Xerxes had bound Europe to Asia with the two bridges that he had had thrown across the Hellespont. Now his mighty army was ready to cross. It was going to take several days and nights to achieve this task and Xerxes delivered a pep talk to the leaders before they began on the expedition.

Tag words: Xerxes; Artabanus; Susa; Persians; Herodotus; The Histories; Oracle of Dephi; Croesus; Cyrus; Aeschylus; The Persians; Alan Sommerstein; John Marincola; Artemesia; Demartus; Spartans;