Herodotus, Histories
- Language
- Greek
- Composed
- c. 430 BC
- Oldest surviving copy
- Medieval manuscripts
- Status
- Not scripture
Amestris buried children alive as an offering (7.114) and mutilated the wife of Masistes (9.112).
Ancient Mysteries & Interpretations
Esther or Amestris?
Herodotus names Xerxes' wife Amestris, daughter of Otanes, mother of Artaxerxes I, and tells of her cruelty. Some have linked her name to Vashti or to Esther; others note she was queen throughout Xerxes' reign, which conflicts with both. The names alone cannot establish an identification.
Amestris: documented in Herodotus · Identification: unproven
1 What Scripture says
Esther 1:9–19; 2:16–17Herodotus 7.61, 7.114, 9.108–113
"And the king loved Esther above all the women" (Esther 2:17).
2 What evidence we might expect
- Persian or Greek sources naming Xerxes' wives.
3 What ancient sources survive
4 What discoveries exist
5 How interpretations compare
Scholarly reconstruction
Vashti = Amestris
Proposed on the names' similarity; but Amestris remained queen mother into Artaxerxes' reign.
Alternative explanation
Esther = Amestris
Proposed by some conservative writers.
Assessment: Herodotus' Amestris, daughter of a Persian noble and notoriously cruel, fits poorly.
Scholarly reconstruction
No identification
Esther may have been a lesser wife, or the story may not be historical.
Source: "Vashti, Amestris and Esther 1,9," ZAW 119 (2007) (abstract) ↗
6 The strongest supported reconstruction
No secure identification is possible from present evidence.
7 What remains possible or unknown
- Xerxes' other wives' names.
What the evidence shows
- Vashti or Esther is Amestris.
Source: "Vashti, Amestris and Esther 1,9," ZAW 119 (2007) (abstract) ↗; Herodotus, Histories 7.61, 7.114, 9.108–113 (Amestris; edition not specified)