History of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Part II (486-330 BC; Xerxes I - Alexander the Great)

In the second of this two part series on the Achaemenid Persian Empire, we continue with Darius the Great's son, Xerxes and some of the main events of the Greco-Persian wars, and then follow the lives of his successors up to Darius III and the fall of the Achaemenid Empire with its conquest by Alexander of Macedonia, a.k.a. Alexander the Great.
Contents:
00:00 Intro and Recap
01:33 Xerxes (486-465 BC)
03:43 Xerxes Invades Greece
08:47 Battle of Thermopylae
11:18 Battle of Salamis
12:40 Battle of Plataea
14:40 Xerxes after Greece
18:26 Artaxerxes I (465-424 BC)
25:57 Darius II (424-404 BC)
30:07 Cyrus the Younger and the Battle of Cunaxa
31:17 Artaxerxes II (404-359 BC)
36:50 Artaxerxes III (359-338 BC)
39:20 Philip II and the Rise of Macedonia
42:25 Darius III (336-330 BC)
44:47 Alexander of Macedon and the Battle of the Granicus River
47:44 Battle of Issus
50:17 Battle of Gaugamela
53:40 The Last Days of Darius III
57:38 End of the Achaemenid Empire and Aftermath
58:54 Thank you and Patrons
Special thanks to Malay Archer for creating the astounding machinimas that really brought this program to life using the Total War: Rome 2 Divide et Impera, Cyrus the Great campaign and Age of Bronze mod.
Malay Archer
/ mathemedicupdates
I'd also like to thank Farya Faraji and Walker Masuda for their contributions to the soundtrack of this program. Be sure to check out their work as well!
Farya Faraji
/ @faryafaraji
Specific tracks used in this program:
Apranik's Charge
Achaemenes
Dushanbe
Hyrcanian Lullaby
Shirin and Khosrow
In Pythagoras' Mind
The Riding Angaros
Spring in Persepolis
Walker Masuda - Artwork and Music Production
walkermasuda.artstation.com/
Additional music by Epidemic Sound.
Related Videos:
What to learn more about ancient Persian history? Check out the ancient Iran / Persia playlist:
• Ancient Iran / Persia
History of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Part I (550-486 BC; Cyrus the Great - Darius the Great)
• History of the Achaeme...
Before the Achaemenid Empire: Early Kings and the Founding of the Persian Kingdom of Anshan
• Before the Achaemenid ...
Cyrus the Great and the Birth of the Achaemenid Persian Empire
• Cyrus the Great and th...
Cambyses II and the Persian Conquest of Egypt
• Cambyses II and the Pe...
The Early Medes and the Median Empire | Supplemental Podcast #3
• The Early Medes and th...
The Neo-Babylonian Empire (Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar II, Nabonidus)
• The Neo-Babylonian Emp...
Sources and Suggested Reading ►bit.ly/2P7kryK
Support History with Cy on Patreon:
/ historywithcy
Follow History with Cy:
Instagram ► / historywithcy
Facebook ► / historywithcy
Twitter ► / historywithcy
Website ► www.historywithcy.com
Podcast ► historywithcy.buzzsprout.com/
#persia #ancientpersia #achaemenid

[@ogrejd]

Dunno if you've been told this a thousand times or not, but a big thank you for using fonts that could easily be read on low-quality mobile. Yours is probably the only history channel where I didn't have to regularly pause and squint to read stuff at 360p. :P (edit: Not that it matters now, since I got home Internet for the first time in about 3 years the other day)

[@LanMandragon1720]

Oh man your so right it's excellent.

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks, I always wondered if the fonts were too big and took up too much of the screen. Glad that doesn't seem to be the case. Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it! More on the way, stay safe!

[@ObjectiveEthics]

What an epic video. Only Cy can create such an entertaining and captivating lesson on such a long and storied empire.

[@robbabcock_]

Great video! These longer videos must require a ton of time and effort but they're much appreciated.🙏😁

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks, glad you like these longer ones! The next ones will be a bit shorter ... I'll try to space them out so that you don't have to wait too long for more content. Thanks again for stopping by, always a pleasure to hear from you. Now, on to the next video... stay tuned!

[@Bulgarian021]

@@HistorywithCy Thanks, man. The waiting was long but then again- QUALITY over quantity!

[@venomvenom9926]

@@HistorywithCy inmortals of cirus was scito sarmatians partians satrapii sanskrit aryans estern iranic

[@tawan20082008]

thanks!!! more Persia/Iran videos please!!! Also , at some point in the future, can we please get an episode on the Etruscans , and another one on the Parthians? Oh, and one on the Medes. And....a series on the Celts and Anglos and the Saxons and all of those Germanic tribes or "barbarians", as they have been kindly labeled

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! Yeah, I'd like to do something more on the Etruscans as its been a while since I touched up on that subject, though might get something on the Parthians before that. Actually, I do have a rather long podcast on the Medes that you can check out in the back catalog as well as a short video on the Etruscans. As for Celts, Saxons and Germanic tribes, that probably won't be for a while. Thanks for the suggestions though, really appreciate them and hope to be able to one day over all of them. On to the next video... stay safe!

