Welcome back to the podcast history of our world. Chapter 32, Darius the Achaemenid. If we are to believe the reports that sometime prior to Cambyses'accidental death in early 522 BC that he had his brother Bardia secretly murdered, then the family tree of Cyrus was in deep trouble because there were no more male heirs. This is never a good situation for a government where power is passed on through the oldest son.
better known as primogeniture, but it's especially bad for an empire that's only 37 years old. Without the line of Cyrus the Great to act as a unifying banner throughout the Persian Empire, it seemed as if everything he had worked so hard for would simply dissolve away. Except that wouldn't be the case. Though news of Cambyses'death was widespread, no one seemed to mind too much, because the throne had already been usurped by Bardiya, his supposedly dead brother.
And the new king was already off to a hugely popular start after suspending taxes for three years. Always a popular move by rulers looking to legitimize their questionable ascension. Choosing to settle in at the old Elamite capital of Susa, Bardiya was safe from any forces still loyal to Cambyses. But shortly after seizing power, he became withdrawn and isolated. He refused to leave the palace or see any court officials and nobles, who were all very eager for an audience with their new ruler.
The only man he would see was a magus named Patizathes, a member of the Magi tribe who were also the priests of Zoraster. He was originally appointed by Cambyses to run things while the king was off in Egypt, but someone should have done a better background check on him. It so happened that Patizathes had a younger brother named Gaumata, whom everyone agreed looked like the spitting image of Bardiya. And since the real Bardiya hadn't been seen in quite a while, Well, Patasathes dresses up his brother in royal fineries and announces that the long-lost prince has returned and is the true king of Persia. This was the news that made Cambyses attempt to rush home and in the process clumsily slash his leg with his own sword, thus bringing on a lethal case of gangrene.
And while the populace might be comfortable with their new ruler, the nobles were none too pleased about being ignored. It was Cambyses'father-in-law, Othanes, who summoned a group of six other nobles with the intention of Opposing this traitor whoever he is many in the group wanted to carefully plan out how to go about this But the youngest member convinced them to act immediately This would be Cambyses personal spear bearer Darius son of the Stash Satrap of Bactria or Parthia not seen both written about he is adamant that not a single moment should be wasted in taking down The new king and his plan is fairly simple each of the seven nobles would dress in long robes perfect for concealing a sword and simply walk right in. Darius reasons that no one would dare stop so dignified a group. But if they do, they'll just come up with a quick lie on the spot.
I mean, what's the harm in that? As Herodotus reports him saying, When it is necessary to tell a lie, tell it. Whether we are liars or truth-tellers, we are all anxious to achieve the same thing. The liars tell lies in order to gain an advantage by persuading others with their lies.
The truth-tellers tell the truth, so that they will obtain advantages through their truthfulness and be more trusted. The practices differ, the end is the same. There's no way, of course, to know if he really said this, but as one so faithful to the teachings of Ahura Mazda, this seems fairly out of character. Still, regardless of the pep talk he gave beforehand, Darius and the six others make their way through the palace unopposed, before reaching the inner sanctum.
There they were stopped by the eunuch attendants who blow their cover, forcing the nobles to rush into the royal quarters and clumsily dispatch the two magi. Two conspirators are wounded in the fighting, but in the end they are victorious. The heads of the magi are chopped off and paraded throughout the palace.
All will know through these grisly trophies that the false Bardiya was dead, along with his pernicious brother. When the Persian people found out that the king they embraced was an imposter, they turned on the other magi in the city. guilty or not in this affair, and chased after them, murdering any they could catch.
Well now with Bardiya out of the picture, Persia really was without a king, and even though Darius's family was related to Cyrus by way of their ancestor Achimanes, this wasn't a game of nepotism. The seven nobles met to discuss what to do next with the empire. After a bout of discussion over different government models, the seven agree that one of them should be king, and the only fair way to do this was to leave it to fate. The seven would each ride a stallion to an agreed upon location outside the city, and whomever's horses neighed first after the sun rose would be crowned king. Except great rulers don't just sit back and hope the destiny throws them a bone.
Carpe diem, baby! Darius has already made up his mind that he should be king. The only thing left to do is rig the process. That night, Darius's loyal groom brings his stallion out to the location, as well as a mare in heat, and lets the two horses do their thing.
The next day at dawn, when all the conspirators had met at that same location, Darius's horse remembered the previous night's... fun. and loudly neighed.
Darius was now king of the Persian Empire. There is also another version of this story that has the groom getting a bit more personal with the mayor than I'd care to repeat, so I'll leave that for you to discover on your own. Well this is the tale as told through time by way of authors like Herodotus and Darius's own words, but remember history is written by the victor. What if the events of this story were actually different? What if Bardiya was not killed by Cambyses after all, and pulled off the coup by himself?
Cambyses still might have clumsily killed himself in the shock, but still, Darius and the other conspirators would not be delivering Persia from a false king. They'd be guilty of murdering the only other son of Cyrus the Great, and that would give this story a much darker tone. Still, we'll never know.
