What bad things did Xerxes do?

Xerxes I Was Infamous For Harsh Punishments And Womanizing

To build his army for the Greek invasion, King Xerxes enforced conscription throughout his empire. Among those conscripted were the five sons of Pythias, a Lydian governor. Pythias requested that his eldest son be allowed to remain as his heir.

What did King Xerxes do?

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.

Did Xerxes punish the sea?

Infuriated with the seas, Xerxes marched out to the sea and whipped it with a chain 300 times as his soldiers watched and shouted curses at the water. He also beheaded the engineers who built the bridge, which may have been a contributing factor to his eventual success.

How did Xerxes fail?

According to Herodotus, Xerxes failed due to his personal hubris, fear, and general ineptitude. He further believed that it was God's decree. More pragmatic reasons would include strategy; the Persian's plans were generally sound – the Greeks, with the genius of Themistocles, just did one better.

Who finally killed Xerxes?

In August 465 BC, Artabanus, the commander of the royal bodyguard and the most powerful official in the Persian court, assassinated Xerxes with the help of a eunuch, Aspamitres.

Xerxes the Great: The God King of Persia

Who betrayed Sparta?

In the 1962 film The 300 Spartans, Ephialtes was portrayed by Kieron Moore and is depicted as a loner who worked on a goat farm near Thermopylae. He betrays the Spartans to the Persians out of greed for riches, and, it is implied, unrequited love for a Spartan girl named Ellas.

How did Xerxes destroy Athens?

In September 480 BC, Xerxes' forces defeated a small force of Athenians who were attempting to defend the Acropolis Sanctuary, and he then ordered Athens to be torched. The Acropolis, the Old Temple of Athena, and the Older Parthenon were destroyed, and Xerxes took away some of the statuary.

Why did Xerxes burn down Athens?

Retaliatory burning of the Palace of Persepolis

According to Plutarch and Diodorus, this was intended as a retribution for Xerxes' burning of the old Temple of Athena on the Acropolis in Athens (the site of the extant Parthenon) in 480 BC during the Persian Wars.

Did Sparta defeat Xerxes?

The Greek forces, mostly Spartan, were led by Leonidas. After three days of holding their own against the Persian king Xerxes I and his vast southward-advancing army, the Greeks were betrayed, and the Persians were able to outflank them.

How tall was King Xerxes?

Xerxes, the king of Persia, is portrayed as seven feet tall. Actor Rodrigo Santoro is only 6'2". Not too shabby, but the other 10 inches are special effects.

Is the 300 story real?

Like the comic book, the “300” takes inspirations from the real Battle of Thermopylae and the events that took place in the year of 480 BC in ancient Greece. An epic movie for an epic historical event. However, how close was the movie to the actual events and characters?

Did Xerxes burn Athens?

In September Xerxes, joined by many Greeks north of Attica, burned Athens. The city was almost deserted, for the Athenians on the advice of Themistocles had entrusted themselves to “the wooden wall” of their ships in accordance with a Delphic oracle.

What kind of king was Xerxes?

Xerxes I , was a Persian king (reigned 485 - 465 BC) of the Achaemenid dynasty . In the Bible he is known as Ahasuerus . A son of Darius I and Atossa , the daughter of Cyrus the Great , he was appointed successor to his father in preference to his eldest half-brothers, who were born before Darius had become king.

How was Xerxes defeat in Greece a turning point in world history?

Xerxes' defeat was a turning point in history because it ensured that Greek culture could continue to thrive in the west. A war (around 1200 B.C.), in which an army lead by Mycenaean kings attacked the city of Troy in Anatolia.

What did Xerxes do to Athens after he conquered it?

The small number of Athenians who had barricaded themselves on the Acropolis were eventually defeated, and Xerxes then ordered Athens to be torched. The Acropolis was razed and the Older Parthenon as well as the Old Temple of Athena were destroyed.

Why did Xerxes want to conquer Greece?

Xerxes had spent years planning his invasion of Greece. It was to be his 'divine punishment' for his father Darius' crushing defeat at Marathon in 490 BC.

When did Xerxes burn Athens?

In 480 BC, Xerxes personally led the second Persian invasion of Greece with one of the largest ancient armies ever assembled. Victory over the allied Greek states at the famous Battle of Thermopylae allowed the Persians to torch an evacuated Athens and overrun most of Greece.

Who destroyed Sparta?

Sparta's continued agitation spurred Rome's war on the Achaeans (146) and the Roman conquest of the Peloponnese. In 396 ce the modest city was destroyed by the Visigoths.

Who destroyed the Greek empire?

Like all civilizations, however, Ancient Greece eventually fell into decline and was conquered by the Romans, a new and rising world power. Years of internal wars weakened the once powerful Greek city-states of Sparta, Athens, Thebes, and Corinth.

How did Xerxes look like?

Based on ancient carved stone reliefs remaining from the Achaemenid Dynasty, Xerxes is actually depicted as having long curly hair and beard, adorned with a crown and royal robe.

What does the name Xerxes mean?

The name Xerxes is boy's name of Persian origin meaning "hero among heroes".

Who was Xerxes wife?

Amestris (Greek: Άμηστρις, Amēstris, perhaps the same as Άμαστρις, Amāstris, from Old Persian Amāstrī-, "strong woman"; died c. 424 BC) was a Persian queen, the wife of Xerxes I of Persia, mother of Achaemenid King of Kings Artaxerxes I of Persia.

Why did only 300 Spartans fight?

The Spartans may have only sent 300, not because of the Olympics or Carneia, but because they didn't wish to defend so far north, although it does seem unusual they would have sent a King if so.