Xerxes I

About Xerxes I

Xerxes I, ranking #200 in historical importance according to MIT's Pantheon project, was a formidable Achaemenid Persian King who reigned from -486 to -465 BCE. His most defining historical contribution was launching the massive second Persian invasion of Greece, bringing one of the largest armies of the ancient world to the conflict, which included the famous crossing of the Hellespont via pontoon bridges. Although his invasion was ultimately defeated at battles like Salamis and Plataea, his vast administrative power and military undertakings cemented his legacy as a pivotal ancient politician and monarch.

In the modern digital sphere, Xerxes I garners a relatively modest 879K annualized Wikipedia pageviews in 2025. This attention level results in an Attention Gap of approximately 1x, meaning his internet visibility closely mirrors his historical ranking, unlike many figures whose fame far outstrips their actual global impact. However, comparing him to figures from the same occupation pool, Xerxes I receives significantly less attention than modern politicians like Richard Nixon (#748 importance, 4.2M views) or even other 20th-century figures like Nicolae Ceaușescu (#393 importance, 1.7M views), despite being vastly more influential historically.

Furthermore, his digital interest appears to be waning; the annualized view count shows a decline of -15.8% year-over-year, and his 2025 Momentum, comparing Q1 to Q3, dropped by -25%. This suggests that while currently receiving attention proportional to his rank, the trajectory of online interest in the ancient Persian king is currently downward.