[@YossarianVanDriver]

Even Alexander styled himself like the next Achaemenid king in the line, as if he was Darius' successor (although his own successors didn't, to my knowledge)

[@xshandy5812]

Yes true i mean his wife Was persian

[@cyrusthegreat1893]

@@xshandy5812 correct.

[@mariejoel2469]

.ma@@xshandy5812

[@ishmaelforester9825]

They were almost certainly related. All the psycho families of the ancient world were: the various empires were one big family business. He wasn't lieing so much as pissing on his own post.

[@bpsalami9864]

@@xshandy5812 His wife was from Bactria or Sogdia (wich were Persian satraps), but sogdians and Bactrians are related more to Tajiks etc than Persians.

[@someinteresting]

Such great videos on the Achaemenids. Can't wait for such long ones on the Parthians and the Sassanids.

[@HistorywithCy]

Oh for sure, right after I do some stuff on Alexander and the Seleucids, I'll go deep into both! Thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! LOTS more to come, stay safe!

[@someinteresting]

@@HistorywithCy 😯😯😯 This is great!

[@hermescarraro3393]

After the persian ambassator was slaughtered by the Greeks, they started to fear the wrath of the olimpians, for ambassators were sacred men that should never be harmed. They sent two ambassators to Xerses to ask for his forgiveness, thinking he would kill them to avenge his ambassator. Xerses realised the intentions of the greeks and, to prove his moral superiority, sent the two men back home unharmed, demanding that they would tell the other greeks that he, unlike them, would never lower himself to such barbaric resolutions.

[@HistorywithCy]

Yeah, Xerxes gets a bad rap ... have you seen the depiction of him in the movie 300? Totally different guy. But then again, that movie was based on a comic book so the characters were totally warped. Anyway, thanks as always for stopping by, really appreciate it! Stay safe my friend!

[@hermescarraro3393]

@@HistorywithCy That movie was bad... Like... REALLY bad... 😂😅 Xerses' design was kinda cool tho.

[@LanMandragon1720]

@@HistorywithCy The thing is it's supposed to be the one eyed soldier. Basically spitting propaganda to hype up the Greeks. So it makes sense how outrageous it is when looked at in that context.

[@saeedvazirian]

@@LanMandragon1720 no excuses. It was outrageous because the writers were racist, no other reason.

[@gothic2fanHUN]

​@@saeedvazirian racist?🤔

[@MalayArcher]

Again, It is a great pleasure working with you Cy!

[@HistorywithCy]

Likewise my friend, thanks for all of your help in making this story come alive! We'll definitely do more in the near future! Stay safe buddy!

[@Bulgarian021]

Man, are you really from Malaysia or are you a fan of AoE II opting to choose malay and make archery range units ? xD Just curious

[@stephenmichalski2643]

These guys seem to have a bad habit of dying at the most inopportune times!!! .....but then again.....is there an opportune time????.....oh well.....guess not.....loved the vid as always.

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks my friend, hope you're doing well and glad you enjoyed this...more to come, stay tuned!

[@saeedvazirian]

Persians do not fear death, which makes death an uncanny ally of Iranians. Always.

[@Duncan23]

This is by far the best series of Persian history on the internet! It is detailed yet concise and straight to the point and your narration style adds a dramatic feel but isnt over the top :) incredible work Cy I truly appreciate the work you have put into this.

[@aurelienyonrac]

I appreciate that you mention the diferent points of views. It gives more perspective into what was happening.

[@fuferito]

Xerxes inspired one of the most beautiful arias by Handel, _Ombra Mai Fu._ Renditions by Andreas Scholl or Franco Fagioli are spellbinding.

[@HistorywithCy]

Oh I need to hear that... I think I read that somewhere but never heard the actual composition. Thanks for the info, I'm going to find Ombra Mai Fu on YT and listen to it before I go to sleep. Thanks also for stopping by, really appreciate it! More to come, stay safe!

[@fuferito]

@@HistorywithCy, Couldn't pick a better time to listen to it.

[@HistorywithCy]

@@fuferito heard it last night before going to sleep... short but sweet!

[@fuferito]

@@HistorywithCy, Exactly.

[@connorgolden4]

Always so happy to see a notification saying you’ve put a new video up.

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks man, really appreciate it! Hopefully I'll be able to put these out more often, stay tuned!

[@connorgolden4]

@@HistorywithCy Glad to hear!

