Xerxes I
King of Persia
"I am Xerxes, the great king, the king of kings, the king of the lands with many kinds of people, the king on this great earth far and wide."โ From the Gate of All Nations inscription at Persepolis.
Biography
Xerxes I was the son of Darius the Great and Atossa (daughter of Cyrus the Great). He inherited a vast empire and his father's unfinished war with Greece. While often remembered in the West for his failed invasion of Greece, he was also a prolific builder and administrator.
In 480 BC, he assembled one of the largest armies in ancient history to conquer Greece. To facilitate his massive army's movement, he commissioned engineering marvels, including a canal across the Athos peninsula and pontoon bridges over the Hellespont. When a storm destroyed the first bridges, he famously ordered the sea to be whipped, showcasing his hubris and absolute determination.
Although he successfully captured and burned Athens, his navy was crushed at Salamis. Fearing entrapment in Europe, he returned to Persia, leaving his general Mardonius behind. Back in Persia, he focused on grand architectural projects at Persepolis, completing the Apadana and the Tachara, and constructing the massive Gate of All Nations and the Hall of a Hundred Columns, symbols of the empire's power and diversity.
He was later assassinated by his own advisor, Artabanus, in 465 BC.