as a Persian, I would like to thank you for talking about how Cyrus was actually super chill, and how the Persians weren't just some big bad that the Greek had to defeat. Their culture and religions were not forced away and people were free to just kinda continue on with their lives, not to mention, Persia was one of the few places that gave women equal rights back then.
Interesting but not laudable that Persia is seen monolithically as some unknown & exotic "big bad" by the West because of Greek xenophobia & now the continued conflict with Islam. To all educated Chinese, "Persia" was always respected & viewed as another illustrious empire to the West. Our trade routes & cultural exchange were ancient & numerous, tons of Persian merchants settled in cities all over China for centuries a thousand years ago. & I'm sure there's some Persian blood in most urban Chinese populace.
Yea they just wanted to crush the greek governing bodies and kill anyone who opposed but hey we have a good burocracy and you can keep your gods lol what a joke why isn't Iran still a British satrapy?
@@jamesnewstead7099 a lot of places/ people did that, and were not so kind to the countries the conquered, white people came to the Americas and killed the majority of its natives before taking over, large countries because of conquering is not and was not uncommon, Persia just didn’t force the conquered to adopt its religion
Apparently the Jews were just as impressed with Cyrus' generosity as you are Blue. My favourite fact about the enlire builder is that to date, he was the only foreigner ever given the title of 'Messiah' in the Hebrew scriptures.
H. A. R. D There are quiet a few others that are praised more, actually. I mean, King David is pretty much held up as the standart by which every king that followed him had to measure up. Of course, he is portrayed with his flaws too (and the consequences that followed them), but that doesn't detract from the high esteem he's held in. And there are several others who are portrayed as almost flawless (Joseph for example). Cyrus holds the title of 'Messiah' because he gave the jews back their liberty. Hence the bible sees him as god's pivital instrument in liberating his people, meaning his "anointed one" = "Messiah". This reflects a huge amount of admiration and gratitude of course, but it doesn't put Cyrus above other figures in the bible.
rockyblacksmith Well most of these figures are Jewish and barely did they praise non Christian, so that's what he meant with Cyrus being praised as the only Human, not being related to the Family of Noah.
@@lordhosseinlh He was praised for helping the Hebrews to get back to Jerusalem after being exiled by the Babylonians. He was like a non-jewish Moses to the Jews.
Fun fact: the Romans loved Chinese silk so much that they were considering banning it since it was starting to put a dent in their economy. They were paying way too much for silk and not enough for other stuff like iron, for example.
Dylan Chouinard Oh yeah. I think I remember them saying something about the silk clothes being transparent and that people's wives walk out in public wearing them.
Funny how the West love Chinese stuff so much they are willing to ruin their economy in the process. About two thousand years later, Britain would do the same thing for Chinese tea.
Cyrus sounds like how I play RPG’s. Run around the world fighting and conquering, but then never turn down some random old lady that asks you to find her lucky teapot.
That's exactly how I play Mount and Blade Warband. I guess it's time to call my character Cyrus and conquer the Sarranids(In-game mix of saracens and sassanids).
Once my history teacher told us that one of the reasons the persian empire grew so much was because they didn't try to use force in order to expand their culture to other territories, on the other hand they prefered to respect each location, thus they were free to keep practicioning their own culture. Although they were still under the persian empire
Persia was considered to be the largest Empire ever in terms of the percent of the world's population it controlled at its peak; 44%. In comparison; the British Empire controlled 20% of the world's population.
Ser Devil Egypt, Syria, Indus River, and Anatolia were HEAVILY POPULATED FOR THE TIME. Remember only several tens of millions of people lived in the entire earth so when some of these massive cities have over a million people it shows why such a percentage exists.
Nah, that guy is wrong, he didn't show any evidence of his information being right, he just linked a website like reddit with people speculating on it, Persian Empire at it's peak controlled about 44% of the entire earth's population, and if they wanted, they could've conquered even more, but there was nothing else to conquer lol.
Brazilian schools teach how the Achaemenid Persia had an amazing bureaucracy and how inclusive and open it was, how benevolent they were. What I did not know was that this benevolence towards the conquered extended afterwards the fall of Achaemenid Persia, as that period is not really taught in our school, at least not when I attended.
@@dollypniz5550 really? .. we taught in India about Acheminid , Parthians and Sassanids , even shanameh mentions Sassanids .. I can't believe they won't teach you about your true colourful history
@@sachinvenugopal6926 they actually teach, but only in elementary and middle school and it's so basic, they're so focused on modern history and Islamic Arabia's history, unfortunately, but everyone here in Iran knows about this stuff cause people themselves love their history and identity so they learn it themselves thanks to media, it's not like we don't know about our history or culture, Iranians are so nationalist
Did u know one time they went in to a war with Greeks. But the Greeks refused to accept them as an empire. So they Cyrus STOPPED THE WAR cause he didn't want to force people into his empire ..... I mean was he even a human
@@ainazaghdam8622 A conqueror that didn't want to force people in his empire... sure. I suggest you get your history from other places than Iranian propaganda. Then maybe you can form an opinion on your own. There are no conquerors that invade places where other people have settled for generations in order to "liberate them". Not Alexander, not Genghis Khan, not Julius Caesar. All of them see the opportunity to expand and take it. Out of this both bad and good things may arise.
Paris(as we call you guys in India) are the most forward thinking and intelligent communities in he world! We are blessed that aome of you are a part of our country. Love from india!
i always felt bad that how much india went through first conquered by Persia(my own country) then the british even though the persians were nice but the british not that much(not saying they were evil but if im wrong correct me please) any way i always adored indian culture aside from the time to time accent jokes sorry BUTT i love ur movies :)
My favourite detail in the death of Crassus is that when his head was brought to the capital they were performing the Bacchae of Euripides, which involves a dead king's head being offered to the gods, so they used Crassus's head as a prop in the play. Possibly the single most badass moments in theatrical history, and it shows just how Greek Parthian culture was. Also, that play is really cool and everyone should check it out.
Parthians weren't Greek culturally. This is a massive fallacy and I studied this concept with an Iranian archaelogist back in the old country. Parthians, like their Achaemenid predecessors patronixzed their enemies to overcome their rule, so they wrote in all languages pertaining to them (enemies or subjects). Hence their wrote in Assyrian (Akkadian/Sumerian), Greek, some old Arabic and Indian too. Otherwise the Seleucids never dared touch the Parni tribes of North-Eastern Iran. WHat you mentioned was a very, very passive aggressive Persian custom to belittle the enemy. Potentially callous, but Persian nonetheless. Parthians were extremely pan-Iranic (and tribal). They are like the 'Germanic tribes' of Iran.
Diphyllum parthians rebirth the iranian empire and of course in their 500 years of controlling big part of the world they were helenism for near 200 years because of political issues but also in this 200 years they look forward for iranian and eastern culture and they never been racist like macedonians Seleucids before and persian sassanids after they give freedom to everyone and in their other near300 years they give the upper hand to eastern iranian culture specialy from 50 AC in volgases 1 era
@@saeedvazirian no wonder names of parthian origin are the most popular among iranian given names (excluding arabic names, ofc). The slumbering, all encompassing warrior-poet spirit is slowly rising
Iran (Persia) has a great civilization, culture, rich mythology, and history. Persians (Iranians) gave to the world many great scientists, poets, and philosophers. Many things in this world are invented by Persians 1. Sulfuric acid by Rhazes 2. Computation of 2π by Jamshid Kashani, the Persian astronomer, and mathematician. 3. The first practical windmills for the first time in the history of the world were in Iran. 4. Ethanol by Rhazes 5. A mechanical planetary computer by Jamshid Kashani 6. An ancient type of evaporative cooler and refrigerator 7. Ice Cream 8. Rosewater 9. The art of tile-work was invented and perfected in Iran. 10. The first time that cake was used in a birthday party was by Darius the Great 11. Qanat, 12. Polo 13. Algebra by Khwarizmi 14. Post system, 15. Fork, spoons and many different invents. There are some Persian words from ancient times in the English language like Paradise, Magic, Bazaar, etc. Rhazes was a Persian (Iranian) polymath, physician, alchemist, philosopher, and important figure in the history of medicine. Rhazes is considered the father of psychology and psychotherapy, the father of pediatrics, a pioneer in ophthalmology, making leading contributions in inorganic and organic chemistry, also he is the author of several philosophical works, and also first to categorize the Hospital dept as well. Many scholars consider Rhazes one of the greatest medical doctor. Persians in 500 BC used gold spoons and forks and special gold cups at their dinner tables. The cutlery discovered in Pasargadae in Iran appears to pre-date the Greco-Roman cutlery by almost 1000 years. Cyrus the Great wrote the first Human Rights Charter. United Nations uses the Cyrus Cylinder as a pillar of one the earliest declaration of human rights. In Persia, in Persepolis palace female workers even had paid maternity leave. Persians were also known for having women take part in high governmental positions such as in Construction, Administration, Politics, etc as evident by the record-keeping clay tablets throughout Persepolis in Iran. This is something that would not be seen until at least many centuries after. Persian language is one of the oldest living languages. Persian literature is one of the world's oldest literature. The Persian literature described as one of the great literatures of humanity, and it is one of the four main bodies of world literature. Many great philosophers, poets, and scientists were inspired and influenced by the Persian language and literature.
The translation of the Persian language masterpieces like the Divan of Hafez, the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, the Gulistan of Saadi and the Rubaiyat of Khayyam in countries like France, England, Germany, and other European countries astounded the literary circles there Suddenly, the western literary forum faced extraordinary literary works, Saint - Beuve on seeing the Persian literature said: "If we could realize that great works such as the Shahnameh exits in the world, we would not become so much proud of our own works in such a silly manner." Upon knowing Hafez, Goethe, the great German writer and statesman who is one of the 4 pillars of European literature wished to be one of his disciples. Goethe said: "O Hafez, your word is as great as eternity for it has no beginning and no end. Your word, as the canopy of Heaven, solely depends on itself. It is all signs, beauty, and excellence". After studying the lyric poems of Hafiz, Nitsche wrote: "O Hafez, you have created a tavern of philosophy greater than any worldly palace. In it, you provided a wine of grace and word beyond the capacity of the world to drink. The highest pinnacle of any mount is but a sign of your greatness and the unfathomable depth of any vortex is just a mark of your perfection, and the excellence of your word."