[@bulletclub3320]

Every video CY makes is informing, and keeps my love of history alive.

[@hosseinsadeghi2468]

Awesome, Like always As a Persian I really appreciate your knowledge and dignity through making these videos 💙

[@gooner72]

Fantastic 2 part series mate, well done!! Thoroughly interesting, thoroughly engaging, extremely well researched and put together and very entertaining.

[@w.allencaddell6421]

Absolutely hooked on these types of videos. I love knowledge and historical events based on facts, not superstitions.

[@nikolaevkatesla3823]

What a masterpiece of art

[@moraemepasikhani9153]

This was excellent coverage

[@kashmirapagdiwalla2430]

Excellent video 👏👏👏 Your commentary is informative and so interesting

[@PoliticalFuturism]

Another finely made and highly informative video! Thanks Cy!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks my friend, glad you liked it! More to come, stay safe!

[@jesussaves1875]

Awesome as always - I was riveted !!!

[@jamesnave1249]

Really love all your quality content. Travelling through ancient history while driving to work is one of the main highlights of my day 🙂 Would love it if you did a video focusing on the sub-groups within the Achaemenid Empire, or even what's known of their interaction with the Indian civilizations of the time. Just hungry for all things Achaemenid!

[@volodymyrcuza9994]

Thanks a lot for this monumental work!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks, glad you liked this! More on the way, especially on the successors to the Achaemenids - Alexander, the Seleucids, Parthians and Sasanians hopefully all coming up within the next year, stay tuned and thanks again!

[@jacquesmesrine3244]

An epic story like no other. Great work on the video. I'll be watching more of them.

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks for the kind words and feedback, really appreciate them! More definitely on the way, stay tuned and safe!

[@geoffreybslater1146]

Love the channel. This kind of history is my passion.

[@tianlonghong665]

Cy, thank you so much for this. I always learn a lot from your videos. Keep up the good work! Every video is top notch. Your hard work shows. I'm excited for the inbound Hellenistic videos. It is my favorite era of history. ^-^

[@Numba003]

Thank you for part two! The benefit of being here late is being able to watch them back to back lol. I'm looking forward to learning about the Macedonian successor states after the death of Alexander. God be with you out there everybody. ✝️ :)

[@AthrihosPithekos]

Those are the Hellenistic states.

[@henkstersmacro-world]

Thanks Cy, as always great to hear from you, and Herodotus👍👍👍

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha yeah our man Herodotus, always a great read. I think I'm going to do a short video on his life... I roast him quite a bit on this channel so I think I at least owe him that! Thanks again for stopping by, really appreciate it! No, on to the next video... stay tuned!

[@austinbaccus]

You out so much effort into these videos! This is by far my favorite history channel and it's reignited my love for history :D

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, sorry for the late reply.. .thanks so much, really appreciate it the kind words and glad that these have rekindled your love of history! More on the way, stay tuned and thanks again!

[@TheRedneckPreppy]

Always a good day when a new Cy video comes out! Thanks Cy!

[@HistorywithCy]

No, thank you, appreciate that you watch these! More to come, stay tuned!

[@goatops9872]

Great video as always very interesting thanks for the content cy!

[@HistorywithCy]

My pleasure, thank you for stopping by, really appreciate it! Stay safe!

[@mikeymusic4643]

Your videos are so resourceful and interesting! I've been binging them lately and it's been a lot of fun, can't wait to learn more :)

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, thanks so much for watching and the kind words, really appreciate it and thrilled you're enjoying these! Lots more planned for the rest of this year and next, stay tuned and thanks for watching!

[@alexanderborschel2135]

FINALLY I CAN SLEEP WELL AGAIN!!!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks my friend, hope that all is well on your end and hope to catch up soon! Stay safe!

[@Bulgarian021]

Finally, a new one ! Im glad I can watch it today :D

[@HistorywithCy]

Hope that you enjoyed it!

[@anasevi9456]

you are an absolute machine, thank you so much.

[@HistorywithCy]

My pleasure, glad you enjoy these! More to come in the next few weeks (hopefully they won't take as long to produce as this one), stay tuned and thanks!

[@WanaxTV]

Another great video! Nice to see the Greco-Persian wars from the Persian perspective, although it did come back to haunt them later for sure. Amazing content, keep it up!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks my friend, thought you'd like this one! More to come, stay tuned!

[@seanbeadles7421]

Greece was Persia’s Vietnam Salamis? You weren’t there man!! You weren’t there!!

[@pedrito01100]

What a beast of a video man. Must have taken many hours of work. Great job

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks my friend, yeah but it was fun to make. I like playing around with the maps and icons... feels like I'm creating my own little video game jajaja. Espero que vc esteja muito bem amigo, abs!

