Xerxes is the son of darius. Xerxes i - history - knowledge - articles directory - rose of the world. Wives and children

In all likelihood, there were several uprisings. Initially, the Babylonians revolted under the leadership of Bel-shimanni. It is possible that this uprising began under Darius, under the influence of the defeat of the Persians at Marathon. The rebels captured, in addition to Babylon, the cities of Borsippu and Dilbat. In two cuneiform documents found in Borsippa, dated "to the beginning of the reign of Bel-shimanni, king of Babylon and the Countries." The witnesses who signed this contract are the same as those found on the documents of the second half of the reign of Darius and the first year of Xerxes. Obviously, Bel-shimanni rebelled against Darius and took the daring title of "king of the Countries", which had not yet been encroached upon by the False Buchadnezzers. But two weeks later in July 484 BC. e. this uprising was suppressed.

Crossing the Hellespont

Warriors of the army of Xerxes. Reconstruction according to the description of Herodotus, archaeological finds and drawings on Greek vases. From left to right: Persian standard-bearer, Armenian and Cappadocian warriors.

Warriors of the army of Xerxes.
From left to right: Chaldean infantrymen formed the first row of the Persian phalanx of archers; Babylonian archer; Assyrian infantryman. The warriors wear quilted jackets stuffed with horsehair - a typical type of oriental armor of that time.

Warriors of the army of Xerxes from Asia Minor. On the left is a hoplite from Ionia, whose weaponry is very reminiscent of the Greek, but it is wearing a soft quilted shell, widespread among Asian peoples (in this case, the Greek cut); on the right - a Lydian hoplite in a bronze cuirass and a kind of frame helmet.

Warriors of the army of Xerxes. Reconstruction according to the description of Herodotus and archaeological finds. From left to right: an Ethiopian warrior armed with a powerful bow, half of his body painted white; infantryman from Khorezm, Bactrian infantryman; Arian cavalryman.

Battle of Thermopylae

Fleet actions

The sack of Attica

Furnishings in the State

These failures in the Greco-Persian wars intensified the process of the disintegration of the Achaemenid state. Already under Xerxes, symptoms dangerous for the existence of the state appeared - the rebellions of the satraps. So, his own brother Masista fled from Susa to his satrapy Bactria in order to raise an uprising there, but on the way the warriors loyal to the king caught up with Masista and killed him along with all the sons accompanying him (c. 478 BC). Under Xerxes, intensive construction was carried out in Persepolis, Susa, Tushpa, on Mount Elvend near Ecbatana and in other places. To strengthen state centralization, he carried out a religious reform, which boiled down to prohibiting the veneration of local tribal gods and strengthening the cult of the common Iranian god Ahuramazda. Under Xerxes, the Persians stopped supporting local temples (in Egypt, Babylonia, etc.) and seized many temple treasures.

The murder of Xerxes by conspiracy

According to the testimony of Ctesias, by the end of his life, Xerxes was under the strong influence of the chief of the royal guard Artaban and the eunuch Aspamitra. Probably, Xerxes' position at this time was not very strong. In any case, we know from the Persepolis documents that in 467 BC. e. , that is, 2 years before the assassination of Xerxes, famine reigned in Persia, the king's barns were empty and the price of grain increased seven times compared to ordinary ones. To somehow reassure the disaffected, Xerxes removed about a hundred government officials over the course of the year, starting with the most senior ones. In August 465 BC. e. Artaban and Aspamitra, apparently, not without the intrigues of Artaxerxes, the youngest son of Xerxes, killed the king at night in his bedroom. The exact date of this conspiracy is recorded in an astronomical text from Babylonia. Another text from Egypt says that he was killed along with his eldest son Darius.

Xerxes was in power for 20 years and 8 months and was killed at the age of 55. From the reign of Xerxes, about 20 cuneiform inscriptions in ancient Persian, Elamite and Babylonian languages have been preserved.

Wives and children

Queen Amestrida

Darius
Gistasp, satrap of Bactria

Unknown wives

Aratry, Satrap of Babylon.
Ratashap

Achaemenids
Predecessor: Darius I

Persian king Xerxes I (born about 519 BC - death 465 BC) King of the Achaemenid state (486 BC). He headed the Persian campaign to Greece (480–479 BC), which ended in defeat and marked the end of the first stage.

After the death of Darius I Hystaspes, his son, Xerxes I, ascended the throne of the Achaemenids. The new king of kings immediately faced military problems. The huge state was restless. Some of the provinces fell out of control. 484 BC e. the Persian king Xerxes was forced to go to pacify rebellious Egypt. Then came the news of the rebellion in Babylon. The Persian army invaded Mesopotamia, destroyed the fortifications, plundered temples and destroyed the main shrine of the Babylonians - the statue of the god Marduk.

The successful pacification of the rebellious, perhaps, turned Xerxes' head, and he began to think about the seizure of new territories. Xerxes fully inherited his father's hatred of the Greeks. But, remembering the failures of Darius and being very circumspect, he did not rush. The king of kings pondered for a long time, and his entourage were perplexed: they were convinced that little Hellas, on whose territory there were many city-states, would not be able to withstand the might of a huge Persian army.

In the end, the king called those close to him for advice. He told them his plans to build a huge pontoon bridge across the Hellespont (present-day Dardanelles). The Persian king Xerxes was determined not only to fulfill his father's behest and capture Greece. He intended to turn all states into one, that is, to come to world domination. The military leaders could not help but support the idea of Xerxes. In the eastern despotism, which was the Achaemenid state, it was not customary to contradict the lord. Those who had their own opinion could easily say goodbye not only to the situation, but also to the head.

