Chapter15 |
Reading |
Artemisia of Caria
Artemisia of Halicarnassus, queen of Caria (SW Turkey), commanded a fleet of ships for the Persians at the Battle of Salamis. She became queen when her husband died and she acted as regent for her son. According to Herodotus, her relation, she accompanied Xerxes's expedition to Greece with her own warships.
In the first passage, Herodotus provides a brief description of her ancestry, her rule, and her ability to offer wise counsels. In the second passage, read Artemisia's speech to Xerxes, warning him not to fight at Salamis. Finally, in the third passage, read how Artemisia escapes destruction at the battle of Salamis.
Read her story in Herodotus, slightly condensed and in Attic Greek rather than Herodotus' Ionic Greek Here are some notes to accompany the reading.
Find Herodotus' story of Artemisia unabridged in English at the Internet Ancient History Sourcebook or at the Perseus website, Book 7.99, Book 8.68, and Book 8.87-88. In Book 8.101, Xerxes again asks for Artemisia's advice after his loss at Salamis.
Image credit: Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971): Asia Minor, vol. 3, col. 747-748: Map of Asia Minor with the ancient Jeiwsh settlements