Xerxes I, Old Persian Khshayarsha, byname Xerxes the Great
(born c. 519 bce—died 465, Persepolis, Iran), Persian king (486–465 bce), the son and successor of Darius I. He is best known for his massive invasion of Greece from across the Hellespont (480 bce), a campaign marked by the battles of Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea. His ultimate defeat spelled the beginning of the decline of the Achaemenian Empire. Xerxes was the son of Darius I and Atossa, daughter of Cyrus; he was the first son born to Darius after his accession to ... (100 of 1,377 words)Accession to the throne
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Xerxes I, detail of a bas-relief of the north courtyard in the treasury at Persepolis, late 6th–early 5th century bc; in the Archaeological Museum, Tehrān.
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Persian cuneiform from the Xerxes inscription at Persepolis.
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The Athenian naval victory over the Persians at Salamis changed the course of history.