The Persian King who Punished the Ocean

In 480 BC, Persian King Xerxes I was preparing one of the largest invasions of ancient Greece ever attempted. To move his enormous army into Europe, his engineers constructed floating bridges across the Hellespont, linking Asia and Europe.

Then a storm destroyed them.

According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Xerxes responded by declaring war on the water itself. He ordered the Hellespont whipped 300 times, had shackles thrown into the sea, and commanded his men to brand the water with hot irons as punishment for defying him.

The bridges were rebuilt. This time, the Persian army crossed.

But did Xerxes really try to punish the ocean—or was the story exaggerated by Greek writers eager to portray their enemy as an arrogant despot?

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