[@raminsadeghi7358]

Nice video after a long time. Welcome back

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks my friend, good to be back and hopefully you won't have to wait as long for the next one. Thanks again for stopping and stay safe!

[@tallmikbcroft6937]

Great work... Thank you

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you, appreciate it!

[@fanzy1338]

Excellent narration and presentation.

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you, appreciate the kind words... stay tuned for more!

[@certainlynot9489]

Tbh I was cheering for the Iranians to defeat the ancient Greeks but history turned out different. Great video Cy!

[@adrianobier7593]

Your maps are so pretty!

[@Veriox22]

I'm kinda late, but i appreciate the quality content!

[@OiiRobbi3x]

What do i have to do to get more uploads?! Your channel is the best, most refreshing history channel on KZbin and your overall presentation is exactly how history should always be portrayed.

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha thanks, honesty, it all comes down to just time. If you can put more hours into the day, that would help! But seriously, thanks so much for the constructive feedback, really appreciate it and stay tuned for a lot more this summer! Stay safe!

[@DATA-qt3nb]

Takhos, what a great name. Also, thank you Cy for another great vid!

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha yeah, kind of makes me hungry ... thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! More to come, stay tuned!

[@user-eh6th9wj5k]

Great videos! Keep it up!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks, will do my best! More on the way, stay tuned and safe!

[@rag0t2010]

I am hoping that you will do a video about Iranian Vedism/Their Politheistic mythology

[@usa3218]

Great video!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks, appreciate it!

[@pboyisknow]

really thank you bro awesome❤

[@HistorywithCy]

Thanks baradar, another one on ancient Iran coming up in the next few hours! Thanks for watching!

[@MedjayofFaiyum]

HOW does THIS video have less views? This must have taken so much TIME to make. This needs to be 100k views.

[@user-cj4df7vs7w]

Just found this channel. Great video and part one also. Would you cover the history of Parthia too? I suppose Seleucids and Greek Bactrian kingdom before that?

[@HistorywithCy]

Yes, I hope to Parthian, Sasanian and more of the Achaemenid dynasty by the end of this year. Stay tuned and thanks for watching!

[@Silvertestrun]

Thank you

[@justsaying7565]

Very good video

[@chriswhite4640]

Really hope you cover the diadochi, seleucids and ptolomeic Egypt after this fantastic series

[@HistorywithCy]

Oh course, this summer for the first and perhaps later on in the year for Ptolomeic Egypt. Thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! More to come, stay safe!

[@decimusausoniusmagnus5719]

The highlight of my day

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you, means a lot! More on the way and thanks for the support, stay safe!

[@GLeibniz1716]

Your presentation has the epic sweep of the achaeminid empire itself! Excellent!

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha thanks man, really appreciate the feedback! More Achaemenids and Alexander to come, stay tuned!

[@Mrnewkrakbo]

Amazing video

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you, appreciate it!

[@hoplite22]

Never clicked an alert so fast

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you, appreciate it! More to come, stay tuned!

[@nothingtoseeheremovealong598]

i love small history channels

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you, appreciate it!

[@darashariat]

Appreciate the effort put into this. Hope to see the same with the Parthians & Sassanids.

[@HistorywithCy]

Absolutely! Will cover Alexander and the Seleucids first, then will go deep into Parthian and Sassanid history. Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it...stay safe!

[@ohmatron8360]

Very interesting 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧👍

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you, appreciate it!

[@justsaying7565]

Hey bro can you do a video about the gutien?

[@drswag0076]

you should do a series on Rome.

[@heidihall2256]

Thank you for storytime. Now it's time for bed:(

[@HistorywithCy]

No worries, the video will still be up! Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it, stay safe!

[@lakshmipraveen8734]

@@HistorywithCy what your favorite Empire??? my is Achaemenid Empire , Mauryan Empire and Gupta Empire.

[@HistorywithCy]

@@lakshmipraveen8734 Hmm, probably Achaemenid, but maybe that's because I've studied it more than others. I'll also do something on Mauryan and Gupta empires too, after Alexander and Seleucids. Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it... stay safe!

[@lakshmipraveen8734]

@@HistorywithCy thank you so much for having interest in Indian History, Seleucids has relationship with Mauryan Empire. Chandragupta Maurya wife was Helena, was daughter of Seleukos and his Persian wife. Helena became quiet Indian after marriage to Chandragupta Maurya. She learned Sanskrit and Classical Indian music. She became his chief consort and Empress of Mauryan Empire.

