Xerxes the Great
The Ancients
History Hit
4.7 • 4.5K Ratings
🗓️ 25 January 2026
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
He is one of the most famous rulers of the ancient world, remembered for leading a vast Persian invasion of Greece. Yet Xerxes the Great was far more than just a battlefield king.
In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by friend of the show Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to explore the life and reign of the Persias most revered king who ruled the largest empire the world had yet seen. From his royal upbringing and court politics to religion, monumental building projects and imperial power, this episode goes beyond Greek battle narratives to uncover who Xerxes really was — and how the Achaemenid empire functioned at the height of his power.
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The Persian Wars: Xerxes, Thermopylae and Salamis
Watch this episode on our NEW YouTube channel: @TheAncientsPodcast
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Ever wondered why the Romans were defeated in the Tudorburg forest? |
| 0:04.0 | What secrets lie buried in prehistoric Ireland? |
| 0:07.0 | Or what made Alexander truly great? |
| 0:10.0 | With a subscription to history hit, you can explore our ancient past alongside the world's leading historians and archaeologists. |
| 0:17.0 | You'll also unlock hundreds of hours of original documentaries with a brand new release every single week covering everything from the ancient world to World War II. |
| 0:26.5 | Just visit historyhit.com slash subscribe. He is the most well known of all Persian kings, |
| 0:49.6 | the ruler who launched a massive invasion of Greece, |
| 0:53.2 | who fought against the likes of Leonidas and the |
| 0:56.0 | mysticallys. |
| 0:57.8 | Xerxes. |
| 0:59.4 | Thanks to Hollywood blockbusters and the legend of Thermopylai, this Persian king of kings is |
| 1:05.5 | remembered by many first and foremost for his ill-fated war against the likes of Athens and Sparta. |
| 1:12.3 | But there is so much more to this man's story. |
| 1:17.0 | Xerxes ruled the Supreme Persian Empire for over two decades. |
| 1:22.7 | And in this episode, we're going to explore what we know about his life and reign from beginning to end. |
| 1:29.6 | Just who was the real Xerxes? |
| 1:33.0 | This is the ancients. I'm Tristan Hughes, your host, and this is the story of Xerxes the Great. |
| 1:42.2 | Our guest today is fan-favored, the Reverend Lloyd Llewellyn Jones, professor of ancient |
| 1:48.5 | history at Cardiff University, and the author of Persians, The Age of Great Kings. |
| 1:59.9 | Lloyd, great to have you back on the show. Hello, it's so nice to be back with you. It really is. |
| 2:02.6 | It really is the case, isn't it? We think when the name Xerxes gets thrown about, |
| 2:06.6 | you might think of Zach Snyder's 300 or the Persian invasion of Greece, but there is so much more to his story. |
... |
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