All of the fake Bardiya's followers were killed following Darius's coronation, and the truth, if different than what he presents, is lost to history. But just because his rise to power was a little iffy doesn't mean that he would turn into some depraved despot. Darius ignores the traditional game plan that you have to subjugate a country within your first 60 days on the job, and instead focuses on management. To further legitimize his kingship, he takes both of Cambyses'wives for his own. This was a smart move to provide a direct connection to the deceased king.
But it should also be noted that Cambyses'widows were also Cambyses'sisters. Pretty nasty. but it's not uncommon in the ancient world. And whereas Cambyses was trying to keep it in the family, so to speak, Darius was bolstering his Achaemenid claims, as he was now the son-in-law of Cyrus the Great. And yes, weddings are nice and all, especially when there's no confusion over who's related to who, but Darius wasted no time moving on to the actual business of running an empire, too.
He reorganizes the disparate provinces into twenty carefully carved out satrapies, each ruled by a Persian noble when possible, but locals were certainly used too, like with Babylon and the Ionians. Reporting directly to the satrap was a giant army of officials, chancellors, judges, governors, bureaucrats, and tax collectors, all loyal to the king and all working tirelessly to manage the world's largest empire to date. In addition to these positions, Darius also expanded on a concept that Cyrus had spearheaded, and that's the appointment of the king's eyes.
The men chosen to take on this title were fiercely devoted to Darius, and their one job was to travel throughout the empire checking up on the various satraps. If these agents found a satrap to be withholding taxes or was known to be corrupt, then the king's eye could also function as the king's sword, as he also supposedly commanded a small army to remove the official in question. In this manner, Darius promoted a sort of check on government power. Sure, he was still an autocrat whose every word was as if a Hora Mazda were speaking directly through him, but he was also secure enough in his own power to entrust power to others. The Persian Empire would be about more than just conquering.
It would be about effective bureaucracy. And to ensure that the king's eyes could travel throughout the empire quickly and efficiently, Darius created the first highway system in the world, the Royal Road. Sure, other civilizations had created roads before, but nothing like this.
It stretched from Sardis in the west to Susa in the east, and from there broke off to Ecbatana, the old Median capital. Anyone could use these roads, but it was the king's messengers who made the best of them. Carrying symbols of Darius'authority, they could make the some 1200 mile journey between Sardis and Susa in just seven days.
This was accomplished through a system of waypoints called piuradazish. Here a messenger could get a free hot meal, a place to rest, and a fresh horse. And if the message was urgent enough, then a courier-in-waiting could immediately ride on, in an elaborate relay race. These couriers were so effective and dedicated to their mission, that they earned the admiration of the Greeks.
As Herodotus writes,"...neither snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness of night prevents them from accomplishing the task proposed to them with the very utmost speed."If that sounds familiar, it's because the US Postal Service adopted that as their unofficial creed, a direct nod to the tireless efforts of those Persian messengers. Okay, so Darius has two blushing brides, an organized state, secret agents, and a nifty postal service. There's really only one more thing left to do. Get more money.
And taking a page from the Lydians, Darius revamped the Persian economic system by introducing state-approved coins, the dharak or dhariyaka. Made of gold or silver, these became the preferred method of doing business throughout the Near East because the purity of the coin was backed up by the government, instead of some dishonest merchant passing off a gold coin made of worthless metal. The artistry on them is pretty neat, too.
The back, or reverse, features some sort of rectangular relief, probably a maker's mark. But the front, or obverse, shows what looks like a Persian noble carrying a spear and a bow. Possibly Darius? No one's quite sure.
but the archer on the front of the coins was such a common sight that anybody doing trade in Persia frequently referred to the coins as archers, in the way dollars are called bucks and quid for the British pound. These coins were key for getting business up and running throughout the land and boy did the taxes pour in. All the satrapies paid a specific tax and even neighboring countries that weren't under Persian rule provided gifts.
The Kushites gave an annual tribute of gold, logs of ebony and elephant ivory. Well, the Nabataean Arabs who had aided Cambyses on his way to Egypt provided frankincense, a luxury item for incense. It's because of his efforts in tax administration and the economy that the Persians were said to have a saying about their first three kings. Darius was a merchant, Cambyses a despot, and Cyrus a father. Because, the first being out for profit wherever he could get it, the second harsh and arrogant, and the third merciful and worked for their well-being.
If all this sounds like Darius had a pretty good thing going on, You'd be wrong. In 519 BC, just a few years after he had started his reforms, rebellion spread like wildfire. Babylon, Media, Elam, Egypt, Parthia all turn against him.
Even the former state of Judah, where a rebel king claiming Davidic descent made a bid for freedom. And when Media rebelled, an opportunistic Scythian king conquered the province, claiming it as his own. But Darius was not one to panic.
It took him... only a year to take his army through the treacherous provinces, cutting down rebel leaders, and restoring Persian rule. Judah's attempt at rebellion, it seems, was the result of miscommunication.