Preparations for the campaign continued for four years. Finally, the titanic work on the construction of the bridge was completed. The Persian troops were already ready to cross over to Europe. However, a terrible storm destroyed the gigantic structure. Then the king ordered to cut off the heads of the builders, among whom the overwhelming majority were subject to the Persians, the Phoenicians and Egyptians. In addition, by order of the formidable ruler, the strait was carved with a whip, and the fetters were thrown into the sea. At that distant time, people were still animating natural objects, and the king sincerely believed that the recalcitrant strait, after punishment, would feel the full force of the great Xerxes' anger.

The bridge was rebuilt. In addition to the fact that the ships could now safely bypass the dangerous place in the strait, a canal was dug. For this they dug up a whole mountain. The Persian king Xerxes had as many human resources as he wanted: 20 satrapies-provinces regularly supplied labor.

480 BC e., August - the troops safely crossed to Europe. For 7 days and nights, the troops marched across the bridge without stopping. Persians, Assyrians, Parthians, Khorezmians, Sogdians, Bactrians, Indians, Arabs, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Thracians, Libyans, Phrygians, Cappadocians, the inhabitants of the Caucasus - this is an incomplete list of the peoples who were part of the army of Xerxes.

According to Herodotus, in the army of Xerxes there were 1 million 700 thousand infantry, 80 thousand riders on horseback and 20 thousand on camels, auxiliary troops. The total number of soldiers, in his opinion, reached more than five million people. In fact, according to scientists, the number of troops did not exceed 100 thousand, but even this figure at that time can be considered huge. In addition, the ground forces were supported by a fleet of 700-800 ships.

Xerxes had no doubts of victory. Well, what could the Greeks oppose to his military power? Smiling smugly, he declared: “In my army, everyone is under the control of one person. The whip will drive them into battle, fear of me will make them brave. If I order, everyone will do the impossible. Are the Greeks who talk about freedom capable of this? " However, it was precisely this desire for freedom that helped the Hellenes to survive in a fierce struggle with the most powerful empire of that time.

Having entered the land of Hellas, the king first of all tried to let the news of his advance reach the Greek cities as quickly as possible. For this, the first captured Greek scouts were not executed, but released, showing the army and fleet. Ambassadors were sent to the policies demanding "land and water." But the Persian king did not send anyone to the hated Athens and Sparta, making it clear to their inhabitants that there would be no mercy for them. But Xerxes' expectations did not come true: only Thessaly and Boeotia agreed to recognize his power. The rest began to prepare for a rebuff.

The Athenian strategist Themistocles, elected in 482 BC. e., in a short time was able to create a powerful fleet. He, as Plutarch wrote, "put an end to internecine wars in Hellas and reconciled individual states among themselves, convincing them to postpone enmity in view of the war with Persia."

According to the plan of the allies, they decided to give battle to the enemy on land and at sea. To Cape Artemisia on the coast of Euboea, 300 ships-triremes were sent, and the army, led by it, moved to Thessaly. Here, in the Thermopylae gorge, the Greeks expected a formidable enemy.

Xerxes waited four days for news of the naval battle. When it became known that half of his fleet was scattered by the storm, and the rest suffered heavy losses and could not break through to the coast, the king sent scouts to find out what the Greeks were doing. He hoped that those, seeing the superiority of the enemy, would retreat. However, the Greeks stubbornly remained in place. Then Xerxes moved the army. Sitting in a chair, he watched the progress from the top of the mountain. The Greeks continued to stand. The "immortals" were thrown into battle, but they could not achieve success either.

It became clear that the position of the Greeks was extremely beneficial, and their courage had no boundaries. Perhaps the king of the Persians Xerxes would have had to look for another way, but among the local residents there was a traitor who showed, for a reward, a detour path to the Persians. The defenders of the gorge noticed that they were surrounded. The commander of the Greeks, King Leonidas, dismissed the allies. With him remained 300 Spartans, 400 Thebans and 700 Thespians. After a fierce battle, they all died. The furious Xerxes ordered to find the body of Leonidas. He was beheaded, and his head was planted on a spear.

The army of the Persians moved to Athens. Themistocles persuaded his fellow citizens to leave the city. He was confident that the Athenians would take revenge not on land, but at sea. But not all allies agreed with the opinion of their commander. Endless bickering began. Then the strategist sent his slave to Xerxes, who again waited, hoping for disagreements in the enemy camp. The slave told Xerxes that the Greeks were going to retreat at night, and Themistocles wants to go over to the side of the Persians and advises to start an offensive at night.

Xerxes was unforgivably gullible. Apparently, he was so confident in his own strength that he did not even think about a possible trap. the Persian king ordered the fleet to close all exits from the Strait of Salam so that no enemy ship could escape from him. Themistocles wanted to achieve this: now the ships of the Spartans and Corinthians could not leave the Athenians. It was decided to fight.

(480 BC) attended by 1000 Persian ships and 180 Greek ships. On the shore, under a gilded canopy, the Persian king Xerxes sat on a throne, watching the battle. Nearby were courtiers and scribes who were supposed to describe the great victory of the Persians. But the clumsy Persian ships, forced to operate in a narrow strait, were much inferior to the fast Greek triremes. The latter went to the ram and easily dodged the enemy.

As a result, most of Xerxes' fleet was sunk. The bulk of the Persians who did not know how to swim drowned. Those who reached the coast were exterminated by the Greek infantry. Eventually the Persians fled. The surviving ships were destroyed by the inhabitants of Aegina, who set up an ambush.

