“My men have become women, and my women, men.” – Xerxes, reportedly after witnessing Artemisia’s actions at Salamis.

This outburst by Xerxes is as good a summary of today’s Kick-Ass Woman from History as any. Artemisia I of Caria is a truly formidable Greek woman whose battle prowess and courage had her praises sung not just by historians, but by her contemporaries.

Background

Born the daughter of Lygdamis I, satrap of Halicarnassus (today called Bodrum, Turkey) and a Cretan mother, Artemisia was of mixed Carian-Greek/Cretan heritage. She took the throne after the death of her (unnamed to history) husband as she had a son (Pisindelis) who was too young to rule. She ruled Halicarnassus and the nearby islands of Kos, Nisyros, and Kalymnos as a vassal under the Persian Empire.

(Well, I say “vassal” but Caria was not strictly beholden to Persia at the time. Her participation in the military invasion she is most famous for was not mandated but rather chosen by her acting of her own agency to better her nation’s status.)

Unfortunately this is approximately all we have on Artemisia’s life before and after what she is most famous for. Her activities between taking on the throne and the Greco-Persian Wars are not documented in any surviving sources (beyond some some contested claims of economic stability and cultural patronage), nor are any details of her rulership outside of battle beyond being noted for stability and dynastic continuity. What can be surmised is that outside of the wars she likely focused on governance and maintaining her position as regent.

Reputation

Artemisia was known for her exceptional courage, intelligence, and tactical acumen in this male-dominated era. She was praised by Herodotus for wisdom and bravery, and gained the respect and trust of none other than Xerxes I, the King of Persia, who valued his half-Greek/half-Cretan female naval commander’s advice above that of his male commanders. She also demonstrated immense diplomatic skill, balancing maintaining her regency with keeping her local autonomy while being loyal to Persia.

So trusted was she, in fact, by Xerxes that in the retreat from the disaster at Salmacis, she was tasked with evacuating his children (though not his direct heirs) to Ephesus.

Kick-Assery

Artemisia was the only female naval commander among Xerxes’ forces during the second Persian invasion of Greece. She commanded a squadron of five ships at the naval battles of Artemisium and Salamis in 480BCE. She advised Xerxes against attacking the Greek fleet at Salamis, warning of the naval superiority of the Greeks. Her advice, however, was ignored, leading to a crushing Persian defeat.

Nonetheless, she executed a brilliant tactical manoeuvre in that battle where she escaped a Greek trireme by sinking a ship on her own side, leaving no survivors. The ship in question was commanded by King Damasithymos of Calynda, a regnant with whom she’d possibly had beef according to Herodotus’ speculation. The sinking had several important outcomes:

1. The Greek commander chasing her ship broke off pursuit, mistakenly believing she was a Greek or, alternatively, a defector, in either case on his side. He moved his attention to other Persian ships, leaving her free to flee.
2. Xerxes, observing from afar, saw her sink a ship and, at the time, thought she’d destroyed a Greek vessel, thus uttering the phrase with which this essay opens.
3. When the truth became known afterward, Xerxes, instead of being angered, praised her daring and her presence of mind in her escape from a doomed battle, cementing her reputation for both audacity and tactical brilliance.

After the Salamis disaster, Artemisia advised Xerxes to retreat to Asia, a suggestion that he this time followed. (It is here where she was tasked with protecting his children all the way to Ephesus.)

Legacy

The exact circumstances of Artemisia’s death are not recorded in any surviving texts. A later legend claims that she died by leaping from Cape Lefkada due to unrequited love but historians generally treat this as apocryphal. What is known is that her son, Pisindelis, succeeded her as ruler of Halicarnassus in a continuation of her dynasty.

Artemisia is remembered as a rare example of female leadership and military command in ancient history, challenging the gender norms of her time.