History of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Part I (550-486 BC; Cyrus the Great - Darius the Great)

Video Description

In this first of a two-part series, we'll take a concise look at the history of one of the greatest empires in all of antiquity - the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Founded by Cyrus II and expanded by his successors Cambyses II and Darius I, the Achaemenid dynasty would not just go on to rule most of the known world at the time, but also transmit the ideas and innovations of its many subject peoples to from the shores of the eastern Mediterranean to the Indus River valley and beyond. We'll start with examining the Achaemenid's rise to power, the world that they lived in, their religion including Zoroastrianism, and the beginning of their encounters with the Greek-speaking peoples of the Aegean and what would eventually lead to the Greco-Persian wars. Contents: 00:00 Historical Backdrop (Assyria, Elam and Media) 09:35 Cyrus the Great (Early Years) 14:00 Cyrus vs. Croesus and Lydia 20:31 Cyrus and the Conquest of Babylon 24:43 Cyrus as Liberator in Biblical and Babylonian texts 27:33 Cyrus and Babylon 29:20 Cyrus' Last Campaign against the Massagetae 32:00 Cambyses II 37:06 Cambyses II - Mad or Maligned King? 42:18 Darius I (Darius the Great) 43:44 The Behistun Inscription and the Crisis of 522 BC 55:50 Persian Ethics, Religion, and Zoroastrianism 01:02:56 Achaemenid Administration - Roads, Canals and Satrapies 01:08:45 Expansion into Europe and start of the Greco-Persian Wars 01:11:19 Battle of Marathon 01:14:28 Thank you and Patrons Special thanks to Malay Archer for creating the astounding machinimas that really brought this program to life using the Total War: Rome 2 Divide et Impera, Cyrus the Great campaign and Age of Bronze mod. Malay Archer https://www.youtube.com/user/MathemedicUpdates I'd also like to thank Farya Faraji and Walker Masuda for their contributions to the soundtrack of this program. Be sure to check out their work as well! Farya Faraji https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2_JOhJf-VAQm5VRqjY40Rw Specific tracks used in this program: Dushanbe Rise of Arsaces Hyrcanian Lullaby Shirin and Khosrow The Riding Angaros Spring in Persepolis Walker Masuda - Artwork and Music Production https://walkermasuda.artstation.com/ Additional music by Epidemic Sound. Related Videos: History of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Part II (sequel to this video) https://youtu.be/KiIUDZsojhI What to learn more about ancient Persian history? Check out the ancient Iran / Persia playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUx8354UG5yyCwKAnaWFM3q0XEEJoDS1G Before the Achaemenid Empire: Early Kings and the Founding of the Persian Kingdom of Anshan https://youtu.be/PsoVZy5yQ2o Cyrus the Great and the Birth of the Achaemenid Persian Empire https://youtu.be/wMbD7c-YlAE Cambyses II and the Persian Conquest of Egypt https://youtu.be/Nq1H4KHCySE The Early Medes and the Median Empire | Supplemental Podcast #3 https://youtu.be/FypaFjqMY04 The Neo-Babylonian Empire (Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar II, Nabonidus) https://youtu.be/FbFSuO7KHLY Croesus of Lydia and the Lydians (plus Herodotus' tale of Croesus meeting Solon) | Podcast #7 https://youtu.be/92vDKeWhkPs Sources and Suggested Reading ►https://bit.ly/2OLd5Rn Support History with Cy on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/historywithcy Follow History with Cy: Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/historywithcy/ Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/historywithcy/ Twitter ► https://twitter.com/historywithcy Website ► http://www.historywithcy.com Podcast ► https://historywithcy.buzzsprout.com/ #persia #ancientpersia #achaemenid