As one of the great literatures of mankind the Persian literature has its roots in surviving works in Old Persian or Middle Persian. French poetess Comtesse de Noaille writes in her book, "The Enchanting Garden": " I read this point in the fragrant, pleasant and sad book the reading of which imparted an enchanting intoxication to me and I now know that an enchanting garden really exists and can be seen by the eyes. It is a garden that extends from the foot of the mountainous area named Saadi to Shiraz in Persia. O my soul would it be possible for my body to accompany you and fly to this paradise, where the nightingale frenzied with love sings from spring to summer; the tulips blossom; the air becomes fragrant; the evening breeze entrusts the roses to the winds and from atop the aspens, during the fiery summer, the winds twist while panting with burning breath. The town which is all metal, porcelain, and plaster, shines as bright as silver and gold. Every vaulted dome is like a blue fruit and the intertwining arcs are high points that cast their shadows with their enameled tiles and flowery turquoise design on waters below. " The translation of the ghazals of Hafez by Hammer in Germany, translation of Gulistan in France and the Rubaiyat of Khayyam in England by Fitzgerald, also the poems of Shahnameh by Vohl in France created a deep change in European literature. Other countries of Europe also became aware and cognizant of the precedence of Persia and the inspiring breeze of the Persian gardens. They came to know extraordinary men. This influence was so deep that among the highly valuable works of the individuals like Corneille, Racine, Volaire, Madeleine Scudery, Montesquieu and others, the influence is clearly noticed in their works such as Sorena, Rodgun, Khusrow, Mehrdad, and Bayazid and etc. Schlegel, in the preface to his translation of a part of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh into German, writes: To reach the real fountainhead of romanticism and be satiated with it one must travel to Persia. "
For centuries, Iran (Persia) has been producing some of the world’s most influential and inspiring poets, whose works revolutionized the literature of both the East and the West. Spanning themes of love, divine mysticism, and human rights. The great Persian (Iranian) Poets: Khayyam, Ferdowsi, Hafez, Saadi, Attar, etc, are well known in the West and have influenced the literature of many countries. Khayyam was the Great Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet. The Persian calendar is the most accurate calendar of the world and it was made by Khayyam. The Persian calendar became the official national calendar of Iran. The Persian calendar is more accurate than the Gregorian calendar. By the 1880s, Khayyam was extremely well known throughout the English-speaking world, to the extent of the formation of numerous "Khayyam Clubs" and a "fin de siecle cult of the Rubaiyat" Khayyam's poems have been translated into many languages. The asteroid was named "Khayyam" in 1980. The planet 3095 Khayyam was named in his honor in 1980 and the lunar crater Khayyam was named in his honor in 1970 as well. One of the holes in the moon was named in honor of "Khayyam".
Its the stormtrooper-effect: Those with the greater numbers must be the bad guys! So when we hear of 300 greeks fighting against 1.000.000 persians, there is no question whom we will root for.
Gylbert Farwynd Yeah but they also had better tanks,training, and commanders. Also I think it's safe to say being commanded by an actually evil person cancels out the stormtrooper effect.
Sepehr Voshmgir As a westerner myself (USA), I find myself overly curious about your claims. Could you share and elaborate on it? I would love to hear a new and different perspective.
Speaking of sand powered time daggers, a new Prince of Persia game set in real Persian history would be awesome. Maybe the Prince could be one of Cyrus' lesser known sons, exploring his father's empire and partaking in all kinds of swashbucklery.
My girlfriend and I fall asleep to this video every night - it started with me trying to watch all the videos in the ancient Mediterranean playlist but I was so tired by the time the Persia video hit I fell asleep half way through. So the next night I tried to watch it again, but fell asleep again. This kept happening over and over again until I think it trained my brain to associate the first few lines and cadence with sleep. Now both my gf and I can recite the first few lines from memory but then can’t remember the rest of the video at all 😂 Blue’s voice is just so calming
3:11 Just want to point out that Cambyses almost certainly didn't actually kill that bull. It was likely propaganda spread by his enemies in the empire after his death.
I never heard of the Persian empire until 6th grade but it's only brushed upon the surface with it's culture and war stories. This video dove a bit deeper and I was able to fully understand this unique empire. Thx. Blue
IMO, Cyrus the Great is one of the few leaders in ALL of history who deserve that title. Heck, Cyrus was immortalized by the Jews as a literal Godsend. I would have loved to live there if I had to live in that time.
Id just love to time travel back to see what this country was like then( lets just say its not as fair of a place now ) . Id just talk to king cyrus. About anything. Science,art,literature but most of all equality. Im sure hed be suprised to see what his empire is like now
Cambyses II also used Cats as meatshields against the Egyptians, who didn't wanted to fight them. Either way, well done, Blue. Edit: Sorry, but this is mostly from an account made by an scholar, who lived long after that battle, so around the second century after Christ. Herodus mentioned no such cats or sacred animals in his description of the battle, but the conquest of Cambyses is often viewed negatively.
Dylan Chouinard He also murdered many of the kittens and even painted the shields with Kat faces, what a dick. Persian Shars are known to have trolls like Chosrau II, who deported the denizens of Antioch and made them build a city called: newer and better Antioch.
Actually, the more recent historians working from Egyptian sources contemporary with Cambyses paint a very different picture. For one, the Egyptian sources (who had no reason to like their new conqueror) don't claim he killed the Apis bull, and in fact record him as following in Cyrus' footsteps and participating in the Egyptian religion as was Achaeminid custom. The derogatory records mostly come from Darius, who maaaaaybe had good reason to paint Cambyses in a negative light.
It's a bit too late ( like 4 years lol) But make sure research about ARIOBARZANES, or the Hamazons ( the actual Amazons of human history who were an elite gp of female soldiers & warriors in the Persian empire) & tones of other legendary female generals & queens & nobles who were almost equals to their Male legendary counterparts ! & don't just settle down for the Achaemenids !!! The Achaemenids ruled for 3 centuries but the Parthians & the Sassanids combined ruled for about a millennium !!! *way much more context in those eras* . Rome & Iran were called *the two eyes of the earth* for a reason , quality is good & all but durability is even better lol. *Rome & Iran were in a whole another level of greatness since they lasted soop long*
Just like how awesome the achaemenid empire was , this video is awesome in the terms of showing real and genuine history far from the lies and distotions of movies like the 300 and other deceptive historical resources.. Any history lover would be glad to see something like this
Blu, I'd love to see you do a let's play of Civilization or Assassin's Creed- I think it'd be really fun to hear your historic opinion on these games as you play them!
this is such a stupid joke but I have to point it out: so you're saying the MEDIAN empire was MEAN to their subjects...? One could say they had a large RANGE of control
Nothing on Khosrau Anushirawan's universities, nor anything about We Antiok Khusrau (Khosrau's better Antioch)? Or how Justinian had attempted to subvert Khosrau's allies during the "Eternal Peace" ? Eternal is apparently 8 years, according to Khosrau btw.
I love this channel because it helps people understand history of the world a little more easier. But I'm wanting to know of when you guys would do a video on Celtic(Keltic) history. For the Celts were known to have a great ideal form of poetry, warfare, and other things that are related to their culture. And as well not many people understand that the history of the Celts, for example the first man to sack Rome was Brennos, a Celtic war chieftain from Gaul, who had managed to outwit the Roman generals not once but twice; plus the Celts had managed to build up a type of culture that can still be see today, such as Hillfort, religion, and even their language. And as well there is even the history of Hallstatt culture, in which was stated of where the Celtic culture had started. And it was even said that when Alexander the Great was about the conquer Persia, Celtic war chieftains were asked to meet with Alexander, and when Alexander had asked the Celtic chieftains if they were afraid of him, the Celtic chieftains told Alexander that they feared nothing, only their Gods, and if the world was to end.
Neat. Macedonia incorporated bagpipes into their folk music at some point, sheep are native to the Balkans and middle-east and it was a major trading spot for Europe so there was definitely some interaction at some point, though I haven't looked into it in much detail yet. According to genetic analysis France, Spain and Portugal have ties to Mediterranean peoples but that's probably through the Romans since they all speak Latin derived languages and were heavily influenced by them due to the Roman empire. I heard a funny story about some Roman guy getting beat up by the wife of the guy he'd been fighting. I think it was in Britain. I'd love to find the original source for that so I could fully appreciate it. I think they had records of the actual person who got mythologized as king Arthur as well and then there's how Britons moved to Brittany (now a region of France) and became the Bretons. When I learned about that and that it was once part of the kingdom 'Arthur' ruled, it really added context to why those myths are so popular in France, beyond a shared Celtic background.It's obvious the original myths had SOME basis in actual events so it'd be cool if there was a historical analysis trying to figure out what might've been or probably is true and what's complete fabrication.
Templar Knight It might take awhile, because most sources for Celtic culture are second-hand. As you must know, the Celts didn't write anything, mainly due to their religious beliefs that oral tradition held more power then writing and also due to the Druids wanting to be the main source of information.They did eventually have a writing system but those were mainly used as memory aids and markers rather then full-on sentences. Greek and Roman accounts are the main basis of information we have on the Celts; later Christian missionaries who, on one hand, thoughtfully wrote down culture and myths but on the other, denounced their pagan gods and furthered Christianity as much as they could. There's still alot we don't know about the Celts to be honest, but we know they also weren't a centralized civilization and more a group of tribes sharing a language with a various dialects and similar culture. So each region of Europe and the British Isles have their own gods and subcultures that might be considered as "Celtic". We're still discovering new things about them and maybe by the time Blue makes a video about the Celts, new and enlightening material will make it to the forefront of the news. Here's hoping!
I think you overall did a very good job of capturing the subject matter in a casual cartoonist way. It does pick up the nuisances and conflicts without excessive detail allowing the listener to have some basis to go on to other more definitive sources. That is not so easy to do really. And you do an excellent job for the listener of getting them to rethink the anti-Persian propaganda so prominent during the era of cultural imperialism in modern European history but also via Hollywood depictions. Indeed the West had always used Persia as the "Eastern" comparator in creating their own identity. Often it is perpetuated as Greek=West (democratic, advanced, all things good) and Persia=East (despotic, enslaving, effete, corrupt), Persia was one of the greatest and most advanced civilizations in human history that shaped the modern world as we know it. Its fingerprint can be found in a diversity of areas, including some you have mentioned such as being the blue print for the multicultural, multiethnic, multiracial, multi religious nation. Thomas Jefferson was famously a student of the Persian Empire and admirer of Cyrus the Great, and is known to have used principles of the early Persians (later discovered in the Cyrus Cylinder) when putting together the Constitution of the USA and in how to envision the modern nation with eclectic personages. A couple of things I would say were a little misleading though was that the Medes didn't treat people well. This is not something historians speak too. Croesus was NOT Greek but Lydian who were an Indo-European Anatolian peoples who did have close contact with Asian Greeks. Finally, the Sassanids did centralize the Persians back to the Achaemenid model whereas the Parthians, who may have been more "Philhelene" after centuries of Seleucid rule, had been feudalistic. Not much is known about the Parthians because they left little records. The Sassanids also created the groundwork for the Golden Age of Islam in terms of academic, scientific, and medical advances. The establishment of the Academy of Gondishapur was at the time, the most important medical center in the ancient world and where academic medicine and the hospital system as we know it was birthed. There were allegedly 40,000 books in the library and scholars from all over the known world were recruited to Gondishapur. Once the Arabs conquered Persia, the Academy and its staff migrated to the new academic center at Baghdad up the road. The Persians would lay the foundations for and disproportionately contribute to the Golden Age of Islam, one of human histories most galvanizing periods of advancement. Parthian and Sassanid Persia's architecture and art would also produce the template for the look and feel of Middle East, Central Asia, and even the Indian Subcontinent during Mughal times.
