What is "artapanus"

Artapanus, also spelled Artapanas, may refer to:

• Artapanus (General), a general in the Persian army under Xerxes who led the first wave of Persians against the Spartan force at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE
• Artapanus of Alexandria, a Jewish historian believed to have lived in Alexandria during the later half of the 3rd or 2nd century BCE

Artapanus was a Persian General under Xerxes I. According to Ctesias' Persica, Artapanus led the first wave of Persians against the Spartan force at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. Although he led a force of 10,000 men, they were routed by the Spartan defenders.

Artapanus is not mentioned by name in Herodotus' history of the battle.