Modern and Ancient Interpretations of Xerxes free essay sample

It’s difficult to make a judgment of Xerxes character and effectiveness as a King since there is a bias in a majority of these sources. Ancient Persian Ancient Persian sources are mostly inscriptions and reliefs found in Persepolis though there are also inscriptions found in other parts of the Persian Empire. An example are the Daiva inscriptions â€Å"A great god is Ahuramazda, who created this earth †¦ who made Xerxes king, one king of many, one lord of many†. This states that Ahuramazda made Xerxes king and supports Xerxes. It emphasizes his right to rule through divine sanctions. In many bas-reliefs Xerxes is much larger than his counterparts. The size of the king, the robes he wears, his position, the number of servants, etc. are designed to emphasis his importance. Xerxes is always larger than the people around him, which aided his image as a capable ruler and great king. An example is the Apadana reliefs. Also, inscriptions found near Persepolis present Xerxes as the most capable of Darius’ sons: â€Å" While there were other sons of his Darius my father, after himself me he made great. Other reliefs portray Xerxes as a great hunter, hero and warrior. Its important to note that Xerxes used reliefs and inscriptions as propaganda tools and to maintain control of his empire as â€Å"King of Kings†, therefore, making ancient Persian sources biased and only portraying Xerxes in a positive light. Herodotus Herodotus was an ancient historian born just after the reign of Xerxes. In his book The Histories, Herodotus doesn’t attack Xerxes but describes him in two ways. Firstly, a typical King whose subjects feared him and secondly, a ruler punished by the gods for his arrogant use of power. Herodotus uses the bridging of Hellespont and destroying the Greek temples as examples of Xerxes arrogance. Herodotus also writes about instances of Xerxes being short tempered. Examples of this are: -A man named Pythius asks Xerxes to release his eldest son from the army and have his other four sons stay in the army. Xerxes gets angry and has Pythius’ eldest son cut in half and orders the army to march between the two halves. -Another example is Xerxes having the engineers of the Hellespont Bridge executed after the bridge was destroyed. This is contradicted by ancient Persian archaeological sources where Xerxes claims that he is â€Å"not hot tempered†¦I am ruling firmly over my own will† Aeschylus The Persians Aeschylus’ The Persians is an Athenian tragedy with a moral purpose designed to reaffirm the power of the Greek gods. In the play, Xerxes’ invasion of Greece is presented as an example of hubris or excessive pride, which must be punished by the gods. Xerxes actions lead to the downfall of his empire and the demoralization of Xerxes. The Persians was written for a Greek audience so naturally it is biased and inconsistent. Modern historians present Xerxes in a less biased light however; they share differing opinions on his success as a king and as a military commander. Olmsted states, â€Å"Against one military failure†¦must be placed a whole series of victories†. Victories include Xerxes extensive building programs and swift suppression of Egyptian and Babylonian revolts. Olmsted also presents a negative image of Xerxes toward the end of his reign, stating that his failed expansion into Greece carried â€Å"deadly consequences. † Olmsted presents Xerxes as a good king, planner and architect but a failed military commander. Callender Another modern historian is Callender who presents Xerxes in a very positive and favorable light. She states Xerxes was a â€Å"decisive leader† through the suppression of the Egyptian and Babylonian revolts and that Xerxes preparations for the invasion of Greece allowed him to â€Å"reveal himself as a superb and careful strategist and planner. † Although this may be true, Callender fails to take into account the outcome of the Persian wars and evidence from sources except ancient Persian. 300 300 is a 2006 American action film based on the battle of Thermopylae (show excerpt). In the film Xerxes has multiple piercings and jewelry, barely wearing any clothes, bald, above average height and is quite feminine. Obviously, this is inaccurate since according to ancient Persian archaeological sources and Herodotus Xerxes had hair, a beard, was average height and wore clothes. In 300, Xerxes is a demigod (half god), which is why he is bigger than Leonidas the Spartan king. 300 was banned in many middle-eastern countries one of the reasons being its portrayal of the Persians. There were monsters and demons fighting in the Persian army and some people interpreted the portrayal of Xerxes as homosexual. One night with the King – the story of Esther One night with the King is a 2006 film based on the biblical story of Esther, who risked her life by approaching the king to request that he save the Jewish people. (Show excerpt) In the film Xerxes is portrayed as being just and merciful, slow to anger. â€Å" Like a true Persian don’t judge a man before the good and all the bad have been weighed. † There isn’t a lot about Xerxes in the book of Esther but what is there portrays Xerxes in a positive light. While we were doing this assessment we did some research into whether Xerxes I was the same Xerxes from the book of Esther. The name ‘Xerxes’ was only recently used in newer editions of the bible, originally it was Ahasuerus. Ancient Persian kings had multiple names, which makes it difficult to know which king was known by the name ‘Ahasuerus’ because different sources state different names. 19th century bible commentaries say it was Xerxes. The Greek bible or Septuagint and ancient Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, says the book of Esther refers to Artaxerxes (Xerxes son). Other historians say it was Artaxerxes II while others believe it was someone completely different. Modern scholars are uncertain; so you have to make up your own mind about it.