The name Ahasuerus is equivalent to Xerxes, both deriving from the Persian Khshayārsha, thus Ahasuerus is usually identified as Xerxes I ( 486-465 BCE ), though Ahasuerus is identified as Artaxerxes in the later Greek version of Esther ( as well as by Josephus, the Jewish commentary Esther Rabbah, the Ethiopic translation and the Christian theologian Bar-Hebraeus who identified him more precisely as Artaxerxes II ).

Those arguing in favour of an historical reading of Esther, most commonly identify Ahasuerus with Artaxerxes II ( ruled 405 – 359 BCE ) although in the past it was often assumed that he was Xerxes I ( ruled 486 – 465 BCE ).

Instead, the Hebrew name Ahasuerus accords with an inscription of the time that notes that Artaxerxes II was named also Arshu, understood as a shortening of Achshiyarshu the Babylonian rendering of the Persian Khshayarsha ( Xerxes ), through which the Hebrew Achashverosh ( Ahasuerus ) is derived.

Other works dealing with the Persian Empire or the Biblical story of Esther have also referenced Xerxes, such as the video game Assassin's Creed II and the film One Night with the King, in which Ahasuerus ( Xerxes ) was portrayed by British actor Luke Goss.

Xerxes II was apparently only recognized as king in Persia and Sogdianus in Elam.

Xerxes II only ruled forty five days.

* A more detailed profile of Xerxes II

ca: Xerxes II de Pèrsia

cy: Xerxes II, brenin Persia

de: Xerxes II.

gl: Xerxes II

nl: Xerxes II

no: Xerxes II av Persia

pt: Xerxes II da Pérsia

sk: Xerxes II.

sv: Xerxes II

vi: Xerxes II

* Xerxes II of Persia, reigned 424 BCE

Artaxerxes I, who died on December 25, 424 BC, was followed by his son Xerxes II.

After a month and a half Xerxes II was murdered by his brother Secydianus or Sogdianus ( the form of the name is uncertain ).

Neither the names Xerxes II nor Sogdianus occur in the dates of the numerous Babylonian tablets from Nippur ; here effectively the reign of Darius II follows immediately after that of Artaxerxes I.

Xerxes I of Persia (, Khashayar Shah ) (; meaning " ruling over heroes ",, ), also known as Xerxes the Great ( 519 BC-465 BC ), was the fourth king of the Achaemenid Empire.

Amestris (, Amēstris, perhaps the same as Άμαστρις, Amāstris, from Old Persian Amāstrī -, " strong woman ") was the wife of Xerxes I of Persia, mother of king Artaxerxes I of Persia.

In 480, Aeschylus was called into military service again, this time against Xerxes I's invading forces at the Battle of Salamis, and perhaps, too, at the Battle of Plataea in 479.

It was rich in treasures, but was destroyed by the Persians in the invasion of Xerxes in 480 BCE, and a second time by the Boeotians and remained in a ruined state. It was rebuilt by Hadrian.

It was said that the bridge was to rival that of Persian King Xerxes ' crossing of the Hellespont.

This crossing was named by Aeschylus in his tragedy The Persians as the cause of divine intervention against Xerxes.

Herodotus commented that this was a " highly presumptuous way to address the Hellespont " but in no way atypical of Xerxes.

To find a new queen suitable to King Xerxes, it was decreed that beautiful young virgins be gathered to the palace from every province of his kingdom.

When King Xerxes saw Esther, he was pleased and held out his scepter to her, showing that he accepted her visit.

Another was the response to the Athenians when the vast army of king Xerxes I was approaching Athens with the intent of razing the city to the ground.

However, once there, they were warned by Alexander I of Macedon that the vale could be bypassed by several other passes, and that the army of Xerxes was overwhelmingly large, and the Greeks retreated.

Themistocles sent a servant, Sicinnus, to Xerxes, with a message proclaiming that Themistocles was " on king's side and prefers that your affairs prevail, not the Hellenes ".

At any rate, this was exactly the kind of news that Xerxes wanted to hear.

Xerxes evidently took the bait, and the Persian fleet was sent out to effect the block.

However, the decisive naval clash occurred at Salamis, where Xerxes ' invasion fleet was decisively defeated.

Artabazanes claimed the crown as the eldest of all the children, because it was an established custom all over the world for the eldest to have the pre-eminence ; while Xerxes, on the other hand, urged that he was sprung from Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus, and that it was Cyrus who had won the Persians their freedom.

Xerxes then personally led a second Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC, taking an enormous ( although oft-exaggerated ) army and navy to Greece.

Polybius tells that 28 years after the expulsion of the last Persian king Xerxes crossed over to Greece, and that event is fixed to 478 BC by two solar eclipses.

The story told in the book of Esther takes place during the rule of Ahasuerus, who has been identified as the fifth-century Persian king Xerxes ( 486-465 ).

The Hebrew Ahasuerus is most likely derived from Persian Khshayarsha, the origin of the Greek Xerxes.

As for the identity of Mordecai, the similar names Marduka and Marduku have been found as the name of officials in the Persian court in over thirty texts from the period of Xerxes I and his father Darius, and may refer to up to four individuals, one of which might after all be Mordecai.

The Persian army of Xerxes I of Persia and later the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great crossed the Dardanelles in opposite directions to invade each other's lands, in 480 BC and 334 BC respectively.

Some commentators have argued the story of the first three kings must have been originally planned as a history of Persia and the story of Xerxes, later added to it instead is a history of the Persian Wars.

* 480 BC – Battle of Salamis: The Greek fleet under Themistocles defeats the Persian fleet under Xerxes I.

The Athenians were certainly aware throughout this period that the Persian interest in Greece had not ended ; Darius's son and successor, Xerxes I, had continued the preparations for the invasion of Greece.

Even if this did not work, Themistocles apparently intended that Xerxes would at least begin to suspect the Ionians, thereby sowing dissension in the Persian ranks.

* 465 BC: King Xerxes I of the Persian Empire is murdered by Artabanus the Hyrcanian.

* The Persian King Xerxes I arrives at Sardis and begins to build up his great army and navy for the invasion of Greece.

Xerxes set out in the spring of 480 BC from Sardis with a fleet and army which Herodotus estimated was roughly one million strong along with 10, 000 elite warriors named the Persian Immortals.

According to Herodotus, upon encountering the deserted city, in an fit of rage uncharacteristic even for Persian kings, Xerxes had Athens burned.

However, Persian scholars dispute this view as pan-Hellenic propaganda, arguing that Sparta, not Athens, was Xerxes's main foe in his Greek campaigns, and that Xerxes would have had nothing to gain by destroying a major center of trade and commerce like Athens once he had already captured it.

In 465 BC, Xerxes was murdered by Artabanus, the commander of the royal bodyguard and the most powerful official in the Persian court ( Hazarapat / commander of thousand ).

The Persian king Xerxes was also anxious for a decisive battle.