XERXES : A PERSIAN LIFE PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Richard Stoneman | 288 pages | 06 Oct 2015 | Yale University Press | 9780300180077 | English | New Haven, United States Xerxes : A Persian Life PDF Book Claire Fitzgerald rated it really liked it Dec 31, He called together his people and announced that they would be going to war. We have access to more than 20 Old Persian inscriptions written during his reign, but they do not add much to our knowledge of the man and his rule. Derrik Jones rated it really liked it Aug 30, Esther despaired throughout her first six years in the palace. Sign in. Thus this Ahasuerus is commonly identified with Astyages. From Xerxes prepared his expedition with great care: a channel was dug through the isthmus of the peninsula of Mount Athos ; provisions were stored in the stations on the road through Thrace ; two bridges were thrown across the Hellespont. Other Septuagint texts have the name Achiachar. The gods stopped answering their prayers, and they were pretty sure it was because they had mistreated a messenger. Ottaway Jr. Sign up. In he was murdered by his vizier Artabanus who raised Artaxerxes I to the throne. Caribbean Primary Agriculture. Of the later years of Xerxes little is known. His predecessors, especially Darius, had not been successful in their attempts to conciliate the ancient civilizations. The name of the king is found in Aramaic in the panels of the Dura-Europos synagogue 3rdcentury C. Refresh and try again. Xerxes occupied and then burned Athens. Last king of the empire. The Greeks responded with a pan-Hellenic league for defense. Xerxes short fuse went off. The king himself became involved in intrigues of the harem and was much dependent upon courtiers and eunuchs. It is the depiction of a man through his environment and the events in which he was involved, rather than through himself. His name was discovered to be Kabujiya in Persian and in Aramaic documents from Egypt from the 5thcent. There is much conjecture, myth, and numerous interpretations, and this book tries to make some sense of it all, and to provide a well-researched best guess as to who Xerxes was, and what he achieved in his life. The story continues at Susa, with the exact time of the continuation unspecified. He became a drunken, embittered man, a pawn of his scheming courtiers, and was murdered in Susa by the captain of the guards. The Athenians were capable warriors with a distinguished Navy, yet they also fostered a deep appreciation for philosophy, poetry, and art. Xerxes father sent messengers to every ruler in Greece demanding a tribute of earth and water as a show of submission to Persia. Richard Stoneman. He is alternatively identified, together with the Ahasuerus of the Book of Tobit, as Cyaxares I, said to be the father of Astyages. Ahasuerus - Wikipedia. Xerxes is familiar to students of the Bible since he appears in two books: in the book of Esther he is called by his Hebrew name Ahasuerus; and in the book of Ezra he is mentioned in relation to an accusation lodged against the Jews in his reign. Since the early s the main focus of my research has been Alexander the Great, especially in later legend. But by heading down the path of biography, rather than the study of lore and Nachleben , Stoneman has taken a wrong turn into a historical cul-de-sac. Once his men had crushed their way through, he had Leonidas head chopped off and his body crucified on a spike. After killing Xerxes, Artabanus went to Xerxes' son Artaxerxes and told him that his brother Darius was the murderer. Xerxes gave the command for this digging out of pride, wishing to display his power and leave a memorial. Estimates of his forces are ridiculously overblown. Thus, linguistically speaking, identifying Khshayarsha with the Greek Xerxes and the Hebrew Achashverosh is accepted by contemporary scholars. Load Next Page. Although the residents of the various Greek city-states shared some basic cultural similarities, they also fought and vied for power amongst themselves. This Is Not Sparta. Assuming that Esther is to be identified with Amestris, what do the sources tell us about this person? The role played by verse is that of resumptive repetition. Abby rated it liked it Apr 23, Xerxes : A Persian Life Writer Although he was not an active soldier as his father had been before him, Xerxes was schooled in statecraft through his position as viceroy of Babylon. At the time Xerxes achieved the throne, the Persian empire was at its height, with a number of Persian satrapies governmental provinces established from India and central Asia to modern Uzbekistan, westward in North Africa to Ethiopia and Libya and the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. Find in Worldcat. He built a new palace and began work