The remnants of the Persian army moved towards the bridge over the Hellespont. Themistocles wanted to destroy it, but heeded the advice of the former strategist of Athens Aristides. He believed that the trapped Persian warriors would fight desperately and many Greeks would die.

They say that the king of kings returned home on a ship that was extremely crowded. During a violent storm, the helmsman addressed him: “Master! We need to lighten the ship! " - and the king ordered his subjects to leave the ship. Those themselves began to throw themselves overboard, where they, who did not know how to swim, were inevitable death. Having safely reached the coast, Xerxes presented the helmsman with a golden ring for saving his life and immediately ... ordered to cut off the head of the savior because he had killed so many Persians.

But not all of the Persian army left Hellas. By order of Xerxes, troops were left in Thessaly, which were supposed to spend the winter and continue the war in the spring. 479 BC e. - a major battle took place near the town of Plateia in Boeotia. The famous Persian commander Mardonius fell in it, with the death of which the Persians were finally broken and left the Peloponnesian peninsula. The first stage of the Greco-Persian wars was finally completed.

Xerxes had to part with dreams of world domination forever. His destiny was the exaltation of the capital of Persepolis. The construction of the palace, begun under Daria, was completed, and a new one was built, the construction of the throne room of a hundred columns began.

Meanwhile, there was a relentless struggle for influence at court. The courtiers and even members of the Xerxes family never ceased to intrigue. Xerxes grew more and more suspicious. Once, when the queen reported that his brother was preparing an assassination attempt, the king ordered the destruction of his entire family.

The courtiers, all the more, could not count on the pity of the tsar. Apparently, because in the summer of 465 BC. e. Xerxes and his eldest son were killed by conspirators led by Minister Artaban. Another son of the king, Artaxerxes I, ascended the throne, but the golden age of the Achaemenid dynasty passed into the past along with the warlike Persian king Xerxes I, who entered history.

Participation in wars: Invasion of Greece. Internecine wars. Wars with the Sakas.
Participation in battles: Thermopylae. Salamis.

(Xerxes I of Persia) Persian king from the Achaemenid dynasty, son of Darius I

Xerxes was the son of Darius I and Atossa, daughter Cyrus the Great, the first king of the Achaemenid state. Darius I, who had six more sons, in the end chose Xerxes, possibly on the grounds that he was born first, when Darius himself became king (522). In 486 BC. Darius I, preparing a new campaign against Greece and intending to suppress the uprising in Egypt, died at the age of sixty-four. Xerxes ascended the throne in November

In the early years of his reign Xerxes was forced to engage in strengthening his power and, above all, declared his loyalty to the moral and ethical principles previously formulated by his great father. In 484 BC. the king ruthlessly suppressed the uprising in Egypt and subsequently treated this country as a conquered province. The next uprising (summer 484) took place in Babylon, it was possible to suppress it only by March 481 BC. e. After the city was taken by storm, the fortifications and city walls of Babylon were torn down, the main sanctuaries of the city were damaged, most of the priests were beheaded, and most importantly, the golden statue of the supreme god Marduk was taken to Persepolis and, probably, melted into coins. It brought down Babylon in the position of one of the lower satrapies, the capital of the Babylonian kingdom, formally considered separate and part of the Persian Empire, lost its political significance.

In 483 BC. Xerxes officially ordered to begin all the necessary preparations for the campaign against the Greeks. To prevent the fleet from falling victim to the storm, as happened in 492 BC. at Cape Athos, it was decided to dig a canal across the sandy isthmus in the eastern part of the Halkidika peninsula. On the Hellespont, near Abydos, two pontoon bridges were erected with a length of about 1300 meters. All this work took about three years. In addition, provisions were procured and warehouses were set up along the coast of Thrace and Macedonia. The company began in 481 BC, when a grandiose Persian army, led personally by the great king, left Cappadocia and, crossing Galis, arrived via Lydia and Phrygia to the Hellespont. However, another storm destroyed both bridges, and the furious Xerxes ordered to scourge the recalcitrant sea, and then immerse shackles in its waters. In the spring of 480 BC. the Persian army, having crossed the strait, without meeting any resistance, moved through Thrace, Macedonia and Thessaly. At Thermopylae August 11, 480 BC the Greeks and Persians first met on land, while several battles had already taken place at sea (at Cape Artemisium). These battles showed Xerxes that it would not be easy to conquer the Greeks. The next battles - near Salamis, Mikale and Pay forced the Persians to abandon their plans to conquer Greece. Xerxes himself, after the battle of Salamis, was forced to hastily go east, because a new rebellion broke out in Babylon.

Reign period Xerxes after the Greek company it is much less known. The Greeks, who did not abandon the ideas for the liberation of Asia Minor, continued to expand the zone of hostilities, but conflicts again began between the main participants Sparta and Athens, so that the Persians got a respite. Persians' recent winners - Athenian Themistocles and spartan Pausanias- found themselves in disgrace and began to actively cooperate with the satraps Xerxes... Themistocles managed to escape to the Persians, and Pausanias, accused of treason, was sentenced to death and died of starvation in one of the sanctuaries. Military operations in the west of the Persian Empire were conducted with varying success, but in the east Xerxes pursued an enterprising aggressive policy: for the first time, the Saka tribe of the Dakhs, who lived to the east of the Caspian Sea, was conquered. Under Xerxes, large-scale construction took place in Susa, Persepolis, Van and other places. Despite external successes, the position of the Persian king was not strong and in 465 BC. Xerxes, not without the intrigues of his youngest son Artaxerxes, was stabbed to death by the eunuch Aspamitra and the commander of the royal guard Artaban. Soon the rest of the sons of Xerxes were killed, and the new great king became Artaxerxes I.