Besides the historical facts you perfectly summarized we shouldn't forget the deep and beautiful poetry. If you like Persian poetry you can find some on my site. 🥂
Persia, like China, is a perennial superpower. They've had a rough go in this last century, but their influence in the region and the world is steadily increasing. They'll be back to form before you know it.
ancient persia?maybe,modern persia?hardly,they can become a respectable power but other than that it's just unrealistic thinking,especially with their fucked goverment,and i am pretty sure the arabs won't let that happen,and i don't blame them i think it's one of their rights,this modern world isn't like the times of ancient persia,it's about nationalism.
Iranians are already controlling Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and soon Yemen and Palestine (The Islamic government is not gonna last long with these protests ) Iranian people want Iran to be Iranian, not Arabic.
ok dank memes the cureent Iranian govt has the exact same obstacles in their path as the pre-Islamic Persian empires. Annoying westerners US and UK (Greeks), similar taxation system, similar vassal system and similar proxies. Actually all Iranian govts mimicked this expet perhaps the Turkic Persian govts.
As a half Persian half Southern Babtist ;) I can understand the difficulties of pronunciation however, Khosro is prounonced KH-ooo-S-ro just Fyi. Great job and you may be right that Khosro is Cyrus's incarnate
@Cegesh Iran stands strong regardless of following a specific religion. Zoroastrianism is a religion that influenced Iran but it's merely a faith. Being Iranian Muslim or non-Zoroastrian doesn't make you less of an Iranian.
@Cegesh I'm not the obsessed one, you're the one who has the desperate need for responding for closure. If obsession is the problem, don't reply. Accept defeat. Iranian culture actually is one of the strongest preserved one compared to all nations on the planet. After invasions after invasions, Iran still uses names, vocabularies, customs, religious principles (even across non-Zoroastrian faiths) and governance/postal style that is rooted in 2600+ years ago in the Iranian plateau. This is literally true. Not to mention genetically and linguistically and sovereignty is a minimum of 67 - 100% of what it was during the Achaemenid EMpire. Times changes things, but Iranian culture is wholly changed. Anthropologists agree en masse. No, I understand psychology better than you. My resistance against lies and nonsense on the contrary IS healthy, because I'm restablishing the truth despite lies that come from people like you. YOUR habits are unhealthy. If you think this is unhealthy. Don't respond. It's that simple.
13:36 He is remembered as *Anushe-ravan* which means *”Of Immortal Soul”* highlighting his reputation as a just ruler. This guy was so good that his nickname is followed by another nickname *”Dadgar”* (translates to *The Just* ) For most of us Iranians the first time we hear of him is not by his name, rather by his two nicknames placed next to one another; *Anushirvan e Dadgar* (Immortal Soul The Just) So yeah your judgement is pretty accurate here, this guy is really celebrated by Iranians, especially before the Revolution, the Pahlavi Dynasty really celebrated him during their reign.
Darius the King says: These are the countries which came to me; by the favor of Ahuramazda I was king of them: Persia, Elam, Babylonia, Assyria, Arabia, Egypt, (those) who are beside the sea, Sardis, Ionia, Media, Armenia, Cappadocia, Parthia, Drangiana, Aria, Chorasmia, Bactria, Sogdiana, Gandara, Scythia, Sattagydia, Arachosia, Maka: in all, 23 provinces.
The ancient Persian civilization, which is the precursor to modern-day Iran, emerged around 550 BCE and has since played a significant role in shaping world history and culture. Which is almost three millennia. Iranians have made numerous contributions to various fields such as art, literature, science, and philosophy throughout their long history. From the Achaemenid Empire to the Islamic Golden Age, Iran has witnessed the rise and fall of many influential dynasties and has been a hub of cultural exchange between East and West. Today, Iranians continue to preserve their ancient traditions while embracing modern advancements, making them a vibrant and resilient society with a rich cultural heritage.
Yea it would be impossible he could do various empires of India however such as 1 video for the Mauryans, another for the Guptas , another for the Harsha's and obviously the Cholas, Pandyas, Velirs and Cheras etc
I just recently found this channel. I managed to go through nearly all of your history videos in a few days. I was just wondering yesterday where the video on classical Persia was, and low and behold here it is.
1.Ariaramnes, the Great King, King of Kings, King in Persia, son of Teispes the King, grandson of Achaemenes. 2. I am Darius the Great King, King of Kings, King in Persia, King of countries, son of Hystaspes, grandson of Arsames, an Achaemenian. 3.King Darius says: I am a Persian; setting out from Persia I conquered Egypt. I ordered to dig this canal from the river that is called Nile and flows in Egypt, to the sea that begins in Persia. Therefore, when this canal had been dug as I had ordered, ships went from Egypt through this canal to Persia, as I had intended." Persian text xâmanišiya \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ XŠ \ adam \ Pârsa \ amiy \ hacâ \ Pârsâ Pârsa=Persia
@ tbh in the case of Persians, Islam couldn't really stamp out the culture. Instead the Persian culture seamlessly merged with Islamic culture. A lot of what you'd nowadays call 'islamic symbols' are a derivative of Persian culture.
Also do not forget about Shapur's greatest feat, capturing both the Roman and Byzantine emperors in his war and keeping them as hostages while they were given sth like a manor of their own and living like esteemed guests while there.
There was no Byzantine emperor at the time of Shapur I, but he did capture the Roman emperor Valerian. Shapur II's army killed Julian in battle (not captured), but the Byzantine empire didn't exist then either.
*correction, Cambyses actually did not kill the Apis bull or really do anything diffrenet than his father in Egypt. His cruelty was invented by Darius the Great who (probably) userped the throne from his brother Bardiya - although according to Darius, it was a magi pretending to be Bardiya who had already been killed.
One thing I love to note is that at its height, the Achaemenid Empire had an estimated 44% of the world’s population under its rule, making it the largest empire in history in that metric (which I consider to be one of the most relevant metrics)
I remember one entire paragraph in my textbook trying to sum up the entirety of Persian history. Damn, I wish we learned more, their history is fascinating
China and Persia[heart] Great civilization, wise people, our old ally. We stood up against the Hun Empire together 2500 years ago. We fought against the Arabic Empire together 1200 years ago. We defended ourselves from the invasion from British India together 300 years ago. Chinese people remembers. I'm pretty sure Iranian people will rise up again as they have always done in the long river of history.
The Zoroastrianism of the Achaemenid empire is quite different from that of the Sassanid empire - the orthodoxy that exists still today, that most people think of, but incorrectly also reference when discussing the first Persian empire.
If I were an oracle who great emperors regularly asked for strategic advice, I'd make a habit of giving vague answers which would be true no matter what happened. That way, when angry former heads of state with a few surviving angry soldiers showed up and asked why i was wrong, I could blame their defeat on their inability to ask follow-up questions. (And if they _did_ ask follow-up questions, I would keep those answers vague and blame failure on not asking _enough_ or _the right_ follow-up questions.)
President Evil No they don’t , Iran is ruled by Arabian “king-like” man , He is descended from Muhammad the profit , so Persia nowadays is nothing but an Arabian land .
I enjoy, and appreciate the time and effort you put into making these videos. They are both entertaining and educational, and I am always looking forward to the next. In time I do hope you cover Anatolia I know you mentioned the area a bit in this video, but I would love to learn more about them in depth.
I must congratulate you on this fine video Sir. You obviously took the time to do an extensive amount of research and the result speaks for itself. A well thought out, accurate and concise video that does the Persian empires justice.
The "Parthians" weren't Parthian. Parthia was an already-existing province of the Persian and Seleucid empires, but the invaders who established the "Parthian" Empire were Parni migrants, whereas the inhabitants of Parthia were Persians.
I think the first time I heard about Persia was from an episode of "The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible" - specifically, the Daniel episode where Babylon is "divided between the Medes and Persians", and while the new king is stated to be Darius the Mede, I assumed back then that Medes and Persians were interchangeable. Therefore, when King Darius was shown as a chill enough dood, I automatically assumed "Persia consisted of pretty chill dudes." Child logic, everyone. After that, my exposure was through Age of Empires 2, wherein Persia was the only faction to have War Elephants this time around (this was WAY before "Rise of the Rajas" changed that). Given that I loved War Elephants in the original Age of Empires, I couldn't help but view them positively (but the Byzantines were better. :P).
Researching OSP and thinking. You know what would be the prettiest thing ever? Just a video of transitions between territories seized and lost, watching the borders move with the most beautiful style you guys draw maps. Like simple voiceovers saying what it's called or closed captions if you wanted but just rolling transitions of the maps. I'd watch that for hours
"Can you do one on the German Empire?????" That would be interesting...in the way of seeing someone from the States, the nation with so much propaganda and wool over eye pulling, that I'd be interested in how it would pan out.
Most Americans and Westerners think Persians as a people went away after the Sassanids which is not true, if Blue could make an equally impressive video about what happened to Persians and how they influenced the history of the region and some of the impressive kingdoms and empires they had like the Samanids or Samanians, that would be great.
What's an easy read (book) on the Achaemenid Persia? Something not too academic but still informative. It's amazing to see how empires come and go. Any books in the same fashion would be much appreciated
Zorastrians (Parsi) came to India for refugee when Islamic Arabs persecuted them and forced them to Convert. I am Proud India gave them Refuge and helped them to preserve their great culture. Zorastrians (Parsi) in India have truly made great contribution in India's devlopment.
