The Technical Feats of Xerxes
Including the Bridging of the Hellespont and a Canal at Mount Athos
The Great King Xerxes (reigning 485 - 465), and his designs upon the Hellenic world of mainland Greece, are well documented, but the engineering feats involved in his invasions of Europe are possibly even more surprising than the vastness of his army.
What did Xerxes Build
Firstly, to transport his army from the coasts of Asia Minor to Greece itself, a bridge was built over the Hellespont (a distance of just under a mile long), of boats covered in brushwood and dirt. He also commanded a canal to be cut into the isthmus at Mount Athos, a peninsula where the Persian fleet had suffered a shipwreck previously. This canal was, according to Herodotus, over "twelve stadia long," (around 2,200 metres) and according to calculations from historians, this appears to be accurate (see sources), and roughly 35m wide (enough room for two triremes to sail side by side of each other), and a depth of roughly 3-4m. Though it must be stated that these measurements are by no means definite, and are based on modern estimations worked out from Herodotus and others original source material.
The Canal at Athos
There is much discussion on why this was built, it was indeed a huge amount of work, with many technical difficulties, for very little gain. The problem to overcome was that sailing round the peninsula was very hazardous, with conflicting currents and bad weather conidtions, and Xerxes wanted complete naval support for his army, but then why not simply drag the ships accross the isthmus, as was the current practice at the time, or let the captains wait and sail around in small conyeys when weather conditions permitted. The usual answer to this is that both of these solutions meant long delays, especially with such a large fleet, and Xerxes wanted a quick, manoueverable war machine.
Other suggestions as to why the canal was built include propoganda (a symbol of imperial majesty) intended to intimidate the free cities of the Greeks, or as a legacy of Xerxes' reign. Other views need to be taken, however, including Xerxes' psychological viewpoint. Seeing himself as 'King of Nations', i.e. the world, Xerxes can be seen to have an inflated sense of his own divine status, resembled in his architecture (similar to his father Darius', only even bigger), and his dealing with failure. Upon the bridge of the Hellespont being washed away in a storm, according to Herodotus he had those who built it beheaded, and then the sea itself whipped and shouted at by his soldiers, which was apparently, "not uncommon for Xerxes."
This idea of having the ability to chastise the sea is almost divine in itself, and thus one with divine delusions of himself will not wish to wait upon good weather conditions, nor for men to drag ships over land, as this could be interpreted as subservient to nature's whims. Instead, Xerxes preffered to impose himself upon the landscape, bending nature to himself, rather than vice versa.
The Bridging of the Hellespont
The Hellespont (now called the Dardanelles), was a gap of water almost a mile between each landmass, sperating Anatolia from mainland Europe. This was the body of water which Xerxes had to cross in order to transport his army into Europe and then on to Greece. Rather than ferry his army accross, a dangerous and exceptionally slow task, Xerxes preferred to bridge the distance, an exceptionally difficult feat, typical of Xerxes' reluctance to conform to the commonplace. The actual specifics of the bridge are constantly in question, and this article will leave the debate of the exact structure of the bridge to more able scholars (see sources for further reading), however the basic idea of the bridge is as follows:
Ships were rowed into position, angled to withstand the current and weather conditions, and then anchored in position. Next they were lashed together, and cables, made by both the Phoenicians and the Egyptians (of flax and papyrus respectively) were used underneath brushwood and compacted dirt to create a landbridge. Xerxes even fenced the sides so as not to frighten the animals during the crossing. The bridge failed twice, and as previously stated Xerxes took equally brutal and bizzare measures to force results.
What This Tells us About Xerxes
From the sheer scope of these projects, along with architecture completed by Xerxes, we can see the massive scope of Xerxes' self-image. Defying the barriers of convention and nature, Xerxes took it upon himself to etch into the very earth a legacy of being the one to conquer not only people, but natural oppoistion.
Sources:
Herodotus, The History, sixth and seventh books.
The Canal of Xerxes: Facts and Problems, by B. S. J. Isserlin The Annual of the British School at Athens
The Construction of Xerxes' Bridge over the Hellespont, by N. G. L. Hammond and L. J. Roseman The Journal of Hellenic Studies
The Dardanelles
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