History of Persia

In 404 BCE, Darius II died. The king's death sparked fierce but quiet competition for the throne between the supporters of Cyrus the Younger and Darius's chosen heir, Arsakes. Arsakes did become King ...

17 Aug 202235min

A collection of early Zoroastrian prayers to the various Yazatas, the Yashts are some of the only surviving sources that provide a detailed window into the more polytheistic aspects of ancient Iran. A...

6 Aug 202259min

A bit of an update on why I said I was back on track and then immediately jumped off the track. History of Saqartvelo Georgia Episode: https://historyofsaqartvelo.com/alt-home/episodes/episodes-ep-21/...

12 Juli 20222min

King of the World: The Life of Cyrus the Great by Matt Waters is a new biography of the first Persian King of Kings from Oxford University Press. I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced PDF copy...

23 Juni 202235min

The Achaemenid capital city at Persepolis wasn't really much of a city in the traditional sense, but that doesn't mean it was just a palace. A Persepolis Metropolitan Area stretched at least 5km out i...

9 Juni 202240min

Breaking News! The History of Persia Podcast now has merch, swag, gear, and other physical items to show off how much you like ancient Persia and this podcast. Plus, there's one last group of coins fr...

3 Juni 202243min

Cyrus the Younger obviously graduated early, but what exactly did he learn in ancient Persian school? Hunting, fitness, soldiery, science, and religion amongst many other things in a complex noble edu...

27 Maj 202239min

No, the other one. In Egypt. The best source of information on events Egypt under Darius II comes from the letters of the Jewish diaspora community in southern Egypt and their temple on the island of ...

20 Maj 202256min