[@johnmanno2052]

Dear Cyrus: Yet another superb video, and thank you once again for all your tremendous effort and excellent work. I've been reading, and re-reading, about this time period for decades, including all the original sources in translation that I could possibly find (the Loeb Classical Library's invaluable). But listening to your treatment of the Achaemenids, I suddenly realized something important that I previously overlooked. Alexander the Great was a horrible catastrophe, and the much vaunted Hellenistic Era which followed him was mostly a tale of failed states and fatal political disorganization. The Persians did an infinitely better job of administering an empire than did the Macedonian Greeks, and when those few did manage to hold their territories together, it was through brutal exploitation (such as the Ptolemies in Egypt). It wouldn't be until the heyday of the Romans before some kind of long term stability came back, and they were closer to the Persians in terms of their management styles than they were the Greeks, though culturally the Romans absorbed much from them.

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, thanks so much for stopping by and the comments, really appreciate them! Yeah, I think that's a really interesting point. I realize this the more I reread Herodotus and Xenophon. I think in school (at least when I was in school) we were more focused on the conflict between the Persians and Greeks, and these definitely take up a good part of Herodotus' work, but he also writes quite admiringly of Persian administration and their general tolerance of other peoples and cultures (the passage with Darius speaking to his advisors as to how each culture thinks its the best comes to mind). I get the impression that Herodotus was truly in awe of how the Persian administrative machine worked, and I think he marveled at how these people who not too long before were groups of nomads managed had managed to hold together such a vast and diverse empire when the Greeks, who pretty much spoke the same language and had more or less the same culture and religion, kept fighting amongst themselves. I think I'll examine this topic further in future. Thanks again for stopping by, really appreciate it and love having discussions like this. Stay tuned for more and be safe!

[@johnmanno2052]

@@HistorywithCy Interesting about Herodotus, and I agree. But Herodotus was so credulous of everything often I get impatient reading him. But yes, he did know good government when he saw it. When I was in school, in fact when I was younger, Alexander the Great was The Great Man of the ancient world. He was Superman. He was totally awesome and fabulous, while the Person's were....well..."Oriental". I think that the ineptitude of the Greeks has been, and continues to be, obscured by European/American racism. Greeks were "white", Persians were not (of course that's not at all true or pertinent or anything rational, but it's certainly how European/British/American historians and archeologists have perceived them). This has colored the view of that time, and altered the truth of the matter. All the Greeks were were warlords, with all that that term implies. They certainly did not bring "the light of Greek civilization to the East" (yes, that was how they phrased it back in the day). If anything, they helped create a good deal of chaos. So thank you again for leading me to realize that. It's very interesting how a change in perspective can open up a whole new world of meaning. Excellent job.

[@yehoshuadalven]

My favorite empire.

[@HistorywithCy]

Probably for me too... definitely one of the most interesting!

[@lakshmipraveen8734]

me too what your favorite empire after Achaemenid empire really Achaemenid empire is master Empire till today.

[@melvinjones3895]

Thanks alot another great video. Kill or be killed the long history

[@wilyeshurun5675]

Like this thanks

[@jaroddavid5933]

Where did you get the background music for this video? Is it like Traditional Persian music or something? I thought it was an endless loop until I heard the background vocals when Egypt came up and the vocals at the end...

[@suren2313]

Wow didn’t know that the last Achaemenid king was the governor of Armenia pretty interesting

[@HistorywithCy]

Yup, interesting fact about him. It's interesting, Armenia was also never actually conquered by Alexander - the local dynasty there after Darius III gave a sort of token allegiance to him, but in reality he never really controlled it. Thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! More to come, stay safe!

[@saeedvazirian]

@@HistorywithCy no they didnt. They resisted and won. Iran always does.

[@Bulgarian021]

In this case I feel compassionate towards the fate of the Persian state. I understand why Alexander is such a big deal and it is not possible to ignore his success BUT I wish to remind all history fans that after his death most of what he did in fact did not matter and did not bring anything long-term to his family or his people living in Macedon. I do not count looting riches as success, just to be clear. The fact that there was a war between his generals/ friends quickly after his death shows how unstable his success was . The fact there were different pieces of Persia proclaimed to be kingdoms ruled by some Greek guy or Macedonian is not a sign of stability nor good political practise, i.e. look at the ethnically Greek rules of Egypt in that time for ex. I would say the same for Genghis Khan. This is the name that comes to mind when I think of a mighty ruler in history who had great military success but totally sucked at all else.

[@HistorywithCy]

Yeah, it's a case of too much, too fast. I think part of the problem was also that Alexander died young with an infant heir and no clear successor. I also find it interesting that even today, nobody knows exactly where his body lies. That's pretty remarkable if you ask me since he was such a consequential person in history. As always, thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! More on the way, stay tuned and safe!

[@osr4152]

I know what you mean but I cant agree that what he did 'did not matter'. It transformed the world. The helenization of what was previously Persian territory had massive cultural implications, for example the Greek influence on Judaism and christianity, the Christian scriptures were written in Greek.

