History Time on MSN

Xerxes the Great beyond Thermopylae, how Persia fought Greece and survived defeat

Seen through Greek eyes, Xerxes is remembered for Thermopylae and Salamis, yet his reign tells a far larger story. This chapter traces how Persia reached its limits in Greece, adapted through ...
History Time on MSN

The Spartans who tried to sacrifice themselves to Xerxes, and the strange logic behind Greece’s last stand

In 484 BC, two Spartans crossed Mesopotamia to offer their lives to Xerxes, revealing a deep clash in how Greeks and Persians understood power, punishment, and the gods. From there, the story follows ...