What did he even want an impoverished mountainous shithole like

Access to Europe

who wouldn't want to teach a thing or two to those pompous greek assholes

>>1362817
>impoverished
really m8?

>>1362830
compared to persepolis, yeah.

>>1362817
they bix nooded in anatolia

>>1362817
Actually it was a punishment expedition. The Anatolian Greeks rebelled against Persian rule and the Athenian absolute mad men went there and helped them!

>>1362827
Back then I'm pretty sure Greeks were basically useless redneck niggers. I don't know how the whole center of learning and culture thing came about, maybe everyone was just so astounded that someone took down Persia that they figured the Greeks had something special.

>>1362817
The Ionian Greeks, from Athens, had supported a rebellion of Ionian Greeks along the Anatolian coast. At the time, they were ruled by Persia. So Xerxe is addressing the Greek problem, and also trying to finish what his father, Darius, had started: the invasion of Greece (aborted due to Marathon and naval disaster.)

And, you know, Xerxes wanted glory, and to emulate his ancestors Cyrus and Cambyses, who were warlike, risk-taking kings.

Also consider that a long campaign is a good way for a King to stifle internal plots against him. Potential troublemakers, rebels, and usurpers would be kept occupied outside of Persia.

Given these factors, I don't think Xerxe's had much choice. He will have been considered a weak king by letting the Greeks go unpunished.

>>1362827
So he just wanted some ephebepussy?

>>1362851
You
Must
Be
Retarded

Who's the Mexican lesbian in the OP supposed to be? Xerxes?

He was finishing the work his predecessor started--and Darius wanted to punish them for inciting revolt in Ionia and generally being pains in his royal ass

>>1362839
The absolute mad men!