[@baylorlopez4495]

@@osr4152 do you not think the scriptures wouldn’t be written in greek if it wasn’t for alexander? not to discount what he did, but given the nature of the bible, and it’s text, i think it would’ve been written in greek anyways, due to the relatively close proximity of the greeks to jews in jerusalem

[@saeedvazirian]

@@osr4152 Incorrect. Literally there was no impact on the world. WHat hellenization? The region was not and is not hellenic nor hellenistic in any way. The amphitheatres etc were all Roman influenced, and even they failed and fell back. greek influence on Judaism and christianity came from Romans. he was wholly unsuccessful. Cyrus the Great, that's success.

[@saeedvazirian]

alexander is neither a big deal nor was he successful, everything written there about him was a lie by the romans and greeks because they couldn't cope losing to Persians. But what you said next is 100% right. All that brute force had no impact on the world, and it was the Persian Empire that reconstructed human civilisation.

[@genghiskhan7041]

The background music reminds me of John Fahey.

[@sarahsutube]

I like your videos. My interest is in the Bronze Age. Sadly most of your videos seems to concentrate on periods after that. Pleas make more videos for the bronze age.

[@Bauks]

Nice!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you!

[@topgears7775]

wow so impressive ,greetings from Sweden! A question: is Dardanel strait same as the Hellespont?

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, thanks for stopping by, appreciate it! Yes, they are the same. Dardanelles is the modern name, Hellespont was used more in ancient times, but they're the same location. More to come, stay safe!

[@theflyingfox8204]

I liked it, but it's very much about the kings and the wars. I would have liked to hear more about the culture, religion, language and everyday life. Although I know not too much is known about that ...

[@stevenv6463]

It would be nice to know more about the immortals. I was really surprised when he said there were Judeans in this unit.

[@mikepennington9057]

Excellent video, can we expect similar videos for the Seleucids and Sassanians?

[@HistorywithCy]

Absolutely, and the Parthians too! Thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! Stay tuned and safe!

[@mikepennington9057]

@@HistorywithCy Awesome! Same to you!

[@yuribrito1504]

Great Video Cy, as always! I'm a huge fan of Cyrus' Empire (as I like to call the Achaemenid Empire). The Second Persian Invasion of Greece, in my historical analysis, was EXTREMELY catastrophic and devastating for the Greeks. The Second Persian Invasion of Greece, which was carried out by Xerxes, simply conquered and devastated all of Mainland Greece, with the exception of the Peloponnese. Despite the fierce Spartan resistance during the famous Battle of Thermopylae (Μάχη των Θερμοπυλών), Leonidas' defeat at Thermopylae was simply CATASTROPHIC for the Greeks. Following Leonidas' defeat at Thermopylae and with the subjugation of Macedonia and Thrace, all the main regions of Mainland Greece were devastated and conquered by General Mardonius' troops, including Boeotia/Βοιωτία (Thebes itself submitted to the Persians), Phocis/Φωκίς (which was considered the "navel"/Ομφαλός of the world for the Greeks), Locris and, lastly, Attica itself, the "land and the cradle of democracy" ("Η γη/χώρα και το λίκνο της δημοκρατίας"), as I like to call the region. Athens and its Acropolis, in turn, were COMPLETELY devastated by Mardonius' troops. Note: The devastation of Attica during the Second Persian Invasion of Greece, in MY historical analysis, was the GREATEST humiliation that the Greeks suffered throughout the Greco-Persian Wars. The destruction of the Athenian Acropolis, which represented the "Athenian glory" ("Η αθηναϊκή δόξα"), in my historical analysis, was a severe humiliation for the Athenians! Moreover, it was a clear message from Xerxes: "My father's defeat at Marathon was avenged". After the conquest of practically all of Mainland Greece by Mardonius' troops, only the Peloponnese stood between Xerxes and his final victory.

[@HistorywithCy]

Hi, thanks so much for stopping by and glad you enjoyed the video. Also, thanks for your comments and insight, really appreciate them! Yes, I agree that Xerxes completed the main mission of the campaign, namely punishing Athens. However, I think he could have held on to the peninsula had the sent more reinforcements for Mardonius. Perhaps that was his intention, to send more forces the following year but after Mardonius fell and his forces were scattered, that plan, if it existed, was probably abandoned. We also don't know what was going on in other parts of the Achaemenid realm, so maybe he could was forced to use his forces elsewhere, perhaps to strengthen his grip further in the east. I would love to read Persian accounts of the campaign, but at the moment we just have those from Greek and Roman writers and historians. I would also love to one day do a live stream and discuss all of this since I think that it would be fun for viewers like to you chime in with your own insight and knowledge. Anyway, thanks again for stopping by, really appreciate it! Lots more to come, stay safe!

