Oriental Antiquities

Xerxes I or Assuerus in the Book of Esther

Fragment of Cup Belonging to the Tableware of Xerxes I Sb 548 room 14 showcase 4 (13) Xerxes I was without doubt the king referred to in the Book of Esther as Assuerus. - Esther 1:1, 2.
It was under his reign that a plot against the Jews was foiled by the queen and her cousin Mordecai. Xerxes I appear to be the “fourth king” mentioned in Daniel 11:2. Despite his victory in Thermopylae, he suffered a bitter defeat at Salamis, a forewarning of the upper hand being claimed by Greek power.
Léonidas at Thermopylae
INV 3690       
Jacques-Louis DAVID
Denon 1er Daru    room 75
 
This very narrow gorge restricted access to central Greece. It was the stage of the heroic death of Leonidas, King of Sparta, and his 1,400 men, in their attempt to push back the Persian invasion commanded by Xerxes I.