Iyi nkuru yabaye ahagana mu mwaka wa 480 mbere ya Yezu Kristu, mu gihe Umwami Xerxes I, umwe mu bategetsi bakomeye b'Ubwami bw'Abaperesi, yari ayoboye igitero kinini cyo kwigarurira u Bugereki.
Kugira ngo ingabo ze zambuke zive muri Aziya zijye i Burayi, yategetse kubakwa ibiraro bibiri binini by'ubwato byambukaga mu gace kitwa Hellespont, ubu kazwi nka Dardanelles muri Turukiya. Ariko mbere y'uko ingabo zitangira kwambuka, umuyaga ukomeye n'imivumba myinshi byasenye ibyo biraro burundu.
Amakuru y'ibyo byabaye yarakaje cyane Umwami Xerxes. Nk'uko umuhanga mu mateka w'Umugereki Herodotus yabyanditse, Xerxes yategetse abasirikare be gukubita amazi y'inyanja ibiboko inshuro nyinshi, kuyashyiraho iminyururu no kuyavuma nk'igihano cyo kuba "yanze kumvira umwami."
Herodotus avuga ko inyanja yakubiswe ibiboko 300, ndetse hakajugunywamo iminyururu nk'ikimenyetso cyo kuyihana. Hari n'amagambo bavuga ko yasomwe asebya inyanja, ayibwira ko yahanwa kubera gusenya ikiraro cy'umwami.
Nyuma y'ibyo, Xerxes yategetse ko abubatsi bari bashinzwe kubaka ikiraro cya mbere bicwa, maze ahita ategeka kubaka ikindi kiraro gikomeye kurushaho. Iki cyo cyarangiye neza, ingabo z'Abaperesi zibasha kwambuka zijya mu Bugereki.
Abahanga mu mateka bavuga ko hari impaka ku buryo Herodotus yanditse iyi nkuru. Bamwe bemera ko ibyabaye ari ukuri, mu gihe abandi bavuga ko ashobora kuba yarakabije inkuru kugira ngo agaragaze ubwibone bwa Xerxes cyangwa amuseke imbere y'Abagereki.
Nubwo bimeze bityo, iyi nkuru yakomeje kubaho mu mateka nk'imwe mu nkuru zidasanzwe zigaragaza uko bamwe mu bategetsi ba kera bibonaga nk'abafite ububasha no ku bidukikije.
Niba iyi nkuru yarabaye uko Herodotus yabivuze cyangwa yarakabijwe, yakomeje kuba kimwe mu bice bizwi cyane mu mateka ya kera. Yibutsa ko ubutegetsi bukomeye butavuze ko umuntu ashobora kugenzura kamere, kuko umuyaga n'inyanja byakomeje gukora ibyo kamere ibitegeka, n'ubwo umwami yabihanaga.