Several months after the shocking naval victory at Salamis in the fall of 480 BC and Xerxes’ hasty retreat to Asia with his navy, a delegation arrived in Athens. Leading this embassy was Alexander I of Macedon, a longtime friend of Athens but now client-king and agent of the Persians. Alexander offered a deal to Athens on Persia’s behalf: switch sides now, and Xerxes will forgive the former hostilities and offer you favorable terms. Had the Athenians accepted the offer, it would have turned the tide of the war back in the favor of Persians.
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