Excellent job. As Persian History researchers in Persian Renaissance Movement we appreciate your elite, adorable and strong work regarding to the glory of Persian Empire. The intelectual, cultural and moral outcomes of our civilizations will last powerful and insightful till the end of time. Among hundreds of Persian historical characters and supreheros, Zaratostra, Cyrus the Great, Darius the Great, Ardeshir Papakan and Ferdowsi are Fathers of Iran in different eras (before and after Arab invasion). Not only Iranians but also the world owe them greatly. They are the world heritage.
Persia is basically in the middle of everything, so it is really good for an empire, you're right. You've got seas to the south, Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean to the west, the Black and Caspian seas to the north, and the Indus valley and China to the east. I feel that if any two of those four options are of any economic, agricultural, or military benefit at any given point in time, you're pretty much in business.
As an Iranian historian ... Iran has two major disadvantages. 1- Turkey: Geography of this point makes it impossible to defeat if a powerful government is in place. Sassanid and Byzantines, Seljuk, Byzantium, Safavia and Ottoman. None of them can attack each other but neutralize one another. 2- North East of Iran: Current Turkmenistan. The hollow chess and defenseless desert, which the agile invaders can point to, send bad blows to Iran. Any fathi can easily infiltrate into the heart of Iran by conquering a few cities and crossing the Silk Road. Although this problem has been somewhat overcome by the new multi-million dollar city in Mashhad, but it still remains a problem. The rest of Iran's geography actually has a closed guard. Deserts and mountains and northern forests are good natural barriers.
And also stop being so xenophobic in the present day. Pretty much the only minority they recognize is Muslims (apparently usually referring to people of Turkish descent rather than Muslims in general) and that's because it was specified in one of the international treaties they signed at some point. They've even been taken to court on human rights abuses pertaining to the suppression of non Greek cultural expression since that and pretending to be 'ethnically pure' is the whole reason they deny the existence of other ethnic groups within their borders to begin with. Not sure how much of that you already knew so sorry if it's old news to you.
I wasn't sure, since that bias continued into the present as well. I haven't heard much negativity aimed at the Persian empire but they went full genocide and cultural erasure on Macedonians pretty much claiming all the ancient Macedonian stuff was Greek despite many, many sources stating otherwise. Sure a lot of it was due to feeling threatened by the Republic of Macedonia's cultural and historical claim to the part of Macedonia it occupied but considering the centuries of antagonism I'm pretty sure they held a grudge from the past too. I felt pretty cheated when I dug it all up and realized why it was so hard to research ancient Macedonia all those times I'd tried before or why pretty much no one I talked to seemed to know about it unless they lived in the Balkans or had relatives there. My highschool history class didn't go far enough back to mention the partition among the factors leading up to WW1, the Greek civil war didn't come up during the cold war stuff, I'm pretty sure my art class called the Byzantine empire Greek when we were going over art history and every now and then the school curriculum called for some history on Greek mythology and occasionally other aspects of Greek culture and history, where at least it wasn't claimed that Macedonia was Greek.
Just for some interesting information. Greece has a ludicrously misrepresented government, the xenophobes are a loud minority, not inexistant, but closer to a 30% than a 60%.
If the xenophobes are in places of power and authority, the exact percentage doesn't matter; there are still too many. It's like how not everyone in the US is racist but enough of them are and most of the people in places of authority are among them so racism is pretty much all over the place. Greece is still antagonizing Macedonia in terms of things like EU membership and continuing to bitch about the name claiming only Greece has a right to use it and pretending it's always been part of Greece. Macedonians are still assaulted for using their language or trying to express themselves culturally. People with the slightest affiliation to Macedonia or trying to report on their situation in Greece still get barred from entry. I'm not sure if it's still an issue but there was a government policy stripping Macedonians of their citizenship if they left the country for prolonged periods of time. Greece still doesn't follow EU regulations regarding minorities, such as bilingual signage restoring the Macedonian names they removed. 30% is still a large number. Over a quarter, a mere 20% away from half and that's probably only the ones willing to admit to their xenophobia. Of course not all Greeks are like that but that's not really the point, much like how not all people of some other group are a certain way despite it being a problem. The problem is still there and in need of being addressed regardless of how much of a group they actually consist of. I mean, there are a few Greek historians who went against the nationalistic revisionism and tried to paint an accurate portrait of the situation but thy were outliers that tended to get shoved aside by their Greek peers. Political interests in other countries also factor into the issue, so it's not like Greece is the only country causing those problems but they ARE the loudest, persistent and most actively harmful.
OHMYGOD. THIS EXCITES ME SO MUCH BECAUSE MY (Persian/Zoroastrian) CULTURE IS LITERALLY NEVER SHOWN ANYWHERE, EVER. Also, it’s pronounced (zuh-ras-tree-anne) not (zoro-ass-tree-un) :D MAKE A VIDEO ON ZOROASTRIANISM, IT’LL BE REALLY WORTH IT.
as a Persian, I would like to thank you for talking about how Cyrus was actually super chill, and how the Persians weren't just some big bad that the Greek had to defeat. Their culture and religions were not forced away and people were free to just kinda continue on with their lives, not to mention, Persia was one of the few places that gave women equal rights back then.
Interesting but not laudable that Persia is seen monolithically as some unknown & exotic "big bad" by the West because of Greek xenophobia & now the continued conflict with Islam. To all educated Chinese, "Persia" was always respected & viewed as another illustrious empire to the West. Our trade routes & cultural exchange were ancient & numerous, tons of Persian merchants settled in cities all over China for centuries a thousand years ago. & I'm sure there's some Persian blood in most urban Chinese populace.
Yea they just wanted to crush the greek governing bodies and kill anyone who opposed but hey we have a good burocracy and you can keep your gods lol what a joke why isn't Iran still a British satrapy?
@Jumpoable no it's because they conqured vast swaths of land by force that is pretty evil
@@jamesnewstead7099 a lot of places/ people did that, and were not so kind to the countries the conquered, white people came to the Americas and killed the majority of its natives before taking over, large countries because of conquering is not and was not uncommon, Persia just didn’t force the conquered to adopt its religion
fantasy
Apparently the Jews were just as impressed with Cyrus' generosity as you are Blue. My favourite fact about the enlire builder is that to date, he was the only foreigner ever given the title of 'Messiah' in the Hebrew scriptures.
CynicalRaven461 if I am not wrong.
Cyrus is the only mortal human being that is praised a lot in the Bible!
H. A. R. D
There are quiet a few others that are praised more, actually. I mean, King David is pretty much held up as the standart by which every king that followed him had to measure up. Of course, he is portrayed with his flaws too (and the consequences that followed them), but that doesn't detract from the high esteem he's held in. And there are several others who are portrayed as almost flawless (Joseph for example).
Cyrus holds the title of 'Messiah' because he gave the jews back their liberty. Hence the bible sees him as god's pivital instrument in liberating his people, meaning his "anointed one" = "Messiah".
This reflects a huge amount of admiration and gratitude of course, but it doesn't put Cyrus above other figures in the bible.
rockyblacksmith Well most of these figures are Jewish and barely did they praise non Christian, so that's what he meant with Cyrus being praised as the only Human, not being related to the Family of Noah.
@@lordhosseinlh He was praised for helping the Hebrews to get back to Jerusalem after being exiled by the Babylonians. He was like a non-jewish Moses to the Jews.
Daniel (high counsel in Babylon) showed Cyrus the scroll of Isaiah. Isaiah 44,45 written 150yrs prior God speaks to him by name.
Fun fact: the Romans loved Chinese silk so much that they were considering banning it since it was starting to put a dent in their economy. They were paying way too much for silk and not enough for other stuff like iron, for example.
Dylan Chouinard Oh yeah. I think I remember them saying something about the silk clothes being transparent and that people's wives walk out in public wearing them.
Funny how the West love Chinese stuff so much they are willing to ruin their economy in the process. About two thousand years later, Britain would do the same thing for Chinese tea.
Don't forget porcelain. Such a big hit all across Europe.
joshua kusuma and how the USA buys most of their manufactured goods from China which I think has an effect on their economy
joshua kusuma perhaps this link was the inspiration of the yin yang symbol. The symbol was originally roman
Cyrus sounds like how I play RPG’s. Run around the world fighting and conquering, but then never turn down some random old lady that asks you to find her lucky teapot.
That... yeah, sounds about right.
That's exactly how I play Mount and Blade Warband. I guess it's time to call my character Cyrus and conquer the Sarranids(In-game mix of saracens and sassanids).
You should always force open the door to a shed to get an old lady’s frying pan back.
New dnd character idea unlocked
Once my history teacher told us that one of the reasons the persian empire grew so much was because they didn't try to use force in order to expand their culture to other territories, on the other hand they prefered to respect each location, thus they were free to keep practicioning their own culture. Although they were still under the persian empire
So, a sponge rather than a shovel, got it XD
that's also the reason they had little legacy if it weren't for trade
@@spongeboblover7052 I'd rather be a forgotten peacemaker than a remembered conquerer. Legacy is a sufficient cost for the price of peace.
@@pennyforyourthots yeah im not saying one is better than the other either
Persia was considered to be the largest Empire ever in terms of the percent of the world's population it controlled at its peak; 44%. In comparison; the British Empire controlled 20% of the world's population.
Pika Zilla Sources? I feel like that is way too high considering the present day population of the region.
Ser Devil Egypt, Syria, Indus River, and Anatolia were HEAVILY POPULATED FOR THE TIME. Remember only several tens of millions of people lived in the entire earth so when some of these massive cities have over a million people it shows why such a percentage exists.
Joey Kevorkian That logic actually makes a decent amount of sense.
Mr Poopy Butthole Yup this link has made me call out this theory for its bs. Read the last comment on that article.
Nah, that guy is wrong, he didn't show any evidence of his information being right, he just linked a website like reddit with people speculating on it, Persian Empire at it's peak controlled about 44% of the entire earth's population, and if they wanted, they could've conquered even more, but there was nothing else to conquer lol.
Brazilian schools teach how the Achaemenid Persia had an amazing bureaucracy and how inclusive and open it was, how benevolent they were. What I did not know was that this benevolence towards the conquered extended afterwards the fall of Achaemenid Persia, as that period is not really taught in our school, at least not when I attended.
Wow. Here in Iran we learn nothing about ancient Persia... yet in Brazil
Nunca aprendi sobre os Persas no colégio, educação pública no sul é um lixo, só ficam babando ovo da democracia grega
@@crashverde1686 Fenício é persa por acaso? Fenicio tb "aprendi".
