Xerxes I
Historical Personalities

Xerxes I Net Worth

Xerxes I was the fourth and most famous king of the Archaemenid dynasty of Persia. He inherited the throne from his father Darius I and was known for his keen eye for architecture and monuments. He assembled a powerful force to fight the Greek forces, which was considered the strongest known force to humans until that time. However, he was defeated in the 480 BCE battle and later lost the northern Greece in the battles of Salamis and Plataea. Despite his defeat, Xerxes was able to crush the revolts of nearby states such as Egypt and Babylon.
Xerxes I is a member of Historical Personalities

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Persian King
Birth Place Iran, Iranian
Died On August 465 BC (aged 53 or 54)\nPersia
Reign 486–465 BC
Coronation October 486 BC
Predecessor Darius I
Successor Artaxerxes I
Burial Persia
Spouse Amestris, Vashti and Queen Esther
Issue Darius Hystaspes Artaxerxes I Arsames Amytis
Dynasty Achaemenid
Father Darius I
Mother Atossa
Religion Zoroastrianism

💰 Net worth

Xerxes I, also known as the Persian King in Iranian history, is estimated to have a net worth ranging from $100K to $1M in 2024. Xerxes I, the fourth king of the Achaemenid Empire, reigned from 486 to 465 BC. Despite being one of the most powerful rulers of his time, his net worth may seem modest in comparison to modern standards. However, it is important to note that assessing the wealth of ancient historical figures comes with significant challenges due to limited records and the vast temporal gap. Xerxes I's legacy as a ruler remains significant, impacting the course of history in ancient Iran and beyond.

Biography/Timeline

1738

Xerxes is the central character of the Aeschylus play "The Persians." Xerxes is the protagonist of the opera Serse by the German-English Baroque Composer George Frideric Handel. It was first performed in the King's Theatre London on 15 April 1738. The famous aria "Ombra mai fù" opens the opera.

1960

Xerxes (Ahasuerus) is portrayed by Richard Egan in the 1960 film Esther and the King and by Joel Smallbone in the 2013 film, The Book of Esther. In at least one of these films, the events of the Book of Esther are depicted as taking place upon Xerxes' return from Greece.

1962

Later generations' fascination with ancient Sparta, particularly the Battle of Thermopylae, has led to Xerxes' portrayal in works of popular culture. He was played by David Farrar in the fictional film The 300 Spartans (1962), where he is portrayed as a cruel, power-crazed despot and an inept commander. He also features prominently in the graphic novel 300 by Frank Miller, as well as the film adaptation 300 (2007) and its sequel 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), as portrayed by Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro, in which he is represented as a giant man with androgynous qualities, who claims to be a god-king. This portrayal has attracted controversy, especially in Iran. Ken Davitian plays Xerxes in Meet the Spartans, a parody of the first 300 movie replete with sophomoric humour and deliberate anachronisms.

1981

Gore Vidal, in his historical fiction novel Creation (1981), describes at length the rise of the Achemenids, especially Darius I, and presents the life and death circumstances of Xerxes. Vidal's version of the Persian Wars, which diverges from the orthodoxy of the Greek histories, is told through the invented character of Cyrus Spitama, a half-Greek, half-Persian, and grandson of the prophet Zoroaster. Thanks to his family connection, Cyrus is brought up in the Persian court after the murder of Zoroaster, becoming the boyhood friend of Xerxes, and later a diplomat who is sent to India, and later to Greece, and who is thereby able to gain privileged access to many leading historical figures of the period.

2006

Other works dealing with the Persian Empire or the Biblical story of Esther have also referenced Xerxes, such as the video game Assassin's Creed II and the film One Night with the King (2006), in which Ahasuerus (Xerxes) was portrayed by British actor Luke Goss. He is the leader of the Persian Empire in the video game Civilization II and III (along with Scheherazade), although Civilization IV replaces him with Cyrus the Great and Darius I.

2013

Almost immediately, Xerxes crushed revolts in Egypt and Babylon that had broken out the year before, and appointed his brother Achaemenes as satrap over Egypt. In 484 BC, he outraged the Babylonians by violently confiscating and melting down the golden statue of Bel (Marduk, Merodach), the hands of which the rightful king of Babylon had to clasp each New Year's Day. This sacrilege led the Babylonians to rebel in 484 BC and 482 BC, so that in contemporary Babylonian documents, Xerxes refused his father's title of King of Babylon, being named rather as King of Persia and Media, Great King, King of Kings (Shahanshah) and King of Nations (i.e., of the world). This comes from the Daiva Inscriptions of Xerxes, lines 6–13.

Some Xerxes I images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.