Quick questions on Xerxes' family background and accession: HSC Ancient History

1short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.

What is the succession dispute (Herodotus 7.2-3)?

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Herodotus gives the fullest account of the accession, and it turns on a genealogical argument. Before Darius became king, he had sons by an earlier wife (a daughter of the noble Gobryas); the eldest of these was Artobazanes. After Darius became king, Atossa bore him sons, the eldest being Xerxes. When Darius prepared to name a successor, a dispute arose:

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