Ancient Economies - Persepolis and the Economy of Achemenid Persia - Matt Stolper

Dr. Matt Stolper of the Oriental Institute lectures on Persepolis and the Economy of Achemenid Persia as a part of the docent training miniseries.

[@Hardy_H_H]

In 1979 it was not the students who put the shredded documents back together. They brought in highly experienced carpet weavers to accomplish this task. If this doesn't make sense to some, look up how Persian carpets are made with intricate designs that must be highly accurate and fit together.

[@Mardly]

Dr. Stolper , thanks for investigating these valuable documents and I clicked on 'like' for this presentation , but pls remember that nothing is better than the truth ; as we know well that the Iranian Civilization as a whole is very much a matter of today whether politics or beyond . And BTW the gulf that you were referring to is called "Persian Gulf" , not anything else .

[@mikekashani2698]

Great presentation. Very informative. Thank you.

[@drewbryk]

Thanks for posting - I was very intrigued right from the start when the lecturer dispensed with the Great Men of Persia! Feel like my research into this period always turns up the same 4-5 pieces of information... Cyrus in the bible... Cyrus cylinder... good roads, satraps, post office.. blah blah the stuff you teach little kids. This is the first piece of info I've found about daily life and the real guts of the empire that goes beyond this surface level

[@tedtimmis8135]

Despite the comment from Clarence below, I think this was a very interesting and well-presented lecture. Interestingly, I posted a negative review for Nina Burleigh's truly awful lecture and she had it removed.

[@avro549B]

Is it possible that the improbably large rations for high-level individuals are intended to support their private entourages, who aren't the direct responsibilities of the bureaucrats?

[@RonJohn63]

Did the video cut out before the talk ended?

[@tarjei99]

The video stops a bit early. Please fix?

[@saeedahmadian548]

Like and love from Iran

[@NDRonin1401]

33:15 I wonder if that might be related to the origin of Guinea. There are multiple theories for that, none confirmed, and the closest one to Achaemenid relation could be the berber word Ghinawen. Anyone?

[@ajones3038]

economic and sociological history is more important than political and war history, but is almost always overlooked

[@mayena]

I agree when when I was younger I was more interested in military and political history. Now I find economic and social history more fascinating.

[@ajones3038]

@@mayena yes, plus economics are the primary factor in deciding military results. Of course other factors can overturn that, but usually not

[@derrickbonsell]

Persia would eventually get what they wanted out of Greece: A region that posed no threat to the empire. At least until Philip steamrolled the Greeks and Alexander started his invasion.

[@thegreatmonster]

Around 12: 28... what are we talking about here, the first communistic system of government?

[@disastergirl888]

No, the first communistic system was in ancient Sumeria, I believe in either Uruk or Babylon, a thousand or so years before this.

[@tarjei99]

The Persians were just very well organized.

[@macawism]

Chantal Huyuk seems to have had an egalitarian system 9000 years ago. Check Ian Hodder’s lectures on You Tube

[@curious8748]

@@disastergirl888 Would you please name a reference for it? I'd be much appreciated

[@macawism]

@Satir Horny 45 billion? What are you smoking? So called hunter gatherer existence, based on clans which might be distributed over wide areas in groups of less than 150 or so people, meeting up in larger numbers at particular times for ceremonial reasons went on for tens of thousands of years. There are still remnants you can visit or read about. You could talk about egalitarian or communalist, but not communist. This was not about vertically organized societies where you might talk about some form of proto government. ..Just reading translations of the Sumerian stories indicate a highly organized state with slaves, and different classes of people, hardly ‘communist’

[@nebojsagalic4246]

Interesting how none of the work seems to be done by slaves.

[@fariborzhaftar8111]

Slavery was against the law under Cyus the Great and the Achaemenids, Zoroastrianism forbade it

[@jayh9529]

Check wise up channel

[@jayh9529]

Martin liedtke channel

[@jayh9529]

Phoenetians

[@jayh9529]

Tartarian empire

[@MREidy]

persian gulf

[@aleksandarsrdanov1171]

@Mardly- Don't be so opinionated. Ask any Arab on the opposite side of the gulf and they will tell you that the name of the gulf is Arabian gulf i.e. Khalij el-Arab. Another example from Europe: Ask any French person and they will tell you that the name of the channel between France and UK is La Manche. Ask an Englishman and he will tell you that it's the English channel.

[@adamfrisk956]

@Delaram Salmassi Not for the Arabs

[@daraarmand1221]

As an Iranian I agree with you. Its just a body of water and can be called anything by anyone. Arabs have as much right to the place as do we. In addition, in the recent history they have done more to put the place on the map than we, the Iranians. The view that history is not dynamic is fallacious. We write and rewrite history as we go along. I suggest we call it that Gulf with many names ))).

[@daraarmand1221]

@Delaram Salmassi you need to relax. There are people on the other side of the Persian Gulf and as independent people have the right to call it as they see fit. Besides, please tell me what have we done in the past 40 years (I should really say 1300 years) to give us the right to lay a claim to the name of the place. Arabs have been far more enterprising and resourceful and whether you like it or not, they have earned the right to call it the Arabian Gulf. It is time that we (the people of Iran) stop hiding behind the relics of the past and start building a country that can at least to small degree live up to the promises of the wise and resourceful people who laid the foundation of Iran. As a nation we are an abomination. A people so full of ourselves yet, with no actual contribution to the well-being of humanity. And, dont go on a rant about Islam and how we were victimized. I gate all religions equally, but its time we stop blaming Islam for our backwardness and take some responsibility for our current state.

[@hamidrezaamini8626]

@@adamfrisk956 Who care what they say. If you are educated, then you must call it Persian Gulf. We should respect all international rules. Arabs can call it Arabian gulf when they talk to each other. Who care about that. But, we expect that educated people who are in academia to call it Persian Gulf. It is very simple. Shatt al-Arab is called Arvand Rud by Persians. But its official name is GulfGulf

[@julianzandi1109]

@@daraarmand1221 It is not what the Persian or the Arab say today but it is what the history says. It has always been Persian Gulf .In all history books,even some of the history books written by the Persian enemys, it is called the Persian gulf. In addition Arabs didn't even have a country of their own until after world War I . How could they have a gulf named after them. Thank you.

[@atenashami7028]

The students who put together the texts in the american embassy had studied in the USA. Now that I saw this clip and it showed how the americans gatherd the ancient tablets and put together them it became clear to me that americans are good at this task. I wonder what do they want from our history and why Cyrus cylinder is their model for ruling. I just wish they leave us and our history alone and stop creating different groups to make chaos in the region like Taliban Isis mullah and so on.

[@ZosoZeus]

SPEAK UP!