) the first Persian invasion of Greece (492-490 B.C.), and was a response to Greek involvement in the Ionian Revolt.

The Ionian Revolt was when Athens and Eretria had sent a force to support the cities of Ionia (which was an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey) in their attempt to overthrow Persian rule. The Athenians and Eretrians had succeeded in capturing and burning Sardis (which was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey's Manisa Province -- Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the most important cities of the Persian Empire), but were then forced to retreat with heavy losses. In response to this raid, Darius swore to burn down Athens and Eretria. At the time of the battle, Sparta and Athens were the two largest city states (or poleis) in Greece.

In addition to punishing the Greek poleis of Athens and Eretria, Darius also saw the opportunity to extend his empire into Europe, and to secure its western frontier. The first campaign in 492 B.C., led by Mardonius, re-subjugated Thrace and forced Macedon to become a client kingdom of Persia. However, further progress was prevented when Mardonius's fleet was wrecked in a storm off the coast of Mount Athos.

The following year, having demonstrated his intentions, Darius sent ambassadors to all parts of Greece, demanding their submission. He received it from almost all of them, excepting Athens and Sparta, both of whom executed the ambassadors. With Athens still defiant, and Sparta now effectively at war with him, Darius ordered a further military campaign for the following year.

Battle at Marathon

After his defeat at Marathon, Darius was still fully intent on conquering Greece and to secure the western part of his empire. Athens also remained unpunished for its role in the Ionian Revolt, and both Athens and Sparta were unpunished for their treatment of the Persian ambassadors. Darius therefore began raising a new army with which he meant to completely subjugate Greece; however, in 486 B.C., his Egyptian subjects revolted, indefinitely postponing any Greek expedition.

Darius then died whilst preparing to march on Egypt, and the throne of Persia passed to his son Xerxes I. Xerxes crushed the Egyptian revolt, and very quickly re-started the preparations for the invasion of Greece. This expedition was finally ready by 480 B.C., and the second Persian invasion of Greece thereby began, under the command of Xerxes himself. 

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4

KILLING FOR COUNTRY  

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 1

THE JOURNEY TO ANCIENT GREECE 

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2

A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3

WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 

Available at Amazon.com!