history of the persian wars by herodotus

Artabazanes claimed the crown as the eldest of all the children, because it was an established custom all over the world for the eldest to have the pre-eminence while Xerxes, on the other hand, urged that he was sprung from Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus, and that it was Cyrus who had won the Persians their freedom. These two, therefore, being the sons of different mothers, were now at variance. Artabazanes was the eldest of the first family, and Xerxes of the second. Darius, before he obtained the kingdom, had had three sons born to him from his former wife, who was a daughter of Gobryas while, since he began to reign, Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus, had borne him four. Now, as he was about to lead forth his levies against Egypt and Athens, a fierce contention for the sovereign power arose among his sons since the law of the Persians was that a king must not go out with his army, until he has appointed one to succeed him upon the throne. So the men published his commands and now all Asia was in commotion by the space of three years, while everywhere, as Greece was to be attacked, the best and bravest were enrolled for the service, and had to make their preparations accordingly.Īfter this, in the fourth year, the Egyptians whom Cambyses had enslaved revolted from the Persians whereupon Darius was more hot for war than ever, and earnestly desired to march an army against both adversaries.

Instantly he sent off messengers to make proclamation through the several states that fresh levies were to be raised, and these at an increased rate while ships, horses, provisions, and transports were likewise to be furnished.

Now when tidings of the battle that had been fought at Marathon reached the ears of King Darius, the son of Hystaspes, his anger against the Athenians, which had been already roused by their attack upon Sardis, waxed still fiercer, and he became more than ever eager to lead an army against Greece. The Histories was at some point divided into the nine books that appear in modern editions, conventionally named after the nine Muses. Herodotus portrays the conflict as one between the forces of slavery (the Persians) on the one hand, and freedom (the Athenians and the confederacy of Greek city-states which united against the invaders) on the other. The Histories also stands as one of the earliest accounts of the rise of the Persian Empire, as well as the events and causes of the Greco-Persian Wars between the Achaemenid Empire and the Greek city-states in the 5th century BC.

History of the persian wars by herodotus