Description
Often relegated to the role of slavish cannon fodder for Sparta’s spears, the Achaemenid Persian empire had a glorious heritage. Under a single king they created the greatest empire the world had ever seen.
Dan’s research and book list
1. “Good News Bible: Today’s English Version” by American Bible Society
2. The Holy Bible:1611 Edition King James Version
3. “The History of Herodotus translation” by George Rawlinson
4. “Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia” by John Curtis
5. “The World of Achaemenid Persia: The Diversity of Art and Society in Iran and the Ancient Near East” by John Curtis (NOT ON AMAZON)
6. “A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000 – 323 BC, 2nd Edition” by Marc Van De Mieroop
7. “Cyrus the Great: An Ancient Iranian King” by Touraj Daryaee
8. “The Persian Empire” by Lindsay Allen
9. “The Persian Empire From Cyrus II to Artaxerxes I” by Maria Brosius
10. “The 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In History” by Michael H. Hart
11. “From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire” by Pierre Briant
12. “The Story of Mankind” by Hendrik Willem Van Loon
13. “Hoplites: The Classical Greek Battle Experience” by Victor Davis Hanson
14. “From Sumer to Rome: The Military Capabilities of Ancient Armies” by Richard A. Gabriel
15. “Our Oriental Heritage Part 1” by Will Durant
16. “Diodorus Siculus I: The Historical Library in Forty Books” by Giles Laurén
17. “The Cyrus Cylinder: The King of Persia’s Proclamation from Ancient Babylon” by Irving Finkel
18. “The Ancient Assyrians (Elite)” by Mark Healy
19. “History of Assyria” by AT Olmstead
20. “The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia” by Professor René Grousset
21. “Babylon” by Joan Oates -Revised Edition
22. “Armies of the Ancient Near East, 3,000 Bc to 539 Bc by” Nigel Stillman and Nigel Tallis
23. “The Histories” by Herodotus (penguin Classics)
24. “The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories” by Herodotus, Robert B. Strassler
25. “Ancient Iraq” by Georges Roux
26. “Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World (Iran’s Age of Empire)” by Reza Zarghamee
27. “A History of the Ancient World” by Chester Starr
28. “The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics)” by Xenophon
29. “The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece” by Victor Davis Hanson
30. “The Greco-Persian Wars” by Peter Green
31. “The Defence of Greece” by J. F. Lazenby
32. “Barbarians of Asia: The People of the Steppes from 1600 B C” by Stuart Legg
33. “The Geography of Strabo:” An English Translation, with Introduction and Notes by Duane W. Roller
34. “The Ancient Historians” by Michael Grant
35. “Persians (Greek Tragedy in New Translations)” by Aeschylus translation by Janet Lembke and C. J. Herington
36. “Classical Bearings: Interpreting Ancient History and Culture” by Peter Green
37. “History of the Persian Empire” by A.T. Olmstead
38. “The Campaigns of Alexander” by Arrian Penguin Classics
39. “Education of Cyrus (Everyman’s Library)” by Xenophon translated
Dave Feldmann –
Fantastic. First experience with HH, recommended by good friend and long time listener Robbie Farlow.
The breadth of resources, the informed voice, the willingness to bring voices from across time and space to fully explore what may very well have been happening in these times is a singular accomplishment .
Thanks for doing this podcast. Can’t wait to listen to King of Kings II
Michael W Cho –
Loved it…
Nate –
Some of DC’s finest work. I have never been a big history buff, but THIS, this was a fantastic recount of a very compelling part of global history! Thanks to this series, I have now started taking an active interest in the history of the world. A very great program, from a very great team.
Viresh –
I understand that the sources for this period are limited, but my favourite episodes are the ones where Dan (and Ben) cover ancient history. I really loved this episode. Currently on the second and loving that as well.
Todd –
Fascinating story. Makes me want to go re-read Herodotus.
Only comment is regarding life expectancy. It was quite common for people to live well into their 80’s. Life expectancy is calculated between birth rate and death rate. Infant mortality was high which skewers this result. A more accurate measurement would be from 5 year old rate vs. death rate. Remember, the minimum age for the Spartan Council of Elders was 60.
Keep up the good work Dan!
Natasha –
This was the second series, after the Blueprint. Ancient history was a challenging topic for me, but Dan brings it to life in such vivid colours. Captivating from the first minutes, this work is unmatched in learning about the “black and white” world where the historical records barely existed. Thank you!
artista_co –
This wa sthe first HH podcast I ever heard. Fleshing out all of the ‘-ites’ of history is fantastic. The comparisons and insights of Dan are eye-opening. I especially liked the modern examples of the “statue of liberty in the sand” an dthe emotional impact that those events must have had on the people in the ancient past. The descriptions of encountering the walls by Xenophon actually had me wanting to be next to him and staing in awe and wonder. The description of the time lapse helped frame dusty dates. Thank you SO much for this. I wi be re-listening to this, and I am sure the others, over and over again. 2 thumbs, and 2 toes up!!!!