@@dollypniz5550 really? .. we taught in India about Acheminid , Parthians and Sassanids , even shanameh mentions Sassanids .. I can't believe they won't teach you about your true colourful history
@@sachinvenugopal6926 they actually teach, but only in elementary and middle school and it's so basic, they're so focused on modern history and Islamic Arabia's history, unfortunately, but everyone here in Iran knows about this stuff cause people themselves love their history and identity so they learn it themselves thanks to media, it's not like we don't know about our history or culture, Iranians are so nationalist
The Persians were generally cool. They were pretty apathetic about how you lived. Sure they wanted expansion, but the were generally ok
Did u know one time they went in to a war with Greeks.
But the Greeks refused to accept them as an empire. So they Cyrus STOPPED THE WAR cause he didn't want to force people into his empire .....
I mean was he even a human
@@nathanb.8114 well yikes there
@@ainazaghdam8622 A conqueror that didn't want to force people in his empire... sure.
I suggest you get your history from other places than Iranian propaganda. Then maybe you can form an opinion on your own.
There are no conquerors that invade places where other people have settled for generations in order to "liberate them". Not Alexander, not Genghis Khan, not Julius Caesar. All of them see the opportunity to expand and take it. Out of this both bad and good things may arise.
@@konstantinosmandalos7596 It's blatant Persian nationalism crap. They act like that because Arabs handed their asses to themselves.
@@konstantinosmandalos7596 angry Greeks are so salty you can feed the poverty ridden city states today.
Pre-islamic Persia has always been one of my favorite cultures, nice to see a video like this on them, I even learned a few things.
Erik S Islam is from the first human. Islam is eternal guidance
@@JAMAL12382 shut the F Up ! we dont see anything but bloodshed from islam
@@OrientalVeedz You'll continue to see them,majoosi.
@@haitamchouiekh5229 you need to get your brain out of your ass first to see whats going on
@@tasinal-hassan8268 dumboy
NARRATOR: Here comes the Assyrian Empire.
NARRATOR: Nevermind, it's the Babylo-
NARRATOR: Media-
CHORUS: It's the Persian Empire!
IO: Wow, that's big.
bill wurtz
lol
I swear I was about to pay the highest tier on your patreon to do a Persia summary. Ahura Mazda watches over me, proven.
CuddleGamers
I love Zoroastrianism.
Paris(as we call you guys in India) are the most forward thinking and intelligent communities in he world! We are blessed that aome of you are a part of our country.
Love from india!
i always felt bad that how much india went through first conquered by Persia(my own country) then the british even though the persians were nice but the british not that much(not saying they were evil but if im wrong correct me please) any way i always adored indian culture aside from the time to time accent jokes sorry BUTT i love ur movies :)
Iranian and proud(im kurdish so i couldnt say persian :P)
Jack The Ripper that’s cool bro, I hope Iranians and Kurds and Arabs and Turks make up and focus on the real enemies ( isreal )
My favourite detail in the death of Crassus is that when his head was brought to the capital they were performing the Bacchae of Euripides, which involves a dead king's head being offered to the gods, so they used Crassus's head as a prop in the play. Possibly the single most badass moments in theatrical history, and it shows just how Greek Parthian culture was. Also, that play is really cool and everyone should check it out.
Holy shit that's metal as fuck.
Parthians weren't Greek culturally. This is a massive fallacy and I studied this concept with an Iranian archaelogist back in the old country. Parthians, like their Achaemenid predecessors patronixzed their enemies to overcome their rule, so they wrote in all languages pertaining to them (enemies or subjects). Hence their wrote in Assyrian (Akkadian/Sumerian), Greek, some old Arabic and Indian too. Otherwise the Seleucids never dared touch the Parni tribes of North-Eastern Iran. WHat you mentioned was a very, very passive aggressive Persian custom to belittle the enemy. Potentially callous, but Persian nonetheless. Parthians were extremely pan-Iranic (and tribal). They are like the 'Germanic tribes' of Iran.
Diphyllum parthians rebirth the iranian empire and of course in their 500 years of controlling big part of the world they were helenism for near 200 years because of political issues but also in this 200 years they look forward for iranian and eastern culture and they never been racist like macedonians Seleucids before and persian sassanids after they give freedom to everyone and in their other near300 years they give the upper hand to eastern iranian culture specialy from 50 AC in volgases 1 era
Parthians were not Greek, They were Persians. This guy in this clip is misinforming the truth about Parthians.
@@saeedvazirian no wonder names of parthian origin are the most popular among iranian given names (excluding arabic names, ofc). The slumbering, all encompassing warrior-poet spirit is slowly rising
Cyrus the Great always had good press, and you gotta respect a man like that.
@Ologh Beig Alexander burned Persepolis and those who were living in the city. Atleast Xerxes burned an empty city.
@@ramtinfazeli5106 not to mention there were bodies found in Persepolis that had skeleton that were violently murdered
The Median empire has a reputation of being Mean, I guess they're a...
pretty Average empire
Nah. During that time period that behavior was considered pretty a la Mode.
CÓLaocha you know you can edit your comment right?
CÓLaocha 👏👏 well played
*claps to your math pun*
I love this
Iran (Persia) has a great civilization, culture, rich mythology, and history. Persians (Iranians) gave to the world many great scientists, poets, and philosophers. Many things in this world are invented by Persians 1. Sulfuric acid by Rhazes 2. Computation of 2π by Jamshid Kashani, the Persian astronomer, and mathematician. 3. The first practical windmills for the first time in the history of the world were in Iran. 4. Ethanol by Rhazes 5. A mechanical planetary computer by Jamshid Kashani 6. An ancient type of evaporative cooler and refrigerator 7. Ice Cream 8. Rosewater 9. The art of tile-work was invented and perfected in Iran. 10. The first time that cake was used in a birthday party was by Darius the Great 11. Qanat, 12. Polo 13. Algebra by Khwarizmi 14. Post system, 15. Fork, spoons and many different invents.
There are some Persian words from ancient times in the English language like Paradise, Magic, Bazaar, etc.
Rhazes was a Persian (Iranian) polymath, physician, alchemist, philosopher, and important figure in the history of medicine. Rhazes is considered the father of psychology and psychotherapy, the father of pediatrics, a pioneer in ophthalmology, making leading contributions in inorganic and organic chemistry, also he is the author of several philosophical works, and also first to categorize the Hospital dept as well. Many scholars consider Rhazes one of the greatest medical doctor.
Persians in 500 BC used gold spoons and forks and special gold cups at their dinner tables. The cutlery discovered in Pasargadae in Iran appears to pre-date the Greco-Roman cutlery by almost 1000 years.
Cyrus the Great wrote the first Human Rights Charter. United Nations uses the Cyrus Cylinder as a pillar of one the earliest declaration of human rights.
In Persia, in Persepolis palace female workers even had paid maternity leave. Persians were also known for having women take part in high governmental positions such as in Construction, Administration, Politics, etc as evident by the record-keeping clay tablets throughout Persepolis in Iran. This is something that would not be seen until at least many centuries after.
Persian language is one of the oldest living languages. Persian literature is one of the world's oldest literature. The Persian literature described as one of the great literatures of humanity, and it is one of the four main bodies of world literature. Many great philosophers, poets, and scientists were inspired and influenced by the Persian language and literature.
The translation of the Persian language masterpieces like the Divan of Hafez, the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, the Gulistan of Saadi and the Rubaiyat of Khayyam in countries like France, England, Germany, and other European countries astounded the literary circles there Suddenly, the western literary forum faced extraordinary literary works, Saint - Beuve on seeing the Persian literature said:
"If we could realize that great works such as the Shahnameh exits in the world, we would not become so much proud of our own works in such a silly manner."
Upon knowing Hafez, Goethe, the great German writer and statesman who is one of the 4 pillars of European literature wished to be one of his disciples. Goethe said: "O Hafez, your word is as great as eternity for it has no beginning and no end. Your word, as the canopy of Heaven, solely depends on itself. It is all signs, beauty, and excellence". After studying the lyric poems of Hafiz, Nitsche wrote: "O Hafez, you have created a tavern of philosophy greater than any worldly palace. In it, you provided a wine of grace and word beyond the capacity of the world to drink. The highest pinnacle of any mount is but a sign of your greatness and the unfathomable depth of any vortex is just a mark of your perfection, and the excellence of your word."
I'm proud of being Persian.
As one of the great literatures of mankind the Persian literature has its roots in surviving works in Old Persian or Middle Persian. French poetess Comtesse de Noaille writes in her book, "The Enchanting Garden": " I read this point in the fragrant, pleasant and sad book the reading of which imparted an enchanting intoxication to me and I now know that an enchanting garden really exists and can be seen by the eyes. It is a garden that extends from the foot of the mountainous area named Saadi to Shiraz in Persia.
O my soul would it be possible for my body to accompany you and fly to this paradise, where the nightingale frenzied with love sings from spring to summer; the tulips blossom; the air becomes fragrant; the evening breeze entrusts the roses to the winds and from atop the aspens, during the fiery summer, the winds twist while panting with burning breath. The town which is all metal, porcelain, and plaster, shines as bright as silver and gold. Every vaulted dome is like a blue fruit and the intertwining arcs are high points that cast their shadows with their enameled tiles and flowery turquoise design on waters below. "
The translation of the ghazals of Hafez by Hammer in Germany, translation of Gulistan in France and the Rubaiyat of Khayyam in England by Fitzgerald, also the poems of Shahnameh by Vohl in France created a deep change in European literature. Other countries of Europe also became aware and cognizant of the precedence of Persia and the inspiring breeze of the Persian gardens. They came to know extraordinary men.
This influence was so deep that among the highly valuable works of the individuals like Corneille, Racine, Volaire, Madeleine Scudery, Montesquieu and others, the influence is clearly noticed in their works such as Sorena, Rodgun, Khusrow, Mehrdad, and Bayazid and etc.
Schlegel, in the preface to his translation of a part of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh into German, writes: To reach the real fountainhead of romanticism and be satiated with it one must travel to Persia. "
For centuries, Iran (Persia) has been producing some of the world’s most influential and inspiring poets, whose works revolutionized the literature of both the East and the West. Spanning themes of love, divine mysticism, and human rights.
The great Persian (Iranian) Poets: Khayyam, Ferdowsi, Hafez, Saadi, Attar, etc, are well known in the West and have influenced the literature of many countries. Khayyam was the Great Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet. The Persian calendar is the most accurate calendar of the world and it was made by Khayyam. The Persian calendar became the official national calendar of Iran. The Persian calendar is more accurate than the Gregorian calendar.
By the 1880s, Khayyam was extremely well known throughout the English-speaking world, to the extent of the formation of numerous "Khayyam Clubs" and a "fin de siecle cult of the Rubaiyat" Khayyam's poems have been translated into many languages. The asteroid was named "Khayyam" in 1980. The planet 3095 Khayyam was named in his honor in 1980 and the lunar crater Khayyam was named in his honor in 1970 as well. One of the holes in the moon was named in honor of "Khayyam".