Filmmakers and screenwriters, filming films about historical figures, often distort history in the direction of drama and heroism. This technique is necessary for a more interesting and exciting plot. We decided to compare how they looked historical figures in the movies and in fact.

(10 photos total)

1. Xerxes I. "300 Spartans"

Xerxes is a Persian king from the Achaemenid dynasty who ruled from 486-465 BC. He came to the throne at the age of about 36 years. According to ancient legends, Xerxes was lethargic, narrow-minded, spineless, easily subordinated to other people's influence, but was distinguished by self-confidence and vanity. Eastern sources depict a completely different personality. They portray Xerxes as a wise statesman and an experienced warrior. Xerxes himself in an inscription found near Persepolis and, incidentally, which is essentially only a copy of the inscription of Darius I, declares that he is wise and active, a friend of truth and an enemy of lawlessness, protects the weak from oppression of the strong, but also protects the strong from injustice from the weak , knows how to control his feelings and does not make hasty decisions, punishes and rewards everyone in accordance with his misdeeds and merit.

2. Achilles. "Troy"

Achilles is a hero of the Trojan War, the son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidons in Phthia (Thessaly), and the sea goddess Thetis. The bravest hero in the ancient legends of the ancient Greeks. Legend has it that Thetis dipped the baby in the waters of the Styx, which is why no weapon could damage the body of Achilles. Only the heel remained vulnerable, for which his mother held him, lowering him into an underground river. After Thetis left Peleus, Achilles was handed over by his father to the centaur Chiron, who fed him the entrails of lions and boars, taught him healing, the art of singing and playing the lyre. According to the canonical version of the myth, Achilles was killed by Paris, whose arrow was directed by Apollo to the hero's only vulnerable spot - his heel.

3. Maximinus I Thracian. "Gladiator"

The prototype of General Maximus from the film "Gladiator" is Gaius Julius Ver Maximin the Thracian. Roman emperor from March 20, 235 to March 22, 238, the first "soldier emperor" and the first emperor to rise to this position from the very bottom. He stood out for his enormous growth and physical strength. In early childhood, he was a shepherd, as well as the leader of the youth, he set up ambushes against robbers and guarded his own from their attacks. Military service he began in the cavalry under Septimius Severus. He stood out for his enormous growth (according to unverified data - over 2.5 m) - a woman's bracelet could only be worn on a finger, and was also distinguished by valor, courageous beauty, indomitable disposition, was stern and arrogant, contemptuous in handling, but often showed justice.

4. William Wallace. "Brave Heart"

William Wallace is a Scottish knight and military leader, one of the leaders of the Scots in the War of Independence from England. Guardian of Scotland (regent) 1297-1298. Revered in Scotland as a patriot and hero of the people. In the film, Wallace's image is very different from the real prototype (William is represented as a peasant who fights without armor, etc.).

5. George VI. "The King Speaks"

George VI - King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia and South Africa since December 11, 1936. George VI is the father of the current Queen of Great Britain, Elizabeth II.

6. Cleopatra VII Philopator. "Cleopatra"

The last queen of Hellenistic Egypt from the Macedonian Ptolemaic dynasty. Glorified for the dramatic love story for the Roman commander Mark Antony. During her reign, Egypt was conquered by Rome, Cleopatra herself committed suicide in order not to become a prisoner of the first Roman emperor Octavian Augustus. Cleopatra became one of the most popular antique characters in films and literary works.

7. Leonid I. "300 Spartans"

Leonidas - the king of Sparta from the clan of Agids, who ruled in 491-480 BC, the son of Anaxandris. He was considered a descendant of Hercules in the 20th generation. For ten years of his reign, Leonidas did nothing significant, but immortalized his name with the battle at Thermopylae. With six thousand soldiers (including a personal guard of 300 Spartans), he defended the Thermopylae passage during the advance of the Persian troops and died in battle.

8. Alexander the Great. "Alexander"

Macedonian king from 336 BC from the Argead dynasty, commander, creator of a world power, which disintegrated after his death. In Western historiography, it is better known as Alexander the Great. Even in Antiquity, the glory of one of the greatest military leaders in history was entrenched in Alexander. Having ascended the throne at the age of 20 after the death of his father, the Macedonian king Philip II, Alexander secured the northern borders of Macedonia and completed the subjugation of Greece by defeating the rebellious city of Thebes. In the spring of 334 BC. Alexander began the legendary campaign to the East and in seven years completely conquered the Persian Empire. Then he began the conquest of India, but at the insistence of the soldiers, tired of the long march, he retreated.

The cities founded by Alexander, which in our time are the largest in several countries, and the colonization of new territories in Asia by the Greeks contributed to the spread of Greek culture in the East. Almost at the age of 33, Alexander died in Babylon from a serious illness. Immediately his empire was divided by his generals (diadochi) among themselves, and for several decades a series of wars of diadochi reigned.

9. Pu Yi "The Last Emperor"

The last emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty - Aisinjuelo (in Manchu - Aisin Giro, "golden family") was born on February 7, 1906, and already in 1908 he was enthroned. As a result of the 1911 revolution, Pu Yi abdicated the throne on February 12, 1912. Power passed to President Yuan Shikai. After living for 13 years in "preferential terms", Pu Yi in 1924 was expelled by the republican army. In 1932 he became the supreme ruler of Manchukuo. August 19, 1945 is the last day of the reign of the last emperor of China.

