Xerxes 1 Sources for Xerxes Starter Put the

Xerxes 1. Sources for Xerxes

Starter: Put the following events in the correct CHRONOLOGICAL order; 1) DARIUS OVERTHROWS FALSE SMERDIS 2) CYRUS CONQUERS LYDIA 3) CYRUS DIES 4) DARIUS BUILDS THE ROYAL ROADS 5) CAMBYSES INVADES EGYPT 6) DARIUS DIES 7) XERXES BECOMES KING 8) BATTLE OF MARATHON 9) CYRUS TAKES OVER BABYLON 10) REVOLTS AGAINST DARIUS IN PERSIA, BABYLON AND EGYPT.

Starter: The correct order is… 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) CYRUS CONQUERS LYDIA CYRUS TAKES OVER BABYLON CYRUS DIES CAMBYSES INVADES EGYPT DARIUS OVERTHROWS FALSE SMERDIS REVOLTS AGAINST DARIUS IN PERSIA, BABYLON AND EGYPT. 7) DARIUS BUILDS THE ROYAL ROADS 8) BATTLE OF MARATHON 9) DARIUS DIES 10) XERXES BECOMES KING

King Xerxes in the sources Lesson Objectives: 1) To gain an overview of the reign of King Xerxes between 486 -465 BC. 2) To analyse the ancient sources for how they portray Xerxes June 2021 RRR: How do the main sources present Xerxes’ character and personality

Task 1 • Watch the clip from the film “ 300” showing King Xerxes. a) How is Xerxes portrayed in this clip? b) Why should we be cautious about using Hollywood films as historical evidence? CHALLENGE: Does this Hollywood interpretation of Xerxes match with your understanding of the nature of Persian Kings so far? Explain your answer using historical detail.

A document found at Persepolis. While it says it is the words of Xerxes, it is almost an exact copy of an inscription of Darius from a nearby town, where Darius and other kings were buried in monumental tombs. “A great god is Ahuramazda, who created this excellent thing which is seen, who created happiness for man, who set wisdom and capability down upon King Xerxes. Proclaims Xerxes the King: By the will of Ahuramazda I am of such a sort, I am a friend of the right, of wrong I am not a friend. It is not my wish that the weak should have harm done him by the strong, nor is it my wish that the strong should have harm done him by the weak. The man who is cooperative, according to his cooperation thus I reward him. Who does harm, him according to the harm I punish. It is not my wish that a man should do harm; nor indeed is it my wish that if he does harm he should not be punished. What a man says against a man, that does not persuade me, until I hear the sworn statements of both. What a man does or performs, according to his ability, by that I become satisfied with him, and it is much to my desire, and I am well pleased, and I give much to loyal me. TASK: a. What does this source tell us about Xerxes as king? b. What can we learn about Xerxes’ idea of justice? CHALLENGE: What similarities are there between the Xerxes presented in this source, and other Kings that you have studied? Explain the similarities.

A document found at Persepolis. While it says it is the words of Xerxes, it is almost an exact copy of an inscription of Darius from a nearby town, where Darius and other kings were buried in monumental tombs. “A great god is Ahuramazda, who created this excellent thing which is seen, who created happiness for man, who set wisdom and capability down upon King Xerxes. Proclaims Xerxes the King: By the will of Ahuramazda I am of such a sort, I am a friend of the right, of wrong I am not a friend. It is not my wish that the weak should have harm done him by the strong, nor is it my wish that the strong should have harm done him by the weak. The man who is cooperative, according to his cooperation thus I reward him. Who does harm, him according to the harm I punish. It is not my wish that a man should do harm; nor indeed is it my wish that if he does harm he should not be punished. What a man says against a man, that does not persuade me, until I hear the sworn statements of both. What a man does or performs, according to his ability, by that I become satisfied with him, and it is much to my desire, and I am well pleased, and I give much to loyal me.

Xerxes in the sources HERODOTUS A Greek historian writing soon after Xerxes’ death. Pro-Athenian (Greek) bias and often portrayed Xerxes as a tragic figure. AESCHYLUS: Greek playwright. Wrote The Persians in which Xerxes features heavily. The play premiered during Xerxes lifetime. PERSIAN INSCRIPTIONS: Found on monuments in cities like Persepolis. Written on the orders of Xerxes showing how he wanted to be seen.

Task 3 – who are our sources? Use the OCR textbook p 50 -52 on Xerxes in the Ancient Sources. a. Complete the table categorising the three sources we use to study Xerxes. CHALLENGE: Which of the 3 sources do you find the most reliable and why?

Xerxes in the Ancient Sources Source Herodotus Aeschylus Persian Inscriptions How is Xerxes portrayed in this source? Reliability: Strengths? Reliability: Weaknesses?

Task 4 • THINK, PAIR, SHARE: a) Which of the sources do you think is most reliable about the reign of Xerxes? Why? b) How do you think Xerxes’ character compares to that of Cyrus, Cambyses and Darius? Hint; • Have there been other kings that have behaved in similar ways? • Is Xerxes himself attempting to be like other Kings? Which ones and how?

Plenary: • Use your device to find one “fascinating fact” about King Xerxes’ reign. • Be ready to feedback to the class.