The Twitter Herodotus

7.11 Xerxes, furious, called Artabanus a coward. He said either Persia must fall to Greece, or Greece to Persia. There was no middle ground.

7.12 But X changed his mind before bed: the expedition was off. That nite he dreamt a man said he'd have cause to regret his change of plan.

7.13 Despite the dream, X. told his peeps the next day that he would not be attacking Greece: he'd been wrong to reject Artabanus' counsel.

7.14 That night, the same man appeared to Xerxes in a 2nd dream and warned him: if he didn't attack Greece, he would quickly be brought low.

7.15 Terrified, Xerxes told Artabanus about the dream. He bid A. use his throne & bed: if a god had sent the dream it would come to him too.

7.16 Artabanus wasn't keen on the idea but agreed to it. Still, he didn't think a god had sent the dream: X. simply had Greece on his mind.

7.17 Artabanus slept in the king's bed and the dream came to him: it said he wouldn't escape punishment for trying to change what was fated.

7.18 Artabanus leapt up when the dream was about to burn out his eyes. He told Xerxes they should attack Greece: the expedition was back on.

7.19 Xerxes began preparing in earnest. He had a 3rd dream that was interpreted by the Magi to mean he'd take over the world.

7.20 Xerxes prepared for 4 years, and in the 5th he began his campaign. His forces were greater even than those sent by the Greeks to Troy.