10. Spartacus. "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"

Former warrior from Thrace, captured by the Romans and turned into a gladiator slave. He led an uprising on the territory of modern Italy in the period 74-71 BC. His army of fugitive gladiators and slaves defeated several Roman legions in several battles, including two consular armies. These events went down in history as the uprising of Spartacus - the third largest slave uprising in Rome after the first and second Sicilian uprisings.

Xerxes I

Relief of a Persian king (possibly Xerxes I) on the wall of a palace at Persepolis

Xerxes I (Old Persian Hashayarsha, which means "King of Heroes"; 521 or 519 - 465 BC) - Persian king, ruled in 485 - 464 BC. e., from the Achaemenid dynasty.
The son of Darius I and Atossa ascended the throne in November 486 BC. e. at the age of about 36 years. He was lethargic, narrow-minded, spineless, easily obeyed the influence of others, but was distinguished by self-confidence and vanity.

Xerxes I

Uprising in Egypt

In January 484 BC. e. Xerxes succeeded in suppressing the rebellion in Egypt, which began during the life of his father. Egypt suffered a ruthless reprisal, the property of many temples was confiscated. In exchange for Ferendat, who apparently died during the uprising, Xerxes appointed his brother Achaemenus as satrap of Egypt. According to Herodotus, Egypt was subjected to an even greater yoke than before. Since then, the participation of indigenous people in the government of the country is even more limited - they are allowed only to lower positions; and Xerxes and subsequent Persian kings do not honor the Egyptian gods. True, in the Hammamat quarries the name of Xerxes is inscribed in hieroglyphs, but this king did not obtain material for Egyptian temples, but for his buildings in Persia, delivering it by sea. Unlike their predecessors, Xerxes and the kings that followed him did not consider it necessary to accept the Pharaonic titles - only their Persian names written in hieroglyphs in cartouches have survived to us.

Gate of Xerxes. Persepolis. Shiraz, Iran.

Xerxes palace

Babylonian revolts

Then they had to pacify Babylon, who again decided to revolt. Ctesias reports that this revolt broke out at the beginning of the reign and was caused by the blasphemous opening of the tomb of a certain Belitan, and then pacified by Megabyzus, Xerxes' son-in-law and Zopyr's father. Strabo, Arrian, Diodorus also speak of Xerxes' sacrileges in Babylonian temples, and Arrian dates them to the time after Xerxes returned from Greece. In all likelihood, there were several uprisings. Initially, the Babylonians revolted under the leadership of Bel-shimanni. It is possible that this uprising began under Darius, under the influence of the defeat of the Persians at Marathon. The rebels captured, in addition to Babylon, the cities of Borsippu and Dilbat. In two cuneiform documents found in Borsippa, dated "to the beginning of the reign of Bel-shimanni, king of Babylon and the Countries." The witnesses who signed this contract are the same as those found on the documents of the second half of the reign of Darius and the first year of Xerxes. Obviously, Bel-shimanni rebelled against Darius and took the daring title of "king of the Countries", which had not yet been encroached upon by the False Buchadnezzers. But two weeks later in July 484 BC. e. this uprising was suppressed.

In August 482 BC. e. the Babylonians rebelled again. Now the rebellion was headed by Shamash-eriba. This rebellion is evidenced by one Babylonian document - the contract of the merchant bank Egibi, dated Tashrit 22 (October 26), the year of the entry into the reign of Shamash-Erib, "the king of Babylon and the Countries", and the witnesses of the transaction are the same as those mentioned in the documents of the times of Darius; the son of one of them is mentioned already under the 1st year of Xerxes. In any case, the uprising did not last long - this is evident from the presence of one document from the "beginning of the reign". The rebel achieved major successes, capturing Babylon, Borsippa, Dilbat and other cities, since most of the military garrisons stationed in Babylon were sent to Asia Minor to participate in the upcoming campaign against Greece. The suppression of the uprising was entrusted to Xerxes' son-in-law Megabyzus. The siege of Babylon lasted several months and ended, apparently, in March 481 BC. e. severe reprisals. City and other fortifications were torn down. Even the course of the river was diverted and the Euphrates, at least temporarily, separated the residential part of the city from its sanctuaries. Some of the priests were executed, the main temple of Esagila and the ziggurat of Etemenanki also suffered greatly.

Herodotus does not know anything about him either, but he informs, without knowing it, interesting information that Xerxes took away from the temple of Bel (Esagila) a colossal, weighing 20 talents (about 600 kg), a golden statue of the god, having killed the guarding priest. Of course, the Greek historian believed that the cause was greed. In fact, as we know, it is deeper. The suppression of the revolt entailed extreme measures: the destruction of the temple and the removal of many items from the treasury of this temple to Persepolis; the golden statue of the god Marduk was also sent there, where it was probably melted down. Thus, Xerxes not only actually, but also formally liquidated the Babylonian kingdom, turning it into an ordinary satrapy. Having deprived Babylon of the statue of Marduk, Xerxes made the appearance of kings in it impossible. After all, the applicant had to receive royal power "from the hands" of God. From that time on, the title of the king on Babylonian documents also changed: on those dated by the "year of accession" Xerxes is also called "the king of Babylon, the king of the Countries"; on those from the first four years of his reign - "king of Persia and Media, king of Babylon and the Countries"; finally, from the 5th year (480-479), the designation "king of the Countries" begins, which remains with all the successors of Xerxes.

