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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68: The Other Gods That Are
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62: Death In Quick Succession
In late 465 BCE, Xerxes I – the King of Kings – was murdered in his sleep by his own captain of the guard, Artabanus the Hyrcanian. Artabanus and a group of highly placed conspirators chose their victim’s third son, Artaxerxes to be their puppet on the throne and moved to secure their coup. Unbeknownst to them, Artaxerxes was not easily manipulated. When the conspirators turned on one another, the Achaemenid Empire plunged headfirst into the age of Artaxerxes with a new round of civil wars.
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59: Holy War
Early in Xerxes’ reign, an infamous and dramatic story of religious conflict was inscribed at Persepolis. When Xerxes became king he put down a rebellion, but in the process encountered a community dedicated to a god or gods he considered false and immoral. As consequence he destroyed their sanctuary and worshiped Ahura Mazda in their place.
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56: Domestic Affairs
As the war with the Greeks drags on into obscurity, it is time to investigate what was happening inside the empire under Xerxes. In the far west, most territories slipped from Persian control completely. The Mediterranean coastal region was reconfigured and given a new leadership class to carry on the war against Athens. In the royal court, Xerxes dealt with infamous court drama and intrigue, while in Babylon the daily minutia of government wore on and dealt with economic crises.
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Interview: Sean Manning
I sat down with Dr. Sean Manning, author of the new book: Armed Force in the Teispid-Achaemenid Empire: Past Approaches, Future Prospects to discuss the military might of the Persian Empire (and why it’s so hard to find anything written about it). That includes both the academic nuances of which sources deserve primacy, and ever exciting topics of arms, armor, and tactics.
Dr. Manning’s research represents an invaluable resource for anyone trying to engage with the military history of Achaemenid Persia – especially when we try to disentangle it from the Greek Wars.
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Armed Force in the Teispid-Achaemenid Empire: Past Approaches, Future Prospects
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PhD Dissertation via the University of Innsbruck
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Oliver Stone’s Alexander (2004) on the Hellenistic Age Podcast
Hey everyone! My first collaborative episode is up! I spent some time chatting with Derek of the Hellenistic Age podcast about Oliver Stone’s Alexander (2004 and all the subsequent re-releases). You can check that out on the Hellenistic Age podcast feed (links below)! .
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https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hellenistic-age-podcast/id1377920930?mt=2
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https://open.spotify.com/show/3OVlqzoNg4KW987igfhskd
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Episode 26: The Grand Tour
With the Persian Empire at its greatest ever extent, it’s time to start a tour of the empire. We’re travelling east, out of Parsa, and following the excellent maps of Ian Mladjov counter-clockwise through the eastern provinces. From Karmana to India, to the steppe to Parthia and everywhere in between, to examine the little bit of information we have about the Persian east.
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Episode 23: The Lyin’ Kings
Picking right back up in the late summer of 521 BCE, I’m talking about the rest of the rebellions against Darius. That’s the last three campaigns against the Liar Kings from the Behistun Inscription, the strangely absent rebellion in Egypt, and the other rebels that were excluded from the famous monument before concluding with personal betrayal for the new King of Kings.
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Episode 22: Putting Out Fires
No sooner was Bardiya dead, than the newly minted King Darius had to turn his attention on rebellious subjects. One satrapy after the next went into revolt at the end of 522 BCE, and Darius spent most of his first year on the throne directing his armies from place to place to try and hold the empire together. This time, I’m talking about Darius, the calendar, and the rebellious liar kings who sundered the Persian Empire.
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Episode 10: Governing An Empire
What exactly is a Satrap? Is there such a thing as a Satrapy? How did all of these people manage to talk to one another? All this, and more as the History of Persia celebrates double-digits with a break down of how the Persian Empire was actually organized and managed during the Teispid Period.
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