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Croesus, Xerxes, and the Denial of Death (Herodotus 1.29–34; 7.44–53)
- Classical World
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 107, Number 4, Summer 2014
- pp. 535-541
- 10.1353/clw.2014.0023
- Article
- Additional Information
- Purchase/rental options available:
Herodotus portrays both Croesus and Xerxes as resolutely unaware of their own mortality, despite conversations about the life span of an ordinary human (Croesus), and the mortality of his massive army (Xerxes). Part of what makes Croesus and Xerxes hubristic, for Herodotus, is their obliviousness to this salient aspect of their humanity.