< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > introduction</h1>
During this time, Ziyuan successively introduced many historical stories about ancient Rome and ancient Egypt, which aroused the strong interest of readers, in fact, whether it was ancient Rome, ancient Egypt or Phoenicia and Hittites that intersected with it, they were all active in the countries around the Mediterranean. The early civilized cities in Europe were basically concentrated in the Mediterranean region, so some of the ancient historical figures in the follow-up of Ziyuan also revolved around the Mediterranean, and today we will talk about a less well-known Persian emperor - Xerxes I.
(518 BC – August 465 BC), yes. At the time of his reign, the Persian Empire was at its height, and the greeks who were hostile to him had a well-documented and detailed account of him.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the life and early life of Xerxes</h1> I
Xerxes I's father was Darius I, the ruler of the Persian Empire, who called himself "King of Kings, King of Nations" and was later known as the "Iron-Blooded Emperor".
▲ Relief of the southern façade of Darius I's palace
It turned out that after the death of Cyrus the Great, his son was succeeded by Cambyses II, and Darius was only a military general at this time. In 522 BC, Darius took advantage of the coup d'état in the country and the violent death of Cambyses II on his way back to china, and united some of the Persian nobles to kill the coup leader Gomata, before ascending to the throne.
Although later generations know that Darius eventually succeeded and pushed the Persian Empire to its peak, before he was able to do so,
▲ Modern people paint the image of Cyrus the Great
The earliest surviving accounts include the persian play "Persian" by the ancient Greek tragic writer Αἰσχύλος) and the history of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus (Ηρόδοτος).
There is no record of the education received by Xerxes I in his youth, but the great-grandson of Xerxes I, the ancient Greek philosopher Xenophon (Ξενοφών), once described the main features of Persian aristocratic education – interestingly, no young aristocrat learned how to read and write, because those who mastered literacy were regarded as experts.
▲ Ahura Mazda relief image
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Xerxes I's succession and reign</h1>
As mentioned earlier, Darius I chose Xerxes as his heir because Queen Atosha was the daughter of Cyrus the Great, and because of it. However, the latter was born to Darius and his first wife (a commoner by birth) before emperor. In fact, after darius I's death, many people disputed it, and some even claimed that Darius had at least three wives, including another daughter of Cyrus the Great. The enthronement ceremony may have been held in Zedan Suleiman in Pasargadae, a sanctuary of the goddess Anahita, near an ancient volcano.
。 In 484 BC, the first or second year of Xerxes' reign, he had to send troops to quell an uprising in Egypt, where he left his brother Achaemenes as governor before returning to Persia. After quelling the egyptian uprising, Xerxes I quelled at least two more uprisings in Babylon, and most likely one in Judah.
Map of the Persian Empire
It consists of a number of provinces, with capitals in Sardis, Babylon, Memphis, Ecbatana, Pasar Garda, Bactra and Arachoti, all administered by the Crown Prince.
Xerxes I seems to have forgotten, however, that his father Darius had wanted to conquer Greece as the first step in the Persian invasion of Europe, but it was also a repetition of resentment. Cyrus the Great had earlier attempted to capture Greece, but had failed at the Battle of Marathon, where the Persian capital of Sardis was sacked during the Ionian Uprising.
▲ Imaginary map of the Scene of the Persian-Greek War
Herodotus estimated that the Persian Empire had an army of about 1.7 million, but in the eyes of modern scholars, this figure is seriously exaggerated.
。 Outnumbered, the Greeks lost the battle, known as the Battle of Thermos. However, the Persians during the "Persian War" were not without problems, and a naval battle at Cape Artemision showed that the Persians were indecisive, and although the Persians won the naval victory, they suffered heavy losses due to indecision.
▲Ruins of the Acropolis
In central Greece, Thessalius commanded an army of 300,000, while he himself returned to the capital Sardis. however
Founded by Darius I in 515 BC, the city was the focus of new architectural projects during the Persian Empire, and was still expanding when Alexander the Great began expanding in 330 BC.
▲ Ruins of Persepolis
The building, ordered by Xerxes I, was targeted by Alexander the Great. However, in spite of this, future generations can still learn from the writers of Alexander the Great's time that the damaged buildings were once brilliant.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the death and legacy of Xerxes I</h1>
Greek historians generally believe that the murderer was Prime Minister Ardaban, who was eager to succeed Xerxes to the throne. One night, Ardaban bribed the eunuch butler to enter Xerxes I's bedroom and assassinate him.
, telling him that the murderer was his brother Darius (not Darius I). Artaxerxes listened and rushed straight into his brother's bedroom and killed him. However, Ardaban was later betrayed by the Allies, and after the matter was revealed, Ardaban and many of his sons were executed by order of Artaxerxes I.
▲ Remains of Persepolis, reliefs of Xerxes and the waiter
Objectively speaking, the Persian Empire was not declared dead until Alexander the Great was born, and after Alexander the Great's death, it was ruled by the Seleucid kings, who continued until the Romans began to gain dominance in the region.
Resources:
Bridges, Emma. "Imagining Xerxes: Ancient Perspectives on a Persian King." London: Bloomsbury, 2015.
Munson, Rosaria Vignolo. "Who Are Herodotus' Persians?" Classical World 102 (2009): 457–70.
Sancisi-Weerdenburg, Heleen. "The Personality of Xerxes, King of Kings." Brill's Companion to Herodotus. Brill's Companions to Classical Studies. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2002. 549–60.
Smith, William, and G.E. Marindon, eds. A Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Mythology, and Geography. London: John Murray, 1904.
Stoneman, Richard. "Xerxes: A Persian Life." New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015.
Waerzeggers, Caroline. "The Babylonian Revolts against Xerxes and the 'End of Archives'." Archiv für Orientforschung 50 (2003): 150–73. Print.