Hike to Greece

Preparing for the hike

Xerxes orders to carve the sea

By the end of the 1980s, the situation in Persia had stabilized, and Xerxes began to vigorously prepare for a new campaign against Greece. For several years, work was underway to build a canal (12 stages long, more than 2 km) across the isthmus to Halkidiki in order to avoid bypassing Cape Athos, where the Mardonian fleet was killed. A bridge was also built across the Strimon River. Numerous workers from Asia and the adjacent coast were herded into the construction. Food warehouses were set up along the coast of Thrace, and two pontoon bridges, 7 stages long (about 1300 m) each, were thrown across the Hellespont. Diplomatic preparations for the campaign were also carried out; ambassadors and agents of Xerxes were sent to various states of Balkan Greece and even to Carthage, which was supposed to distract the Greeks of Sicily from participating in the war with Persia by military actions. To prepare the campaign, Xerxes attracted prominent Greek fugitives who were at his palace. Argos and Thessaly expressed obedience to Persia. In many Greek cities, not excluding Athens, there were strong pro-Persian groups.

Greeks prepare to fight back

Greek soldiers during the Greco-Persian wars (reconstruction). On the left is a Cretan slinger. On the right are the hoplites, on the left the shield is equipped with a special curtain that protects from arrows.

But a number of Greek states were preparing to fight. In 481 BC. e. a pan-Hellenic union was created with the center in Corinth, headed by Sparta. It was decided to meet the Persians on the border of Northern and Central Greece, at Thermopylae. The mountains at this point are close to the seashore, and the narrow passage was easy to defend. Simultaneously with the actions of the ground army, a fleet operation was planned near the island of Euboea, so that the Persians could not break through the Eurip Strait and find themselves in the rear of the Greeks. Since the position at Thermopylae was defensive, the Greeks decided to send a small part of the united Greek army there, only about 6.5 thousand people, led by the Spartan king Leonidas I.

Crossing the Hellespont

Warriors of the army of Xerxes.

From left to right: Hadley infantrymen formed the first row of the Persian phalanx of archers; Babylonian archer; Assyrian infantryman. The warriors wear quilted jackets stuffed with horsehair - a typical type of oriental armor of that time.

Warriors of the army of Xerxes. Reconstruction according to the description of Herodotus, archaeological finds and drawings on Greek vases. From left to right: Persian standard-bearer, Armenian and Cappadocian warriors.

In the summer of 480 BC e. the Persian army, numbering, according to the research of modern historians, from 80 to 200 thousand soldiers (Herodotus gives absolutely fantastic figures of 1 million 700 thousand people) began to cross the Hellespont. A storm that hit at this time swept away the pontoon bridges, and a number of Persian soldiers drowned in the sea. The enraged Xerxes ordered to whip the sea with whips and throw chains at it in order to pacify the raging elements, and to cut off the heads of the overseers on the work. The crossing lasted seven days continuously. The further advance of the Persian army to Thermopylae passed without difficulty, and in August 480 BC. e. the Persians approached the Thermopylae Gorge. A strong fleet accompanied the Persian army by sea. In addition to the Persians, all the peoples subject to Xerxes took part in the campaign of Xerxes: the Medes, Kissians, Hyrkanians, Babylonians, Bactrians, Sagartians, Saki, Indians, Aryans, Parthians, Khorasmiyas, Sogdians, Gandarias, Dadiks, Caspians, Sarangians, Paktia, , Wigs, Arabs, Ethiopians from Africa, East Ethiopians (Gedrosia), Libyans, Paphlagonians, Lygia, Matiena, Mariandin, Cappadocians, Phrygians, Armenia, Lydians, Misians, Bithynians, Pisidians, Cabalias, Milia, Moschinians, Macchones, Tibarene , mars, colchians, tribes from the islands of the Persian Gulf. Fleet: Phoenicians, Syrians, Egyptians, Cypriots, Cilicians, Pamphiles, Lycians, Asiatic Dorians, Carians, Ionian, Aeolians, and Hellespont inhabitants.

Battle of Thermopylae

The position at Thermopylae made it possible for the Greeks to delay the advancing enemy for a long time, but the trouble was that, in addition to passing through the gorge, another mountain road led to the south, known to the locals and, possibly, to Persian intelligence. Leonidas, just in case, sent a detachment of 1000 Phokidians there. When several attempts by the Persians to break through the Thermopylae Gorge were repelled, an elite detachment, including the Persian Guard, moved around the mountain road; a local traitor volunteered to be the guide. Caught by surprise, the Phokidians, under a hail of arrows, climbed to the top of the mountain and took up defense, the Persians, not paying more attention to them, continued their march and went into the rear of the Greeks. When Leonidas found out about what had happened, he released most of his detachment, and he himself with the Spartans, Thespians and some other Greeks remained in place, to cover their retreat. Leonidas and all those who remained with him perished, but, having delayed the advance of the Persians, they made it possible to mobilize the Greek forces, pulling them up to Isthmus and evacuate Attica.

Fleet actions

Simultaneously with the battle at Thermopylae, active operations of the fleet took place at the island of Euboea. The storm caused significant damage to the Persian fleet anchored off the poorly defended coast of Magnesia. Several hundred ships sank, many people died. During the transition of the Persian fleet from the coast of Asia Minor to the Strait of Euripus, the Athenians captured 15 Persian ships lagging behind the main forces. To cut off the escape route for the Greeks, the Persians sent 200 ships along the eastern coast of the island of Euboea, but a sudden storm swept away this squadron; many ships sank. The clash of naval forces in the battle of Artemisia was fought with varying degrees of success. The forces of the parties were approximately equal, since the Persians were unable to deploy their entire fleet. Both sides suffered significant losses. Upon receiving news of the death of Leonidas' detachment, the further stay of the Greek fleet here lost its meaning, and it retreated south to the Saronic Gulf.