[@saeedvazirian]

@@HistorywithCy I don't agree. Xerxes' ambition, conquest and duty was done. There was no reason to stay in a wasteland. Iran is Iran is Iran. This is why he is Xerxes the Great, Khshayarsha Vazraka.

[@rorschach1985ify]

@@saeedvazirian What "wasteland"? all Xerxes really burned was Athens, nothing indicates he did the same to any other settlement and he had no reason to since they were not the targets of his invasion. If the invasion was as devastating as you people claim then Greeks would not still be interfering in Persian Affairs and even aiding their enemies like in Egypt and as mercenaries such as the 10,000.

[@saeedahmadian548]

Like and love from Iran

[@HistorywithCy]

Darood baradar! Great to meet you and thanks for watching!

[@bl1754]

Would love to see a video on the Sassanians

[@oriffel]

woah. epic

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you!

[@user-dj8hz6ky7q]

احسنت

[@Artur_M.]

Great video, as usual. I'm starting to think that the true Old Persian names of the Achaemenid monarchs should be used more. Not only would it be more accurate, but they also kinda sound cooler.

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha that's true but I think they'd confuse a lot of people... also not the easiest to roll of the tongue either (Kambujiya, Daryavaush, Kshayarshah) though a lot of fun to say! Thanks again for stopping by, really appreciate it! More on the way, stay safe!

[@xerxes8191]

@@HistorywithCy The true old name's are Xayerex and darayavus ,But we do not know how did they pronounced these nmaes. Daryavaush, Kshayarshah are Syriac

[@RelivingHistory1]

I've met people named Darius. Normally from eastern Europe actually.

[@Artur_M.]

@@RelivingHistory1 Oh, yeah. I didn't think about this, but Dariusz (pronounced Dariush) is a relatively popular given name in Poland.

[@RelivingHistory1]

@@Artur_M. it is also used a lot in lithuania and romania. Pretty badass name when you know of its origins,

[@JBarG22]

This reminded me of 300

[@conejeitor]

I think it can be assumed that most of what we think that came from the Greeks (logic, history, math, etc), it might well have really come from the Persians. I mean, when a small culture (Greece) lives right beside a giant culture (Persia), what it tends to happen is that Knowledge flows from the big to the small. Considering our extremely Eurocentric view of history, and that Alexander might have burned most of Persian culture and Persian cultured people, only the Persian-Greek remains of this knowledge (the Ionian) survived. What remained was a Greek culture, but Persian technology, art and science. i.e. It just makes sense, that the Ionians would have received much more Knowledge from Persia than from Athens.

[@screwyou7716]

Alexander destroyed Persepolis which seems to be the administrative and religious capital of the empire.Almost all of the big population centers remained unscathed. There is no reason to assume that much of the persian culture and literature were burned or destroyed or vanished ,neither in Alexander's time or in the hellenistic period because the non greek population of the greek kingdoms/empires continued to practise their customs and religion , aka their culture. As for the example at the end of your comment it is well known that philosophy and what we would call reasoning originally came from ionia and later spread to mailnad Greece and not the other way around but there is no evidence for a persian influence in that field. Non other civilization of the era that had contact with Persia seems to explore philosophy at all. The same can be said about democracy or even theater. The idea of big cultures influencing smaller ones is kinda weird to me, firstly because what exactly is a big or a small culture and most importantly doesnt seem true. For example the romans conquered Greece and the influence of the conquered civilisation in the conqueror is much greater that the opposite. I believe that most historians would agree that persian influence might have played a role in the 5th century golden age of Greece but saying that all these things originated in Persia and on top of that all the evidence was wiped out is low key a conspiracy theory. I know i'm replying to a nearly one year old comment but god damn the logic or absence of it made me unable to pass by.

[@conejeitor]

@@screwyou7716 Ask yourself: How is that for hundreds of years, most educated people thought Algebra was arabic and why we actually nowadays call our numbers "arabic numerals". When those numbers and that math was invented the arab comunities were mostly tribal. Now consider the same phenomena happening 1000 years earlier, with infinitely less documentation. Consider also that for the Bissantines, the ancient greeks were of no major influence (according to their own writtings, in greek). History tells us about the past, but it also tells us about the time that that Histoy was written. A lot of ancient european history was written at a time of great european chauvinism (and racism). As for your claims, they are just latter interpretations (just as mine it is): i.e. Ionia was integral part of Persia for hundreds of years, it's hard not to think of a great influece from it (think of California: mexican culture with US science). Many characters we think as greeks (i.e. Herodotus, Tales or even Pythagoras) might have been from somewhere else, but were chauvinisticly "adopted" afterwards, since they spoke greek (as well as other languages). Even Macedonia (and Aristotle) was not considered part of Greece (by the Delos league and by themselves) at the time of Alexander, which, by the way, wanted to be crowned an Akamenid Sha. On the other hand, parts of India did developed deep phylosophy and forms of democracy (albeit as locally and limited as in Athens - and not necessarily by persian influence, just saying that those subjects were long developed in the East, before Greece). Also, Rome was not just influenced by the greeks: it was influenced by the East, and that's how and why its eastern part survived for 1000 extra years....

