A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

XERXES. XEtRXES. 1307
without encountering any resistance. But the amour with Artaynte became known to Amestris,
detachment which had been sent against Delphi the wife of Xerxes, by his giving to his favourite
met with a signal defeat: according to tradition it a cloak which Amestris had woven for him with
avas by no mortal hands that they were turned to her own hands. Amestris meditated and took
flight, but the god defended his own sanctuary, and dire revenge. She obtained possession of the wife
hurled down immense crags upon the invaders. of Masistes, and mutilated her in a horrible manThat the Persians failed in their attempt upon ner. Masistes therefore attempted to escape to
Delphi must be received as an historical fact; for Bactria with his sons, of which country he was
the offerings of the Lydian kings, and others of an satrap, intending there to raise the standard of
earlier time, were still seen there by Herodotus; revolt; but Xerxes, who anticipated his object,
but the means by which they were repulsed must sent some troops after him, who killed both him
remain unknown. About the same time as Xerxes and his sons. (Herod. ix. 108-113.) In B.c.
entered Athens, his fleet arrived in the bay of 465 Xerxes, after a reign of twenty years, was
Phalerum. He now resolved upon an engagement murdered by Artabanus and the eunuch Spanliwith the Greek fleet. The history of this memo- tres, or Mithridates, as he is also called. Artarable battle, of the previous dissensions among the banus was all Hyrcanian by birth, and one of the
Greek commanders, and of the glorious victory of the highest officers of his court. He had seven sons
Greeks at the last, is fully related elsewhere. in the prime of life, and resolved to place himself
LTHEMISTOCLES.] Xerxes witnessed the battle upon the throne of Persia and found a new dyfrom a lofty seat, which was erected for him on the nasty. For this purpose it was necessary to get
shore of the mainland on one of the declivities of rid of the sons of Xerxes. According to Ctesias
Mount Aegaleos, and thus beheld with his own and Justin, Xerxes had left only two sons, Dareius
eyes the defeat and dispersion of his mighty arma- and Artaxerxes, but Diodorus mentions a third,
ment. The Greeks expected a renewal of the Hystaspes, who was satrap of Bactria and absent
battle on the following day, but Xerxes now be- from court at his father's death. As soon as
came alarmed for his own safety, and resolved to Xerxes was slain, the conspirators informed Artaleave Greece immediately. He was confirmed in xerxes that Dareius had been the murderer of his
his resolution by Mardonius, who undertook to father, and persuaded the young prince to give incomplete the conquest with 300,000 of his troops. stant orders for the execution of his brother. ArXerxes accordingly ordered the fleet to sail to the tabanus shortly afterwards attempted to murder
Hellespont, and there to guard the bridge till his Artaxerxes, but the plot was discovered, and Artaarrival; he left Mardonius the number of troops banus and his sons were put to death. (Diod. xi.
which he requested, and with the remainder set out 69; Ctesias, Pens. c. 29; Justin, iii. 1.)
on his march homewards. His own personal escort Herodotus (vii. 187) describes Xerxes as the
consisted of 60,000 men under the command of tallest and handsomest man amidst the vast
Artabazus, and he reached the Hellespont in forty- host which he led against Greece. Htis character
five days from the time of his departure from appears to have been worse than most of the PerAttica. His troops suffered much in the retreat sian monarchs; for, according to Herodotus, he
from the want of provisions, and many died of was a coward as well as a cruel tyrant. The three
hunger; but the account which Aeschylus gives last books of Herodotus are the great authority for
in the "Persae" of the dreadful calamities which the invasion of Greece by Xerxes; and among
overtook the retreating army is probably much modern writers the history is best related by Mr.
exaggerated.* On arriving at the Hellespont, Grote in the fifth volume of his Hiistory of Greece,
Xerxes found the bridge of boats destroyed by a to which we have been much indebted in drawing
storm, and he crossed over to Asia by ship. He up the preceding narrative.
entered Sardis towards the end of the year, B. C. XERXES II. (_epSsrls), the only legitimate son
480, humnbled and defeated, only eight months of Artaxerxes I., succeeded his father as king of
after he had left it full of arrogance and sure of Persia in B. C. 425, but was murdered after a short
victory. reign of only two months by his half-brother SogIn the following year, B. c. 479, the war was dianus or Secundianus, who thus became king.
continued in Greece; but Mardonius was defeated (Diod. xii. 71; Ctesias, Pers. c. 44.)
at Plataea by the combined forces of the Greeks, XERXES (E'p-els), king of Arsaulosata, in the
and on the same day another victory was gained western part of Armenia. Polybius relates that
over the Persians at Mycale in Ionia. [MaRno- Antiochus was preparing to lay siege to ArsamoNIUS.] Next year, B. c. 478, the Persians lost sata, but Xerxes submitted to him, and received in
their last possession in Europe by the capture of consequence the daughter of the Syrian king in
Sestos on the Hellespont. Thus the struggle was marriage. This Antiochus was probably Antiochus
virtually brought to an end, though the war still III. There are coins of Xerxes extant, of which
continued for several years longer. We know a specimen is annexed. (Polyb. viii. 25; Droysen,
little more of the personal history of Xerxes. Soon Geschichte des Hellenismus, vol. ii. p. 73; Eckhel
after his arrival at Sardis he fell in love with the vol. iii. p. 204.)
wife of his brother Masistes, whom he solicited in
vain to yield to his desires. In order to gain her,
he married her daughter Artaynte to his own son, S
Dareius; but shortly afterwards he transferred his
affections from the mother to the daughter. His rs
" See Grote, History of Greece, vol. v. pp. 190,
191, note, where forcible reasons are adduced to
show that the loss of the army in crossing the river COIN OF XERXES, KING OF ARSAMOSATA.
Strymon is probably a fable.