All of these were possible because of Islamic imperialism. Zoroastrianism did nothing.
"Fight me, Scrubs!"
~Cyrus
Cyrus, afterwards: "gg, now let's all go out for pizza."
@@lnsflare1 lmao😂😂
Great and good are seldom the same man, but Cyrus was certainly both.
Its the stormtrooper-effect:
Those with the greater numbers must be the bad guys!
So when we hear of 300 greeks fighting against 1.000.000 persians, there is no question whom we will root for.
300 plus 7000 to be precise.
Gylbert Farwynd Yeah but they also had better tanks,training, and commanders. Also I think it's safe to say being commanded by an actually evil person cancels out the stormtrooper effect.
And the Greeks (who were more than 300) get a bonus: they were on their own soil.
Something about the human condition always makes us want to root for the underdogs...
Omega0850 yes but the Persians were still a invading force.
Please do the video about zorroastrianism quickly. There is no good video on the subject so far so it would be a good move.
No rush, there still isn't a good video on the subject aha!
My favourite part is where the people kind of just suck, and they torture some dude every time the fuck up.
"Incest is wincest"
all i know about them is from crusader kings, it'd be nice to know a bit more than that though
@daldarel, look at the video “crash course on Zoroastrianism” by Stephen gashler. I highly recommend it.
Now have a nice day😁👍🏽
When your country's human rights were better 2500 years ago then they are now
that's quite funny. iran may be the only country that had the best human rights before having the worst human rights
Sepehr Voshmgir As a westerner myself (USA), I find myself overly curious about your claims. Could you share and elaborate on it? I would love to hear a new and different perspective.
Sepehr Voshmgir What exactly is our media misrepresenting as far as your laws and justice systems?
@@saeedvazirian im gonna guess you are muslim.
Islam is what makes the middle East backwards today. The Persian empire collapsed 1000 years before Islam was invented in 600 AD.
Speaking of sand powered time daggers, a new Prince of Persia game set in real Persian history would be awesome. Maybe the Prince could be one of Cyrus' lesser known sons, exploring his father's empire and partaking in all kinds of swashbucklery.
He only had 2 sons
The elder one Cambessus killed his younger brother
but with desert and Arabian clothing and looks
Everytime I watch one of Blue's videos he's like "that's an interesting topic for another video." And I'm like "you're MCU credit teasing us damnit!"
My girlfriend and I fall asleep to this video every night - it started with me trying to watch all the videos in the ancient Mediterranean playlist but I was so tired by the time the Persia video hit I fell asleep half way through. So the next night I tried to watch it again, but fell asleep again. This kept happening over and over again until I think it trained my brain to associate the first few lines and cadence with sleep. Now both my gf and I can recite the first few lines from memory but then can’t remember the rest of the video at all 😂 Blue’s voice is just so calming
Can confirm! (I’m the girlfriend)
“If you, like me, learned about the Persian wars from the Greek perspective, or have even soo much as heard of the movie 300..”
3:11 Just want to point out that Cambyses almost certainly didn't actually kill that bull. It was likely propaganda spread by his enemies in the empire after his death.
I never heard of the Persian empire until 6th grade but it's only brushed upon the surface with it's culture and war stories. This video dove a bit deeper and I was able to fully understand this unique empire. Thx. Blue
IMO, Cyrus the Great is one of the few leaders in ALL of history who deserve that title. Heck, Cyrus was immortalized by the Jews as a literal Godsend. I would have loved to live there if I had to live in that time.
Your bad kid
Id just love to time travel back to see what this country was like then( lets just say its not as fair of a place now ) . Id just talk to king cyrus. About anything. Science,art,literature but most of all equality. Im sure hed be suprised to see what his empire is like now
@@amirarsalanganji8304 he won't bear it
Cambyses II also used Cats as meatshields against the Egyptians, who didn't wanted to fight them. Either way, well done, Blue.
Edit: Sorry, but this is mostly from an account made by an scholar, who lived long after that battle, so around the second century after Christ. Herodus mentioned no such cats or sacred animals in his description of the battle, but the conquest of Cambyses is often viewed negatively.
Dylan Chouinard He also murdered many of the kittens and even painted the shields with Kat faces, what a dick. Persian Shars are known to have trolls like Chosrau II, who deported the denizens of Antioch and made them build a city called: newer and better Antioch.
This comment hurts my brain.
3.14 Dragon why? Did I say something wrong.
That is only a few steps away from using live babies as armor... NO ONE WANTS TO STAB A BABY!
The Rising Theurge Well, African Slaves built the White House. Tell me about trolling.
The Persians were really cool.
Just, wow. I didn't know they accomplished so much for their time!
Their people still are amazing. Don't confuse government with citizens.
Actually, the more recent historians working from Egyptian sources contemporary with Cambyses paint a very different picture. For one, the Egyptian sources (who had no reason to like their new conqueror) don't claim he killed the Apis bull, and in fact record him as following in Cyrus' footsteps and participating in the Egyptian religion as was Achaeminid custom. The derogatory records mostly come from Darius, who maaaaaybe had good reason to paint Cambyses in a negative light.
What a self-fulfilling prophecy. "If two nations fight, one of them will win."
Great timing, I'm researching the Persians for my own writing projects.
Some of the Persian royalty and generals are really interesting.
It's a bit too late ( like 4 years lol)
But make sure research about ARIOBARZANES, or the Hamazons ( the actual Amazons of human history who were an elite gp of female soldiers & warriors in the Persian empire) & tones of other legendary female generals & queens & nobles who were almost equals to their Male legendary counterparts !
& don't just settle down for the Achaemenids !!! The Achaemenids ruled for 3 centuries but the Parthians & the Sassanids combined ruled for about a millennium !!! *way much more context in those eras* .
Rome & Iran were called *the two eyes of the earth* for a reason , quality is good & all but durability is even better lol. *Rome & Iran were in a whole another level of greatness since they lasted soop long*
Persia is the best.
#1 Land based Empire of all time.
And greatest emperor as well Cyrus the Glo.
You did Persia justice. Thank you.
Just like how awesome the achaemenid empire was , this video is awesome in the terms of showing real and genuine history far from the lies and distotions of movies like the 300 and other deceptive historical resources..
Any history lover would be glad to see something like this
Blu, I'd love to see you do a let's play of Civilization or Assassin's Creed- I think it'd be really fun to hear your historic opinion on these games as you play them!
Since Origins is out, i think it will be awesome.
I just think of the Persian empire as the 'BIG ASS ONE.'
It is both amusing and mildly accurate.
this is such a stupid joke but I have to point it out:
so you're saying the MEDIAN empire was MEAN to their subjects...? One could say they had a large RANGE of control
Cinnamon Toast Oh wow.... just wow man 😖 😹
Of course not.. It has it s own topic I know the story tho...but it s just too much to say u know
…. please just show yourself out.
One might even say it was their MODE of operation...
But what was their mode of control??
Man, history of ancient civilizations is so fascinating.
Nothing on Khosrau Anushirawan's universities, nor anything about We Antiok Khusrau (Khosrau's better Antioch)? Or how Justinian had attempted to subvert Khosrau's allies during the "Eternal Peace" ? Eternal is apparently 8 years, according to Khosrau btw.
The Age of Mythology music sold me into subscription. What a great and nostalgic musical force...
I love this channel because it helps people understand history of the world a little more easier. But I'm wanting to know of when you guys would do a video on Celtic(Keltic) history. For the Celts were known to have a great ideal form of poetry, warfare, and other things that are related to their culture. And as well not many people understand that the history of the Celts, for example the first man to sack Rome was Brennos, a Celtic war chieftain from Gaul, who had managed to outwit the Roman generals not once but twice; plus the Celts had managed to build up a type of culture that can still be see today, such as Hillfort, religion, and even their language. And as well there is even the history of Hallstatt culture, in which was stated of where the Celtic culture had started. And it was even said that when Alexander the Great was about the conquer Persia, Celtic war chieftains were asked to meet with Alexander, and when Alexander had asked the Celtic chieftains if they were afraid of him, the Celtic chieftains told Alexander that they feared nothing, only their Gods, and if the world was to end.
Neat. Macedonia incorporated bagpipes into their folk music at some point, sheep are native to the Balkans and middle-east and it was a major trading spot for Europe so there was definitely some interaction at some point, though I haven't looked into it in much detail yet. According to genetic analysis France, Spain and Portugal have ties to Mediterranean peoples but that's probably through the Romans since they all speak Latin derived languages and were heavily influenced by them due to the Roman empire.
I heard a funny story about some Roman guy getting beat up by the wife of the guy he'd been fighting. I think it was in Britain. I'd love to find the original source for that so I could fully appreciate it. I think they had records of the actual person who got mythologized as king Arthur as well and then there's how Britons moved to Brittany (now a region of France) and became the Bretons. When I learned about that and that it was once part of the kingdom 'Arthur' ruled, it really added context to why those myths are so popular in France, beyond a shared Celtic background.It's obvious the original myths had SOME basis in actual events so it'd be cool if there was a historical analysis trying to figure out what might've been or probably is true and what's complete fabrication.
Templar Knight It might take awhile, because most sources for Celtic culture are second-hand. As you must know, the Celts didn't write anything, mainly due to their religious beliefs that oral tradition held more power then writing and also due to the Druids wanting to be the main source of information.They did eventually have a writing system but those were mainly used as memory aids and markers rather then full-on sentences. Greek and Roman accounts are the main basis of information we have on the Celts; later Christian missionaries who, on one hand, thoughtfully wrote down culture and myths but on the other, denounced their pagan gods and furthered Christianity as much as they could.
There's still alot we don't know about the Celts to be honest, but we know they also weren't a centralized civilization and more a group of tribes sharing a language with a various dialects and similar culture. So each region of Europe and the British Isles have their own gods and subcultures that might be considered as "Celtic". We're still discovering new things about them and maybe by the time Blue makes a video about the Celts, new and enlightening material will make it to the forefront of the news. Here's hoping!
Templar Knight They culture wasn' t useful against Rome
phanost13 Socrates would love the Celts.
This TH-cam channel is amazing! It's the reason why I found a love for history and chose it as a major ☺️
You're awesome Blue!
The Median empire was mean to their subjects? Good thing Cyrus helped bring in a new mode; sounds a bit average.
damn it!
Gosh darn it, dad
A joke that Red may have enjoyed :)
Damn it, no one said there would be math!