[@davidmartinez9804]

So true, much knowledge that people think was invented by Greeks came from Persia, India and Egypt. like the Pythagorean theorem.

[@wankawanka3053]

​@@davidmartinez9804 wow you have no proof that the Pythagorean theorem came from said places

[@saeedvazirian]

@@screwyou7716 this is incorrect. themacedonians committed wholesale slaughter of Zoroastrians and anything Persian related. You're misinformed, confused and uneducated on the matter. Philosophy and reasoning existed in Iran. Lol. Huh? Literally the Persian civilisation were philosophers as early as Zoroaster, what are you on about? You can't compare Iran to ROme. Iran was always bigger and more influential. Conspiracy theories aren't proven. We have factual information that greeks adopted Iranian thinking. You're the one lacking logic. alexander was a fool, a destructive nonce with no intelligence. he TRIED to destroy Persepolis, and failed miserably, that's why Persepolis still stands. Unscathed? Bruh, did you ignore the millions that were slaughtered, enslaved and tortured just because they were Persians? ANd yet we won the war and still stand, and all those Europeans are did. The greeks literally forced their culture on everyone, and still failed to hellenise the Middle-East and Iran. WHy are you yapping nonsense? "i BelIeVe mOsT hIsTorIaNs" propagandists aren't historians. Iran literally conquered the west. Get over it.

[@armychowmein8021]

Yes!!!!

[@HistorywithCy]

Thank you!

[@psychedexplorer163]

❤❤❤

[@budscroggins2632]

Xerxes was the king mentioned in the Book of Esther?

[@piusvapor]

All history belongs to the victor, which really leads me to question. One or two ingredients can never give one the full flavor, as such I question all this, ALL OF IT!!

[@lezardvaleth2304]

*Darius II's reign in a nutshell-* Sparta and Persia : _Did we just become best friends?_

[@LanMandragon1720]

The OG Britain and France lol

[@HistorywithCy]

Haha yeah that's pretty much what happened. Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it! More on the way, stay safe!

[@freedomtosayno7880]

Xerxes, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[@saeedvazirian]

Xerxes won. At least learn history.

[@freedomtosayno7880]

@@saeedvazirian Salamis?

[@saeedvazirian]

@@freedomtosayno7880 Thermopylae? Athens? Magnesia? Artemisium? The Egyptian battle? Salamis wasnt a battle of Xerxes. He still won because in its violent resistance they efeated the barbaric greeks and conquered Eruope, making Iran the strongest nation in history.

[@tawan20082008]

@History with Cy Question: I thought that Darius was not related to Cyrus or Cabyses. Is this true or false? I thought that Darius labeled the "rightful" heir by labeling him as an "imposter", and then quelled all the rebellions that followed

[@seanbeadles7421]

I don’t think Darius was related to Cyrus other than through marriage.

[@HistorywithCy]

He claims that he was through an ancestor named Achaemenes, but many modern scholars doubt this claim. Later on though as Sean said, he was related to Cyrus through marriage (though after Cyrus' death) when he married his daughter Atossa. They had a son who became Xerxes I.

[@alissa6]

If Allah in the Quran talks about Darius(dhul qarnayn) in positive light, I sure believe him without questions.

[@zuhairasif8347]

​@@alissa6that was cyrus

[@aquila4228]

I do admire Alexander profoundly, but man, the Fall of the Achaemenid really hurts

[@funchidor]

why you did not tell us about Ariobarzan fight vs Alexander ?

[@saeedvazirian]

Victory of Iran.

[@rasverixxyleighraq1509]

Have you done the Sassanids yet?

[@HistorywithCy]

They are coming soon along with Seleucids and Parthians... thanks for watching!

[@mrxmry7763]

A couple of thoughts spring to my mind...the Persian troops were lightly armed in comparison to the Greeks, is there a reason for this? I know they called upon troops from their satrapies to join battle and so naturally each were armed differently... but could they not have produced Bronze body armor and head protection for their own ethnic Persian contingents during Cyrus's reign for instance? Also 150yrs had passed since first fighting the Greeks until Alexander invaded Persia, why had the Achaemenids not reformed their core troops such as the 10,000 Immortals into a heavily armed Hoplite or Phalanx unit?

[@saeedvazirian]

They did. How do you think we are still Iranians to this day.

[@zhelyazkodimitrov4027]

39:30 Perinthos in Thrace

[@aquila4228]

I really do admire Alexander, but man, the fall of the Achaemenids really hurts