In this first of a two-part series, we'll take a concise look at the history of one of the greatest empires in all of antiquity - the Achaemenid Persian Empire.  Founded by Cyrus II and expanded by his successors Cambyses II and Darius I, the Achaemenid dynasty would not just go on to rule most of the known world at the time, but also transmit the ideas and innovations of its many subject peoples to from the shores of the eastern Mediterranean to the Indus River valley and beyond.  We'll start with examining the Achaemenid's rise to power, the world that they lived in, their religion including Zoroastrianism, and the beginning of their encounters with the Greek-speaking peoples of the Aegean and what would eventually lead to the Greco-Persian wars.    Contents: 00:00 Historical Backdrop (Assyria, Elam and Media)09:35 Cyrus the Great (Early Years)14:00 Cyrus vs. Croesus and Lydia20:31 Cyrus and the Conquest of Babylon24:43 Cyrus as Liberator in Biblical and Babylonian texts27:33 Cyrus and Babylon29:20 Cyrus' Last Campaign against the Massagetae32:00 Cambyses II37:06 Cambyses II - Mad or Maligned King?42:18 Darius I (Darius the Great)43:44 The Behistun Inscription and the Crisis of 522 BC55:50 Persian Ethics, Religion, and Zoroastrianism01:02:56 Achaemenid Administration - Roads, Canals and Satrapies01:08:45 Expansion into Europe and start of the Greco-Persian Wars01:11:19 Battle of Marathon01:14:28 Thank you and PatronsSupport the show