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Xerxes I

The fifth Achaemenid emperor (486–465 BC)

  • Fame68.4
  • Momentum15.2
  • Wikipedia153.1K
Source-basedStable
Lived -519–-465, aged 54
PoliticiansPolitician
  • Wikipedia
    84 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    -519–-465
    Aged 54
Summary
Updated 2026-08-31

He inherited the largest empire on earth, crossed into Europe with an army that drank rivers dry, burned Athens to ash — and lost. The Greek campaign that broke Persian expansion westward still defines him 2,500 years later.

Biography

About

Xerxes became King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire in 486 BC after his father Darius chose him over an elder brother, inheriting a sprawling multi-ethnic realm. He opened his reign by crushing revolts in Egypt and Babylon, then turned west to finish what Darius had started: punishing Athens for meddling in the Ionian Revolt. In 480 BC he led a massive force across the Hellespont, won at Thermopylae and Artemisium, and razed Athens — but his navy shattered at Salamis. Fearing entrapment, he withdrew to Asia and left his general Mardonius to continue; Mardonius fell at Plataea the next year, e…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Xerxes I

Xerxes I
saidundated
... When I became king, I built much excellent (construction). What had been built by my father (Darius I), that I protected, and other building I added.
— XPf inscription
Xerxes I
saidundated
And among these countries there was a place where previously daiva [demons] were worshiped.
— Achaemenid Royal Daiva Inscription of Xerxes. The Achaemenid Royal Daiva Inscription of Xerxes. Livius.org.
Xerxes I
saidundated
When I became king, there is among these countries one which was in rebellion. Afterwards Ahuramazda bore me aid.
— daiva- inscription of Xerxes (ruled 486-465 BCE), quoted in The Idea of India- Bhārat as a Civilisation -- Subhash Kak
via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA
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By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Stable
68.4
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum15.2
Historical29.5
Now attention7.5
Source confidence60.0
Completeness60.0
Global rank
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Country rank
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Category rank
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Receipts

Sources

  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence