According to the Greek dialogue First Alcibiades, which describes typical upbringing and education of Persian princes, they were raised by eunuchs. Starting at the age of seven, they learned how to ride and hunt; after reaching the age of fourteen, they were each taught by four teachers from aristocratic backgrounds, who taught them how to be “wise, just, prudent, and brave.”^[13] Persian princes also learned the basics of the Zoroastrian religion, and were taught to be truthful, to be courageous, and to have self-restraint.^[13] The dialogue further added that “fear, for a Persian, is the equivalent of slavery.”^[13] At the age of 16 or 17, they began their mandatory 10 years of national service, which included practicing archery and javelin, competing for prizes, and hunting.^[14] Afterwards, they served in the military for around 25 years, after which they were elevated to the status of elders and advisers to the king. Families^[14] in this time, including Xerxes’, would intermarry.

This account of education among the Persian elite is supported by Xenophon‘s description of the 5th-century BC Achaemenid prince Cyrus the Younger, with whom he was well-acquainted.^[14] Stoneman suggests that this was the type of upbringing and education that Xerxes experienced.^[15] It is unknown if Xerxes ever learned to read or write, with the Persians favoring oral history over written literature.^[15] Stoneman suggests that Xerxes’ upbringing and education was possibly not much different from that of the later Iranian kings, such as Abbas the Great, king of the Safavid Empire in the 17th-century AD.^[15] Starting from 498 BC, Xerxes resided in the royal palace of Babylon.^[16]

Anna’s Notes : “Fear, for a Persian, is the equivalent of slavery”

This. This is the Core of The 12 Ethics. This is the Code I have lived by all of my life. This is The 12 Ethics. Fear is the Equivalent of Slavery. Truer words have never been spoken. This is the Trail. This is the Line of Solomon’s Wisdom. This is Zoroastrian.