on the monumental Hall of a Hundred Columns. Share your thinking. Load more. Godley, Cambridge, Mass. Estimates of his forces are ridiculously overblown. Xerxes had some issues with anger. Henry was fluent in French and Latin. Mardonius encouraged Xerxes to undertake his own invasion.. The investiture may have taken place at Zendan-e-Suleiman Solomon's Prison at Pasargadae, a sanctuary of the goddess Anahita near the hollow cone of an ancient volcano. The chapter on religion is fascinating, covering Zoroastrianism and its earlier incarnations. It also suggests that Xerxes and his father Darius I represented religious revolution in Iran. Although some slight linguistic connection between the name Amestris and the name Vashti Persian sht to Greek st seems possible, a stronger connection exists between the Greek Amestris and the Hebrew Esther:. He has produced much fine work both as a translator and an interpreter of ancient legends and lore, and doubtless will continue to do so. Conquered the Medians in and the Babylonians in He left inscriptions at Persepolis , where he added a new palace to that of Darius, at Van in Armenia , and on Mount Elvend near Ecbatana. The Greeks preserved the Arta of the first part of his name, Artakhshaa, but then just tacked on xerxes, the name of his father, as the second part of his name. Ahasuerus is also given as the name of a King of Persia in the Book of Ezra. Xerxes : A Persian Life Reviews Xerxes was designated heir apparent by his father in preference to his elder brother Artabazanes. The principal source on Xerxes is Herodotus, Histories, but it ends with the failure of Xerxes invasion; information on his later years appears only in isolated references. He burned incense on the bridge and threw golden bottles into the waterwhich, according to Herodotus, was his attempt to apologize to the sea. He had another theory. His invasion of Greece should be seen in this light; he did it not because he was warlike or reckless, but because he needed to as a proof of his greatness. If you love mysteries and thrillers, get ready for dozens Esther then initiated a covert plan to defeat Haman using her grace and beauty. After cursing Pythius out for a full minute, he barked, You shall be punished by the life of the one you must desire to keep. Had it not been for Themistocles, Greece never would have developed into the philosophic cultural cornerstone it became. OSO version 0. Without doubt, this work has been comprehensively researched, and it is to Stoneman's credit that endnotes are made available to detail the evidence used. He also uses later depictions of Xerxes in art and literature as a starting point; basically saying that many of these authors had the few known facts, and then used their own interpretations of these to create their view of the man. One of his first acts, after gaining control of Jews held in Babylonian captivity, was to authorize their return to Jerusalem 2Chronicles - Tauris Publishers in London, and am actively seeking new authors for their classics programme, and for the series I edit, 'Understanding Classics'. Techniques for the study of primate population ecology. Slightly flawed perhaps, but utterly fascinating. Hostilities continued for 13 years, but thenceforth Xerxes involved himself only slightly. Aimed at a general readership, this is a good place to start for anyone in a similar positi Don't you just love it when something is published that ties in with a new enthusiasm? But many of those around him were pressing for the renewal of hostilities. He left inscriptions at Persepolis , where he added a new palace to that of Darius, at Van in Armenia , and on Mount Elvend near Ecbatana. How do the names inMegillat Esthercorrelate with those we know from Persian history? There is no question that Stoneman did his homework, as Xerxes appears to have been meticulously researched. E- Book anzeigen. To understand Xerxes's religiosity, this chapter examines the intractable problems surrounding the prophet Zoroaster. The Septuagint, the Vulgate, the Midrash of Esther Rabbah, I, 3 and the Josippon identify the king as Artaxerxes I, and the historian Josephus relates that this was the name by which he was known to the Greeks. After a few successes e. Average rating 3. After Xerxes succeeded him, the son took up his fathers grudge and was determined to conquer the Greeks once and for all. Ottaway Jr. Xerxes : A Persian Life Read Online Please update your billing information. After several days of heroic resistance, the Greeks were defeated when a traitor led a picked Persian force by a mountain track around the pass, laying central Greece open to the Persians. This war changed all of Western history. If he is correct, then Xerxes broke his fathers oath and married outside the seven families.