Women Rulers in Ancient Times
Artemisia, named for the goddess Artemis- 5th century B.C.E.
Her story comes to us from Herodotus. Artemisia would have been ruler of Halicarnassus at the time of Herodotus’ birth in that city. Artemisia was the ruler of Halicarnassus (near today’s Bodrum, Turkey) and its neighboring islands, part of the Persian Empire then ruled by Xerxes. She assumed the throne after the death of her husband.
When Xerxes went to war against Greece (480-479 B.C.E.), Artemisia brought five ships and helped Xerxes defeat the Greeks in the naval battle of Salamis. The Greeks offered a reward of 10,000 drachmas for capturing Artemisia, but no one succeeded in winning the prize. Xerxes eventually abandoned his invasion of Greece, and Artemisia is credited with persuading him to this decision.
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