The Persians and the Greeks, Part I: The Rise of the Persian Empire

Emily and Cam talk about the ancient Persians and the growth of their empire in the first episode of a series on the conflict between the Persians and the ancient Greek world.

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Cover photo adapted from an image by Jakub Hałun (Persian Warriors, Pergamon University, Berlin)

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00:12 - Introduction

01:07 - Who were the Persians?

1. 01:11 - The ancient Persians, the ancient Iranians, and the Indo-European dispersion
2. 02:52 - The Old Persian language (and a digression on Persian names)
3. 08:35 - Zoroastrianism and the religion of the ancient Persians

13:59 - The Rise of the Persian Empire

1. 14:23 - The Middle East in the 6th Century BCE: Persia and its neighbors
2. 16:29 - Herodotus and the legend of Cyrus the Great
3. 20:06 - Cyrus the Great and his conquests
4. 24:04 - Cyrus’ successors: Cambyses and Darius
5. 24:48 - The Persian Empire in 500 BCE

25:12 - The Structure of the Persian Empire

1. 25:25 - Cooperative local elites and the obligations of empire
2. 26:35 - Satraps, provinces, and the Iranian diaspora

28:45 - The Ideology of the Persian Empire

1. 29:04 - Cyrus as champion of local gods in Babylon and Judah
2. 30:49 - Darius as champion of Ahura Mazda

32:47 - The Mechanics of Empire in the Age of Darius

1. 32:52 - Imperial ideology and imperial violence
2. 34:00 - Local elites and imperial entanglements: the story of Syloson of Samos

38:04 - Wrap-up