For a little over 200 years, the First Persian Empire ruled over a vast expanse across three continents, making it arguably the world’s first great superpower. At its peak, it stretched from its base in Persia - roughly analogous to modern-day Iran, all the way to India in the East, incorporating swathes of Central Asia, Egypt, Libya and Iraq. It also conque ... Show More
Nov 2023
98. Darius the Great: Ruling from India to the Mediterranean
The Persian Empire that Darius took control of was already mighty and powerful; his predecessor, Cambyses, had conquered Egypt, further expanding its territory. But it was under Darius it reached its zenith. Stretching all the way from the Mediterranean in the west to India in th ... Show More
51 m
Nov 2023
97. Cyrus the Great: Building the First Superpower
Born the son of a khan, a tribal chieftain, Cyrus would go on to be a titanic figure of world history. He took Persia from being a minor regional power to the first superpower the world has ever seen. Conquering all of modern day Iran, then Turkey, and finally defeating the power ... Show More
54m 58s
Jan 2021
The Persian empire: everything you wanted to know
In the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, an expert in ancient history, responds to listener questions and popular internet search queries on the Persian empire. Once the largest empire the world had ever s ... Show More
1h 13m