Xerxes I

About Xerxes I

Xerxes I, a key figure ranked #200 in historical importance by MIT's Pantheon project, was the King of Persia from 486 to 465 BCE. He is primarily known for his massive invasion of Greece, a monumental military undertaking that included constructing a pontoon bridge across the Hellespont to move his vast army and fleet. Although his campaign ultimately failed, his actions cemented his place as one of the most significant political leaders of the ancient world, directly shaping the trajectory of classical history.

In terms of modern attention, Xerxes I receives approximately 874K annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This places his online visibility at an 'Attention Gap' of about 1x relative to his historical standing, suggesting a baseline level of recognition for a figure of his historical magnitude. However, his attention is slightly precarious, as evidenced by a notable -16.4% year-over-year decline in views and a sharp -20% drop in momentum between Q1 and Q3 of 2025. This contrasts with contemporary or near-contemporary politicians like Joe Biden (#329 importance) who command over 10.6M views, highlighting a significant disparity in digital engagement between ancient rulers and modern political figures.