Xerxes

The story of Xerxes the Great (circa 519-465 BC), the fourth king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, includes the battles of Thermopylæ and Salamis, famous in their own right-and which were pivotal to world and European history. The tale, woven by classic master storyteller Jacob Abbott is, as usual, free from the dry stuffiness which mars conventional historical accounts. Beginning with Xerxes'...