My sister in law is Persia, and their history is super interesting. Also throw the best parties you'll ever go to. Js.... :-)
Wow, your girlfriend is Persia?
Your sister-in-law is the entirety of Iran confirmed.
thanks and i am persian or iranian we have great civilization
I think you overall did a very good job of capturing the subject matter in a casual cartoonist way. It does pick up the nuisances and conflicts without excessive detail allowing the listener to have some basis to go on to other more definitive sources. That is not so easy to do really. And you do an excellent job for the listener of getting them to rethink the anti-Persian propaganda so prominent during the era of cultural imperialism in modern European history but also via Hollywood depictions. Indeed the West had always used Persia as the "Eastern" comparator in creating their own identity. Often it is perpetuated as Greek=West (democratic, advanced, all things good) and Persia=East (despotic, enslaving, effete, corrupt), Persia was one of the greatest and most advanced civilizations in human history that shaped the modern world as we know it. Its fingerprint can be found in a diversity of areas, including some you have mentioned such as being the blue print for the multicultural, multiethnic, multiracial, multi religious nation. Thomas Jefferson was famously a student of the Persian Empire and admirer of Cyrus the Great, and is known to have used principles of the early Persians (later discovered in the Cyrus Cylinder) when putting together the Constitution of the USA and in how to envision the modern nation with eclectic personages. A couple of things I would say were a little misleading though was that the Medes didn't treat people well. This is not something historians speak too. Croesus was NOT Greek but Lydian who were an Indo-European Anatolian peoples who did have close contact with Asian Greeks. Finally, the Sassanids did centralize the Persians back to the Achaemenid model whereas the Parthians, who may have been more "Philhelene" after centuries of Seleucid rule, had been feudalistic. Not much is known about the Parthians because they left little records. The Sassanids also created the groundwork for the Golden Age of Islam in terms of academic, scientific, and medical advances. The establishment of the Academy of Gondishapur was at the time, the most important medical center in the ancient world and where academic medicine and the hospital system as we know it was birthed. There were allegedly 40,000 books in the library and scholars from all over the known world were recruited to Gondishapur. Once the Arabs conquered Persia, the Academy and its staff migrated to the new academic center at Baghdad up the road. The Persians would lay the foundations for and disproportionately contribute to the Golden Age of Islam, one of human histories most galvanizing periods of advancement. Parthian and Sassanid Persia's architecture and art would also produce the template for the look and feel of Middle East, Central Asia, and even the Indian Subcontinent during Mughal times.
Besides the historical facts you perfectly summarized we shouldn't forget the deep and beautiful poetry. If you like Persian poetry you can find some on my site. 🥂
0:50 "the median empire had a reputation for being mean" oh the irony
One of my favourite empires, Persian. I cover a few as well. Nicely done!
Persia, like China, is a perennial superpower. They've had a rough go in this last century, but their influence in the region and the world is steadily increasing. They'll be back to form before you know it.
I like that
ancient persia?maybe,modern persia?hardly,they can become a respectable power but other than that it's just unrealistic thinking,especially with their fucked goverment,and i am pretty sure the arabs won't let that happen,and i don't blame them i think it's one of their rights,this modern world isn't like the times of ancient persia,it's about nationalism.
Iranians are already controlling Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and soon Yemen and Palestine (The Islamic government is not gonna last long with these protests ) Iranian people want Iran to be Iranian, not Arabic.
ok dank memes the cureent Iranian govt has the exact same obstacles in their path as the pre-Islamic Persian empires. Annoying westerners US and UK (Greeks), similar taxation system, similar vassal system and similar proxies. Actually all Iranian govts mimicked this expet perhaps the Turkic Persian govts.
You increased my patriotism brother
As a half Persian half Southern Babtist ;) I can understand the difficulties of pronunciation however, Khosro is prounonced KH-ooo-S-ro just Fyi. Great job and you may be right that Khosro is Cyrus's incarnate
Parthians are also Persian as well. They claimed ancestry from the Achaemenids and Cyrus the great for example.
"Loves Greek more than most people" same... same
Kara C what you are an greec!
I think you missed the point. Persian culture was and still is superior.
@Cegesh No, Iran literally exists. Perhaps you're dead.
@Cegesh Iran stands strong regardless of following a specific religion. Zoroastrianism is a religion that influenced Iran but it's merely a faith. Being Iranian Muslim or non-Zoroastrian doesn't make you less of an Iranian.
@Cegesh I'm not the obsessed one, you're the one who has the desperate need for responding for closure. If obsession is the problem, don't reply. Accept defeat.
Iranian culture actually is one of the strongest preserved one compared to all nations on the planet. After invasions after invasions, Iran still uses names, vocabularies, customs, religious principles (even across non-Zoroastrian faiths) and governance/postal style that is rooted in 2600+ years ago in the Iranian plateau. This is literally true. Not to mention genetically and linguistically and sovereignty is a minimum of 67 - 100% of what it was during the Achaemenid EMpire. Times changes things, but Iranian culture is wholly changed. Anthropologists agree en masse.
No, I understand psychology better than you. My resistance against lies and nonsense on the contrary IS healthy, because I'm restablishing the truth despite lies that come from people like you. YOUR habits are unhealthy.
If you think this is unhealthy. Don't respond. It's that simple.
Really enjoyed the Age of Mythology Music in the video!
Was looking for this comment haha
Wait, Alexander the Splendid?😂
Every time I say his name I give him a different name. "Great" is just so bland, you know?
Alexander the A-Okay
Alexander the above-average
Alexander the pasable
Alexander the Hamilton
13:36
He is remembered as *Anushe-ravan* which means *”Of Immortal Soul”* highlighting his reputation as a just ruler.
This guy was so good that his nickname is followed by another nickname *”Dadgar”* (translates to *The Just* )
For most of us Iranians the first time we hear of him is not by his name, rather by his two nicknames placed next to one another; *Anushirvan e Dadgar* (Immortal Soul The Just)
So yeah your judgement is pretty accurate here, this guy is really celebrated by Iranians, especially before the Revolution, the Pahlavi Dynasty really celebrated him during their reign.
I'm liking Cyrus the Great more and more whenever he is mentioned on these videos
Darius the King says: These are the countries which came to me; by the favor of Ahuramazda I was king of them: Persia, Elam, Babylonia, Assyria, Arabia, Egypt, (those) who are beside the sea, Sardis, Ionia, Media, Armenia, Cappadocia, Parthia, Drangiana, Aria, Chorasmia, Bactria, Sogdiana, Gandara, Scythia, Sattagydia, Arachosia, Maka: in all, 23 provinces.
The ancient Persian civilization, which is the precursor to modern-day Iran, emerged around 550 BCE and has since played a significant role in shaping world history and culture. Which is almost three millennia. Iranians have made numerous contributions to various fields such as art, literature, science, and philosophy throughout their long history. From the Achaemenid Empire to the Islamic Golden Age, Iran has witnessed the rise and fall of many influential dynasties and has been a hub of cultural exchange between East and West. Today, Iranians continue to preserve their ancient traditions while embracing modern advancements, making them a vibrant and resilient society with a rich cultural heritage.
You should do a history summarized of India
Ęÿūį Æßñ that's pretty impossible considering how diverse SA is
time to conquer all of india~ most of india~
Yea it would be impossible he could do various empires of India however such as 1 video for the Mauryans, another for the Guptas , another for the Harsha's and obviously the Cholas, Pandyas, Velirs and Cheras etc
I am not interested in India, the country, but I am interested in any other Indians.
Ęÿūį Æßñ to long.
I just recently found this channel. I managed to go through nearly all of your history videos in a few days. I was just wondering yesterday where the video on classical Persia was, and low and behold here it is.
And btw, Iran was whatl those people called (and still call) their country!!!
1.Ariaramnes, the Great King, King of Kings, King in Persia, son of Teispes the King, grandson of Achaemenes.
2. I am Darius the Great King, King of Kings, King in Persia, King of countries, son of Hystaspes, grandson of Arsames, an Achaemenian.
3.King Darius says: I am a Persian; setting out from Persia I conquered Egypt. I ordered to dig this canal from the river that is called Nile and flows in Egypt, to the sea that begins in Persia. Therefore, when this canal had been dug as I had ordered, ships went from Egypt through this canal to Persia, as I had intended."
Persian text
xâmanišiya \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ XŠ \ adam \ Pârsa \ amiy \ hacâ \ Pârsâ
Pârsa=Persia
Can you do a Re-summarize of Persia? I don't really know any trust worthy sources about the subject.
I'm super exited about this video pre Islamic Persia is one of my favorite civilization
Pre-islamic anything is good ))). The religion of piece has delivered big time and is still relentless
Islam stamped out so much culture
@ tbh in the case of Persians, Islam couldn't really stamp out the culture. Instead the Persian culture seamlessly merged with Islamic culture. A lot of what you'd nowadays call 'islamic symbols' are a derivative of Persian culture.
@@spinyslasher6586 It's Islamized Persian culture.
@@Stateira-Persia-Iran Shut the fuck up.
Also do not forget about Shapur's greatest feat, capturing both the Roman and Byzantine emperors in his war and keeping them as hostages while they were given sth like a manor of their own and living like esteemed guests while there.
There was no Byzantine emperor at the time of Shapur I, but he did capture the Roman emperor Valerian. Shapur II's army killed Julian in battle (not captured), but the Byzantine empire didn't exist then either.
*correction, Cambyses actually did not kill the Apis bull or really do anything diffrenet than his father in Egypt. His cruelty was invented by Darius the Great who (probably) userped the throne from his brother Bardiya - although according to Darius, it was a magi pretending to be Bardiya who had already been killed.
I'm Persian n I really enjoyed this thank u for showing Persia as it actually was.
One thing I love to note is that at its height, the Achaemenid Empire had an estimated 44% of the world’s population under its rule, making it the largest empire in history in that metric (which I consider to be one of the most relevant metrics)
Yo, i miss legends summarized. AKA the jurney to the west
Mae Mae journey to the west takes literally forever, and she just released Heracles 5 days ago. I like Journey to the West, but I like this stuff too.
I'm not sure about others but I'd love to see a video on Zoroastrianism, Manicheanism and Mazdakism.
and hellenism
That's not a religion.
