Darius I was a Persian King. He ruled from 522 to 486 BCE. During his reign, he encountered a series of revolts from all across the lands he absorbed into his kingdom. One of these revolts would eventually lead to the infamous Battle of Thermopylae, which the movie 300 is based off of. Darius I was the father of Xerxes I who would lead the drive to get revenge for his father against the revolting Greeks. This book was one I read for a paper I was writing in class, and it was full of useful information for that project. It was well written and was interesting to read, not at all a dry historical biography.