Tristan Hughes

And in this episode, we're going to explore what we know about his life and reign from beginning to end.

Just who was the real Xerxes?

This is the Ancients.

I'm Tristan Hughes, your host.

And this is the story of Xerxes the Great.

Our guest today is fan favourite, the Reverend Lloyd Llewellyn Jones, Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University and the author of Persians, The Age of Great Kings.

Lloyd, great to have you back on the show.

It's so nice to be back with you.

It really is.

It really is the case, isn't it?

We think when the name Xerxes gets thrown about, you might think of Zack Snyder's 300 or the Persian invasion of Greece.

But there is so much more to his story.

Can we talk about his name, first of all?

Because it seems such a peculiar name today.

Xerxes, really recognisable.

We're not calling that the name of this podcast.

So has he left many sources behind, not just the Greek historians like Herodotus?

Do we have a lot of different sources for learning about his life?

It's searching for the historical basis of one of these more far-fetched stories.

So let's get the background sorted straight away.