The sack of Attica

Now the Persians could move unhindered to Attica. Boeotia submitted to the Persians, and later Thebes provided them with active support. The land army of the Greeks stood on the Isthmus isthmus, and Sparta insisted on the creation of a fortified defensive line here to protect the Peloponnese. The Athenian politician, creator of the Athenian fleet Themistocles believed that it was necessary to give the Persians a sea battle off the coast of Attica. Defending Attica at that moment, of course, was not possible.
A few days after the Battle of Thermopylae, the Persian army entered the almost empty land of Attica. Part of the Athenians took refuge in the Acropolis and offered desperate resistance to the Persians. They, apparently, were not so few, since 500 people were taken prisoner by the Persians. Athens was plundered, the temples of the Acropolis were destroyed, and some monuments were taken to Persia.

Sea battle off the island of Salamis

Naval battle at the island of Salamis

After a long debate at the war council of the Greeks, a new proposal was adopted, to give battle to the Persian fleet in the Salamis Strait. September 28, 480 BC e. a decisive battle took place. At night, Persian ships surrounded the island of Salamis and blocked the Greek fleet's exit from the strait. At dawn, the battle began. Xerxes personally watched the battle from a high place on the coast of Attica, from the other side, from the island of Salamis, women, old men and children of evacuated Attica vigilantly watched the battle, who, in the event of the defeat of the Greeks, awaited slavery and death. The Persian ships that entered the strait did not have the opportunity to use their numerical superiority and maneuver, since their own ships were pressing behind them. The Greeks, on the other hand, could gradually bring into battle their reserves, which were stationed in the gulf off the northwestern coast of Attica and were not noticed by the Persians at first. In addition, a wind arose unfavorable for the Persian fleet. Persian ships perished not only from enemy attacks, but also bumping into each other. The Greeks won a complete victory.

At first, the Persians managed to restrain
Aggression. When in a narrow place there are many
Ships have piled up, no one to help anyone
I could not, and the copper beaks directed
Your own in your own, crushing oars and rowers ...
... the sea was not visible
Because of the wreckage, because of the overturned
Ships and lifeless bodies ...
Find escape in a chaotic flight
All the surviving barbarian fleets tried
But the Greeks of the Persians are like tuna fishermen.
Anyone with anything, boards, wreckage
They beat ships and oars ...

- Aeschylus. "Persians"

Greeks prepare for the decisive battle

However, although the Persian fleet, led by Xerxes, left Greece after the defeat, but the land army was left in the Balkan Peninsula under the command of the commander Mardonius, son-in-law of Darius I. Unable to feed themselves and their cavalry in Attica, the Persians fled north. The Athenians were given the opportunity to temporarily return home.

Xerxes' campaigns to Greece

In the next 479 BC. e. the Persians again invaded Attica and devastated its fields. Mardonius, through the mediation of the Macedonian king Alexander, tried in vain to persuade Athens to a separate peace. Sparta, which the Salamis victory freed from immediate danger, hesitated to continue active hostilities against Mardonius, offering to annoy him with sea raids in Thrace and off the coast of Asia Minor, and on the Balkan Peninsula to hold the line of defense on Isthma. Athens, Sparta promised compensation for crop losses, funds for the maintenance of women, children and the elderly, but not military aid. However, in Sparta itself there were supporters of more active actions (for example, Pausanias, regent under the minor king, son of Leonidas), and when, at the insistence of Athens, it was decided to give battle to Mardonius, the mobilization of troops in the Peloponnese and their advance to Isthmus were carried out as follows quickly that Argos, hostile to Sparta, who had promised Mardonius to detain the Spartans, could not do anything. Warned in time, Mardonius, who was at that time in Attica, retreated to Boeotia, leaving behind him the smoking ruins. The Persians needed a plain for the battle, where they could deploy their numerous and strong cavalry. In addition, Thebes, friendly to the Persians, provided the rear of their army.

Battle of Plataea

Greek soldiers during the Greco-Persian wars (reconstruction). Thessalian cavalry and light warrior with darts and stone bag.

In 479 BC. e. near the city of Plateia, on the border of Attica and Boeotia, the last, decisive battle of the Greeks with the Persian army, which invaded the Balkan Peninsula, took place. The Greek army was commanded by the Spartan Pausanias. For more than a week, the 30-thousandth Greek army and the Persian army, numbering about 60-70 thousand people, stood opposite each other without engaging in battle. While the infantry was inactive, the Persian cavalry harassed the Greeks with frequent raids and, finally, captured and filled up the main source of their water supply. The Greek army retreated on the orders of Pausanias. Mardonius, deciding that the Greeks were afraid, led his army across the half-dried river separating the opponents and began to climb the mountain to meet the Spartans who attacked them. The Athenians and Megarians repulsed the onslaught of the Boeotian and Thessalian hoplites (allies of Persia), supported by the Iranian cavalry, and began to press the Persian riflemen. They still held out as long as Mardonius was alive, fighting on a white horse. But he was soon killed, and the Persians left the battlefield to the Spartans. The Greeks also achieved victory in a clash with the advancing flanks of the Persian army. The commander of its center, Artabaz, began a hasty retreat to the north and, in the end, crossed to Asia Minor by boats. Xerxes approved of his actions.

Saka warriors of Xerxes' army. Reconstruction according to the description of Herodotus and archaeological finds. On the left is a foot archer; on the right is a horse archer, armed, in addition to the characteristic Scythian bow in fire and a spear, with a chisel, a melee weapon designed to pierce armor.

