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 educational system.
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Tag: Achaemenids
74: The Temple of Yahweh
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 Elephantine. They also tell the story of a dramatic confrontation between the Jews and their Egyptian neighbors that ended in forced reconciliation.
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73: The Karanos
In 408 BCE, Darius II decided the Ionian War called for more drastic, teenage measures. He sent the 16 year old Prince Cyrus to rule western Anatolia as Karanos, a supreme military authority. Cyrus did everything in his power to enable his new Spartan allies’ victory against Athens.
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72: The Ionian War
Despite their defeat in Sicily, the tales of Athenian demise in 413 BCE were greatly exaggerated. In 411, Athens and Sparta began to clash again and protracted tug-of-war in the Aegean even as Athens itself was seized by political upheavals.
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71: New Friends, Old Enemies
Darius II’s reign in Anatolia saw the Persian reconquest of Ionia and the Greek cities of west Asia. This was only accomplished with the aid of a surprising ally: Sparta and the Peloponnesian League.
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Persepolis Reimagined by Getty.edu
Bonus Episode: Athens Under Artaxerxes on Patreon
Bonus Episode: Athenian War Under Artaxerxes on Patreon
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70: Darius Do-Over, AKA Armenia II
The reign of Darius II was chaotic. It is impossible to cover everything, everywhere, all at once. So today, we’re covering the interior of the empire as it was racked by civil war and rebellion for the better part of 20 years.
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Bonus Episode: Armenia I
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69! Musical Thrones
After 41 years on the throne, Artaxerxes I died in December 424 BCE. Much of his family had passed away over the decades, but he probably didn’t expect his only legitimate heir to follow close behind him. Nevertheless, two bastard sons saw this as their time to shine.
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68: The Other Gods That Are
Any discussion of Achaemenid religion is bound to be fascinating, but that discussion isn’t bound to Zoroastrianism. This one’s about all the other gods worshiped in Persia itself.
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67: The Empire of Artaxerxes
At just over 40 years on the throne, Artaxerxes I was the second-longest reigning Achaemenid king. This is an episode for all of the little things and less detailed stories that played out in that time. From a new status quo in the west to dramatic building projects in the east, Artaxerxes was a busy guy.
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66: The Syrian Civil War
The story of the Megabyzid family conveniently flows from a solid recap of the story so far straight into the next major event in Achaemenid history: the very first satrap’s revolt, complete with Greek mercenaries and royal family drama.
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