Masistius (Μασίστιος to the Greeks) was a Persian cavalry commander best known for his role in the second Persian invasion of Greece. Biography Masistius was the son of a man named Siromitras. He was reportedly a very tall and handsome man. He became a distinguished officer in the Persian army during Xerxes's invasion of Greece and gained great popularity among the troops. He died shortly before the Battle of Plataea, placing his death somewhere during 479BC. His death was keenly felt by the Persians. He was also related to Mardonius, son in law of king Xerxes. Role in the Second Persian Invasion Masistius is first mentioned as the commander of the Saspirian and Alarodian contingents of Xerxes's army which had been gathered for the second invasion of Greece. Masistius would have been appointed to this position by the senior commanders of the Persian army. It would have been Masistius's responsibility to appoint officers to command the squads into which the Saspirian and Alarodian contingents would have been divided. These contingents commanded by Masistius were probably infantry contingents equipped with small rawhide shields, short spears and swords, rather than cavalry. At this stage, it appears that Masistius was not of any especially great significance to the invasion force as he appears in Herodotus simply as "Masistius, the son of Siromitras" with no further description, and as part of Herodotus's detailed description of Xerxes's army, the infantry section alone of which lasts from chapter 61-83 of book VII. However, by 479BC in the buildup to the Battle of Plataea, Masistius's fortunes seem to have changed and he had become a senior and distinguished cavalry commander in the Persian forces which had remained in Greece under Mardonius. On two occasions, Herodotus notes the fine quality of Masistius's possessions, further suggesting his successes before Plataea. As the Greek forces at Plataea under Pausanias did not want to attack the Persians for fear of the Persian cavalry and the Persians did not want to attack the Greeks who held the high-ground, Mardonius sent Masistius to harry the Greek forces. Masistius performed well, causing considerable casualties on the Greek forces through a series of hit and run attacks. However, as Masistius led from the front, the Greeks were able to kill him, inflicting a considerable blow to the Persians. Death During Masistius's conflict with the Greeks in the buildup to the Battle of Plataea, Masistius engaged