The Persians who remained in Boeotia tried to hide in their fortifications. But the Greeks broke in there, plundered the Persian camp, seizing huge booty. No prisoners were taken. According to the testimony of Greek historians, only 43 thousand Persians managed to escape, 40 thousand of them fled with Artabaz. The data are probably exaggerated, and the information about the killed Greeks is clearly understated - 1360 soldiers. Apparently, only hoplites, whose names were listed on the monuments in honor of the fallen, are taken into account here. The Greeks promised "eternal" gratitude to Platae, on the territory of which the victory was won. Thebes suffered a moderate punishment for betrayal. The leaders of the Persophile group, handed over by the besieged city, were executed, but the threat to destroy the city was not carried out. Continuation of hostilities in the territory of the Persians

Battle of Mikala

According to legend, Themistocles proposed immediately after the Salamis battle to send a fleet to the Hellespont in order to destroy the bridges built there by Xerxes and thus cut off the Persians' escape route. This plan was rejected, but soon the Greek fleet began operations against the islands of the Cyclades archipelago, which had collaborated with the Persians. Secret ambassadors from the inhabitants of the island of Samos, still under the control of the Persians, came to the commander of the Greek fleet, with an appeal to support the impending uprising of the Ionian Greeks. The Samians freed 500 Athenian prisoners taken away by the Persians.

In August 479 BC. e. the Greek fleet approached Cape Mikale not far from Miletus. The Greeks landed on the coast and some of them began to move inland. Commander of the Persian 15-thous. Corps Tigranes attacked half of the Greek army remaining on the coast, but was defeated and himself died in this battle. Ionian - Samians and Miletans, who were in the ranks of the Persians, actively helped their fellow tribesmen. Having won on land, the Greeks destroyed the nearby Persian fleet; all ships were burned after the prey had been carried ashore. The Battle of Mikala, although it was not as grandiose as those that preceded it, but it freed the Aegean Sea for the operations of the Greek fleet. Samos, Chios, Lesbos and some other islands were admitted to the all-Greek union, the inhabitants of which swore an oath of loyalty to the common cause.

Siege of Sesta

After the victory at Mikala, the Greek fleet headed for the Hellespont. It turned out that the bridges built by Xerxes' order had already been destroyed by the Persians themselves. The Spartans went home, and the Athenians and the allied Greeks of Asia Minor, under the command of Xanthippus, laid siege to the city of Sest, where the Persians fortified. In the spring of 478 BC. e. Sest was captured by the Greeks, and the Persian satrap Artanctus, who led his defense, was put to death. After the Athenians also sailed home.

The Greeks form the Delian Maritime Union

After 479 BC. e. Persia no longer threatened Balkan Greece. The Greek states themselves went on the offensive. But further military successes blew up the temporarily established unity of the Greeks. The contradictions became more and more obvious, especially between Athens and Sparta, the temporarily muffled struggle between the political groupings of individual states intensified. Meanwhile, naval operations against Persia continued successfully. The Greeks liberated the Hellespont Strait and resumed trade with the Northern Black Sea region. In 478 - 477 BC. e. at the suggestion of the allies, the supreme command was transferred to Athens. Since from now on, the war was fought at sea, and the Athenians had the strongest fleet, this was quite natural. Under the leadership of Athens, the so-called. The Delian Sea Union, which included the coastal and island Greek states.

Battle of Eurymedon

After the removal of the Spartans from command, hostilities continued, first of all, to cleanse Thrace from the Persians. During these years, Cimon, the son of Miltiades, moved forward, leading the actions of the Athenian and allied fleets. Under his command, the Greeks took the fortress that guarded the strategically important bridges over the Strimon River and a number of other points on the Thracian coast. In 468 BC. e. Kimon sent his fleet to the southern coast of Asia Minor. Here was the last major collision with the new Persian fleet. The Greeks won a double victory, defeating the Persian forces at sea and on land, as in the Battle of Mikal. After that, the Persian fleet no longer dared to sail into the Aegean Sea.

Furnishings in the State

The murder of Xerxes by conspiracy

According to the testimony of Ctesias, by the end of his life, Xerxes was under the strong influence of the chief of the royal guard Artaban and the eunuch Aspamitra. Probably, Xerxes' position at this time was not very strong. In any case, we know from the Persepolis documents that in 467 BC. e., that is, 2 years before the assassination of Xerxes, famine reigned in Persia, the royal barns were empty and the price of grain increased seven times compared to ordinary ones. To somehow reassure the disaffected, Xerxes removed about a hundred government officials over the course of the year, starting with the most senior ones. In August 465 BC. e. Artaban and Aspamitra, apparently, not without the intrigues of Artaxerxes, the youngest son of Xerxes, killed the king at night in his bedroom. Xerxes' eldest son Darius was killed at the same time.

Dandamaev M. A. Political history of the Achaemenid state .. - Moscow: Nauka, 1985. - 319 p. - 10,000 copies. copies Dandamaev M.A.Media and Achaemenid Persia // History of the Ancient World / Edited by I.M.Dyakonov, V.D.Neronova, I.S. Sventsitskaya. - Ed. 3rd, rev. and add. - M .: Main editorial office of oriental literature of the publishing house "Nauka", 1989. - V. 2. The flourishing of ancient societies. - 572 p. - 50,000 copies. - ISBN 5-02-016781-9

Gluskina L.M. Greco-Persian Wars // History of the Ancient World: in 3 volumes / Ed. I. M. Dyakonov, V. D. Neronova, I. S. Sventsitskaya. - Third edition. - M .: Nauka, 1989. - T. 2. The flourishing of ancient societies.