Xerxes I (l. 519-465, r. 486-465 BCE), also known as Xerxes the Great, was the king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. His official title was Shahanshah which, though usually translated as `emperor', actually means `king of kings'. He is identified as the Ahasuerus of Persia in the biblical Book of Esther (although his son, Artaxerxes I, is also a possibility as is Artaxerxes II) and is referenced at length in the works of Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, Quintus Curtius Rufus, and, to a lesser extent, in Plutarch. Herodotus is the primary source for the story of his expedition to Greece. The name `Xerxes' is the Greek version of the Persian `Khshayarsa' (or Khashyar Shah), and so he is known in the west as `Xerxes' but in the east as `Khshayarsa'.
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Definition
Timeline
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486 BCEXerxes succeeds to the throne of Persia after the death of Darius I.
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485 BCE - 465 BCEReign of Xerxes I (the Great) of Persia.
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485 BCEBabylon is destroyed by Xerxes, King of Persia.
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Jul 480 BCEXerxes I makes extensive preparations to invade mainland Greece by building depots, canals and a boat bridge across the Hellespont.
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Aug 480 BCEThe indecisive battle of Artemision between the Greek and Persian fleets of Xerxes I. The Greeks withdraw to Salamis.
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Aug 480 BCEBattle of Thermopylae. 300 Spartans under King Leonidas and other Greek allies hold back the Persians led by Xerxes I for three days but are defeated.
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Sep 480 BCEBattle of Salamis where the Greek naval fleet led by Themistocles defeats the invading armada of Xerxes I of Persia.
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479 BCEXerxes' Persian forces are defeated by Greek forces at Plataea effectively ending Persia's imperial ambitions in Greece.
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478 BCESparta withdraws from alliance against Persia.
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c. 478 BCEXerxes I builds the Gate of All Nations, the Hall of 100 Columns and the grand Palace of Xerxes.
