women.” The name of the queen, the wife of Artaxerxes, following the Chronicler, was Stateira (an abbreviation from Asta-teira or Vashta-teira), meaning “the beauty of the sign of Mercury.” Some say that it comes from the Old Persian Vahista (“the best,” “the desired,” “the beloved”). It was an accepted social custom in those days that decent women should not mix in parties with men, especially when the consumption of wine was so abundant. Thus the stage was set. Now the action could begin.