Battle of Salamis and Xerxes Military Decision
To what extent is Xerxes misinterpreted in both ancient and modern sources?
Throughout history, it has been claimed by many that Xerxes, the fourth Persian king of the Great Achaemenid dynasty, was a cruel and intolerant leader, whose actions were more than questionable. However, in a time when Persian and Greek hostilities were quite extreme, due to Xerxes’ military decision to acquire Greece, there were few written sources which were not composed by his opposition or heavily influenced by the bitter relationship. Despite accounts, by composers such as Herodotus and Aeschylus, there has been recent attempt to consider both ancient and modern sources to balance his image. In the endeavor to reevaluate a reign that has much maligned throughout history and to reconsider a personality who has been at the mercy of those who write prejudicially about him, it is seen that Xerxes was in fact, a level-headed and impartial leader who reigned successfully, despite his loss of a hardly decisive war in Greece.
In evaluating Xerxes’ reign, it is essential to consider the accounts of his contemporaries in order to acquire a first hand portrayal of his actions which have traditionally established his character as one who was incapacitated with power. Herodotus, most infamously referred to throughout history as the “father of lies”, is a ancient Greek writer responsible for the account ‘The Histories’, which chronologically details Xerxes’ kinship and his failed endeavours at the expansion of the Persian empire into Greece.1 As he colourfully recounts Xerxes’ personal conversations, the supposed insanity of his predecessors and his reaction to failed attempts in bettering his empire, Herodotus, who is criticised for being considerably riddled with bias against the Persians, establishes this most inaccurate, yet permanent, portrayal of the Great King. In his Histories, Herodotus explicitly writes of Xerxes, although never having personally encountered one another, as a
Throughout history, it has been claimed by many that Xerxes, the fourth Persian king of the Great Achaemenid dynasty, was a cruel and intolerant leader, whose actions were more than questionable. However, in a time when Persian and Greek hostilities were quite extreme, due to Xerxes’ military decision to acquire Greece, there were few written sources which were not composed by his opposition or heavily influenced by the bitter relationship. Despite accounts, by composers such as Herodotus and Aeschylus, there has been recent attempt to consider both ancient and modern sources to balance his image. In the endeavor to reevaluate a reign that has much maligned throughout history and to reconsider a personality who has been at the mercy of those who write prejudicially about him, it is seen that Xerxes was in fact, a level-headed and impartial leader who reigned successfully, despite his loss of a hardly decisive war in Greece.
In evaluating Xerxes’ reign, it is essential to consider the accounts of his contemporaries in order to acquire a first hand portrayal of his actions which have traditionally established his character as one who was incapacitated with power. Herodotus, most infamously referred to throughout history as the “father of lies”, is a ancient Greek writer responsible for the account ‘The Histories’, which chronologically details Xerxes’ kinship and his failed endeavours at the expansion of the Persian empire into Greece.1 As he colourfully recounts Xerxes’ personal conversations, the supposed insanity of his predecessors and his reaction to failed attempts in bettering his empire, Herodotus, who is criticised for being considerably riddled with bias against the Persians, establishes this most inaccurate, yet permanent, portrayal of the Great King. In his Histories, Herodotus explicitly writes of Xerxes, although never having personally encountered one another, as a