@@takshashila2995 You mean Greco-Roman Mythology
and the Roman cult of Mithraism (pro-Persian cult)
I'm Persian and I liked how you did not mess up the pronunciations and were very objective. Thanks
I remember one entire paragraph in my textbook trying to sum up the entirety of Persian history. Damn, I wish we learned more, their history is fascinating
Greetings to my Persian brothers, much love from Mesopotamia Iraq 🇮🇶
🙏🏻❤🙏🏻
China and Persia[heart] Great civilization, wise people, our old ally. We stood up against the Hun Empire together 2500 years ago. We fought against the Arabic Empire together 1200 years ago. We defended ourselves from the invasion from British India together 300 years ago. Chinese people remembers. I'm pretty sure Iranian people will rise up again as they have always done in the long river of history.
Thank you so much.
The Zoroastrianism of the Achaemenid empire is quite different from that of the Sassanid empire - the orthodoxy that exists still today, that most people think of, but incorrectly also reference when discussing the first Persian empire.
I watch your videos from Germany and still love them
You describe Cyrus as this great guy but I can’t get over how he keeps declaring war on me at the beginning of every civ game
If I were an oracle who great emperors regularly asked for strategic advice, I'd make a habit of giving vague answers which would be true no matter what happened. That way, when angry former heads of state with a few surviving angry soldiers showed up and asked why i was wrong, I could blame their defeat on their inability to ask follow-up questions. (And if they _did_ ask follow-up questions, I would keep those answers vague and blame failure on not asking _enough_ or _the right_ follow-up questions.)
Persia outlasted Greece, Macedon, and Rome
Greece still exists though :/
Awiye Ahmed Shut the fuck up bitch you can’t even speak English right.
President Evil vague
President Evil No they don’t , Iran is ruled by Arabian “king-like” man , He is descended from Muhammad the profit , so Persia nowadays is nothing but an Arabian land .
Ser Devil
Persia also exists...
I enjoy, and appreciate the time and effort you put into making these videos. They are both entertaining and educational, and I am always looking forward to the next. In time I do hope you cover Anatolia I know you mentioned the area a bit in this video, but I would love to learn more about them in depth.
I must congratulate you on this fine video Sir. You obviously took the time to do an extensive amount of research and the result speaks for itself. A well thought out, accurate and concise video that does the Persian empires justice.
The "Parthians" weren't Parthian. Parthia was an already-existing province of the Persian and Seleucid empires, but the invaders who established the "Parthian" Empire were Parni migrants, whereas the inhabitants of Parthia were Persians.
The Nutlord
Either way, parthians were Iranians, Iranic people
The Nutlord the parni tribe knowed themselves parthians and they were iranian speakers with iranian culture
The Nutlord the parni tribe knowed themselves parthians and they were iranian speakers with iranian culture
I think the first time I heard about Persia was from an episode of "The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible" - specifically, the Daniel episode where Babylon is "divided between the Medes and Persians", and while the new king is stated to be Darius the Mede, I assumed back then that Medes and Persians were interchangeable. Therefore, when King Darius was shown as a chill enough dood, I automatically assumed "Persia consisted of pretty chill dudes." Child logic, everyone.
After that, my exposure was through Age of Empires 2, wherein Persia was the only faction to have War Elephants this time around (this was WAY before "Rise of the Rajas" changed that). Given that I loved War Elephants in the original Age of Empires, I couldn't help but view them positively (but the Byzantines were better. :P).
*PLEASE * do Epic of Gilgamesh!!
Duuuuuuuude
Drinking while watching this and 2019. Good times😁
Researching OSP and thinking. You know what would be the prettiest thing ever? Just a video of transitions between territories seized and lost, watching the borders move with the most beautiful style you guys draw maps. Like simple voiceovers saying what it's called or closed captions if you wanted but just rolling transitions of the maps. I'd watch that for hours
the AOM music is so great and I'm glad you use it
Can you do one on the German Empire?????
He said he would cover the HRE (aka Germany) in a future video
Which German Empire?
The Forty Year Old Empire
From the Rise of Prussia to After the Great War?
"Can you do one on the German Empire?????"
That would be interesting...in the way of seeing someone from the States, the nation with so much propaganda and wool over eye pulling, that I'd be interested in how it would pan out.
Persian empire: Just be good with one an other for the love Ahura masda.
Most Americans and Westerners think Persians as a people went away after the Sassanids which is not true, if Blue could make an equally impressive video about what happened to Persians and how they influenced the history of the region and some of the impressive kingdoms and empires they had like the Samanids or Samanians, that would be great.
Persians still exist lol
@@bhka6423 that's what I meant as well.
@@darhaha3391 Yeah, that was on the westerners
What's an easy read (book) on the Achaemenid Persia? Something not too academic but still informative. It's amazing to see how empires come and go. Any books in the same fashion would be much appreciated
Croesus: "Hey, I want to fight this Persian king. What do ya think are my odds?"
Oracle: **thinks really hard** "50/50."
Croesus: "I like those odds!"
Zorastrians (Parsi) came to India for refugee when Islamic Arabs persecuted them and forced them to Convert. I am Proud India gave them Refuge and helped them to preserve their great culture. Zorastrians (Parsi) in India have truly made great contribution in India's devlopment.
2.26 You'd think that the Greeks would've learned that by now
SpreadTheWordOfWalpole! Yeah, those oracles are hilarious xD
Wish you have covered the seleucid empire for longer than 2 seconds
I am Iranian but passionately love Greece and anything associates with it and oh specially their magnificent language.
Excellent job. As Persian History researchers in Persian Renaissance Movement we appreciate your elite, adorable and strong work regarding to the glory of Persian Empire. The intelectual, cultural and moral outcomes of our civilizations will last powerful and insightful till the end of time. Among hundreds of Persian historical characters and supreheros, Zaratostra, Cyrus the Great, Darius the Great, Ardeshir Papakan and Ferdowsi are Fathers of Iran in different eras (before and after Arab invasion). Not only Iranians but also the world owe them greatly. They are the world heritage.
دست از دروغ پراکنی بردار. چند تا نام کاربری درست کردی و برای تبلیغ زرتشت دروغ میگی
is there something in the geography of Persia that makes it a good place for an empire?
Persia is basically in the middle of everything, so it is really good for an empire, you're right. You've got seas to the south, Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean to the west, the Black and Caspian seas to the north, and the Indus valley and China to the east. I feel that if any two of those four options are of any economic, agricultural, or military benefit at any given point in time, you're pretty much in business.
Cool, today I suppose the Persian gulf is the biggest economic asset of "Persia"
Yea, us Persians.
As an Iranian historian ... Iran has two major disadvantages. 1- Turkey: Geography of this point makes it impossible to defeat if a powerful government is in place. Sassanid and Byzantines, Seljuk, Byzantium, Safavia and Ottoman. None of them can attack each other but neutralize one another. 2- North East of Iran: Current Turkmenistan. The hollow chess and defenseless desert, which the agile invaders can point to, send bad blows to Iran. Any fathi can easily infiltrate into the heart of Iran by conquering a few cities and crossing the Silk Road. Although this problem has been somewhat overcome by the new multi-million dollar city in Mashhad, but it still remains a problem. The rest of Iran's geography actually has a closed guard. Deserts and mountains and northern forests are good natural barriers.
I love Persia, but the Greeks need to chill and stop being biased to any empire attacking their homeland!
And also stop being so xenophobic in the present day. Pretty much the only minority they recognize is Muslims (apparently usually referring to people of Turkish descent rather than Muslims in general) and that's because it was specified in one of the international treaties they signed at some point. They've even been taken to court on human rights abuses pertaining to the suppression of non Greek cultural expression since that and pretending to be 'ethnically pure' is the whole reason they deny the existence of other ethnic groups within their borders to begin with. Not sure how much of that you already knew so sorry if it's old news to you.
taiga738 Yeah but I was referring to the ancient Greek city states. That is true though.
I wasn't sure, since that bias continued into the present as well. I haven't heard much negativity aimed at the Persian empire but they went full genocide and cultural erasure on Macedonians pretty much claiming all the ancient Macedonian stuff was Greek despite many, many sources stating otherwise. Sure a lot of it was due to feeling threatened by the Republic of Macedonia's cultural and historical claim to the part of Macedonia it occupied but considering the centuries of antagonism I'm pretty sure they held a grudge from the past too.
I felt pretty cheated when I dug it all up and realized why it was so hard to research ancient Macedonia all those times I'd tried before or why pretty much no one I talked to seemed to know about it unless they lived in the Balkans or had relatives there. My highschool history class didn't go far enough back to mention the partition among the factors leading up to WW1, the Greek civil war didn't come up during the cold war stuff, I'm pretty sure my art class called the Byzantine empire Greek when we were going over art history and every now and then the school curriculum called for some history on Greek mythology and occasionally other aspects of Greek culture and history, where at least it wasn't claimed that Macedonia was Greek.
Just for some interesting information. Greece has a ludicrously misrepresented government, the xenophobes are a loud minority, not inexistant, but closer to a 30% than a 60%.
If the xenophobes are in places of power and authority, the exact percentage doesn't matter; there are still too many. It's like how not everyone in the US is racist but enough of them are and most of the people in places of authority are among them so racism is pretty much all over the place.
Greece is still antagonizing Macedonia in terms of things like EU membership and continuing to bitch about the name claiming only Greece has a right to use it and pretending it's always been part of Greece. Macedonians are still assaulted for using their language or trying to express themselves culturally. People with the slightest affiliation to Macedonia or trying to report on their situation in Greece still get barred from entry. I'm not sure if it's still an issue but there was a government policy stripping Macedonians of their citizenship if they left the country for prolonged periods of time. Greece still doesn't follow EU regulations regarding minorities, such as bilingual signage restoring the Macedonian names they removed. 30% is still a large number. Over a quarter, a mere 20% away from half and that's probably only the ones willing to admit to their xenophobia.
Of course not all Greeks are like that but that's not really the point, much like how not all people of some other group are a certain way despite it being a problem. The problem is still there and in need of being addressed regardless of how much of a group they actually consist of. I mean, there are a few Greek historians who went against the nationalistic revisionism and tried to paint an accurate portrait of the situation but thy were outliers that tended to get shoved aside by their Greek peers. Political interests in other countries also factor into the issue, so it's not like Greece is the only country causing those problems but they ARE the loudest, persistent and most actively harmful.
OHMYGOD. THIS EXCITES ME SO MUCH BECAUSE MY (Persian/Zoroastrian) CULTURE IS LITERALLY NEVER SHOWN ANYWHERE, EVER. Also, it’s pronounced (zuh-ras-tree-anne) not (zoro-ass-tree-un) :D MAKE A VIDEO ON ZOROASTRIANISM, IT’LL BE REALLY WORTH IT.
I know right!?
That oracle was wonderfully vague because it would come true whether Creses won or lost. Very clever!
Blue: *always calls it persia*
Also Blue: It's actually a disservers to call it persia