Work on the second temple had ceased when the local satrap demanded they stop. But after finding a Babylonian copy of Cyrus's orders allowing it to be rebuilt, the satrap backed down, and the rebel Judean king lost his support. No doubt feeling good off his victories fighting his own subjects, Darius decides it's time to go after other people and expand the empire some more. In 516 BC, he turns his sights east, past Bactria in modern Afghanistan, and into the land of the Indus River.
At some point during either Cyrus or Cambyses reign, one of the two kings conquered the ancient kingdom of Gandhara, located in northern Pakistan. But that wasn't enough for Darius. After sending a Greek named Sylax to scout the Indus River, Darius sends his forces in, conquering all the land up to its banks. This new satrapy, called Hindush, after the river, was famous for providing the Persians with gold dust, which flowed from the north down the Indus.
His work done there, Darius turns his forces around towards his next target, the Scythians. He hadn't forgot about their little route in Media, nor did it help matters that the Scythian king had rejected Darius's request to marry one of his daughters, and it moved right out of Cyrus's playbook. After a series of insulting letters sent back and forth, Darius decides the time for war has arrived and he mobilizes his forces in 513 BC. These Scythians, keep in mind that the name is a catch-all term for the Indo-Ironic people of the Central Asian steppes, these ones in particular had made their way to Europe, in what is now Bulgaria on the eastern side of the Black Sea. Darius pursues them using the first recorded use in the west of a pontoon bridge, where wide flat boats called pontoons are hitched together and covered with tracks.
creating a makeshift passageway over water. The brilliant Greek engineer Mandrakes was tasked with this, and he successfully built the bridge over the Hellespont, or Dardanelles, that narrow strait dividing Europe from Asia. This allowed the bulk of Darius'army to travel over land, while part of his navy transported others through the sea. Now to get to the Scythians, you have to pass through Thrace, the land north of Greece famous for its tough warriors. The Thracians had their own problems with the Scythians, and while they did not welcome the intrusion of the Persians, they also did not halt their advance, rationalizing the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Darius followed the Scythians far to the north, even crossing the Danube River, but the overwhelming might of the Persian army was no match for the guerrilla tactics utilized by the Scythians. Tactics that would be used throughout the centuries by defending peoples, but famously by the Russians against Napoleon. As the Scythians retreated, they would lay waste to the countryside, burning farmlands, destroying game, poisoning wells, and using hit-and-run tactics whenever possible.
This had a severe demoralizing effect on the Persians, and realizing that his army was exhausted and hungry, Darius knew it was time to stop. The Scythians might not have been defeated, but enough of their territory was taken that they would not bother him any time soon. He would return home to continue work on his new capital at Persepolis, but not before leaving a skilled general behind named Megabysis to continue his work.
The Scythian heartland might be out of reach, but Thrace would make a nice consolation prize for the empire. Their warriors put up a fight, but eventually are forced to submit to Persian dominance. Further south lay the kingdom of Macedonia. whose king had no love for the Thracians or Scythians either, and when confronted by a Persian ambassador to join the empire as a client state, the king agreed. As was the custom, an offering of earth and water accompanied the submission, signifying that the land now belonged to Persia.
A simple but effective sign. The next time something exciting happens comes in 500 BC, and it concerns the Ionian Greek city of Miletus. The current satrap of the city was a local tyrant named Hystiaeus. Now- But tyrant in the ancient Greek sense doesn't necessarily mean the guy was some evil overlord, it just means he has absolute power. The Persians liked to employ Greek tyrants to keep their own Greek cities in check, and the tyrants enjoyed their cushy government jobs, preferring luxury over independence.
Most of the time. His daeus of Miletus was a loyal servant to the king, but a little too ambitious for his own good. He was requesting to add the newly acquired province of Thrace into Miletus'sphere of influence. and Darius, sensing the man's political hunger but not willing to lose him, orders him to come to Susa. There he would be granted the honorific title of Royal Table Companion.
You get to join the king every night for a free dinner. Not too bad, even if you are essentially a prisoner. And while Hystiaeus was away, his son-in-law Aristagoras would run the city as regent. Now it just so happened that a band of exiles had arrived in Miletus from the independent island of Naxos. the largest of the Cyclades island chain.
They had fled their own tyrant and were seeking allies to help them retake the island. Salivating at the possibility of increasing his own power, Aristagoras convinces the Naxians to let him appeal to the Persians for support. The satrap of Lydia, which oversaw the Ionian cities, was the brother of Darius called Artafernes. Arriving at the satrap's palace in Sardis, Aristagoras gives his best advertisement for conquering Naxos. It's beautiful, it's full of wealth and slaves, it's got nice beaches and palm trees, it'll triple your investment!
Act now, don't delay! Artafernes agrees to provide 200 ships and approximately 8,000 soldiers to support the invasion. And with Darius'personal approval, the combined Persian and Milesian force departs for Naxos.
But before this combined army had even arrived, the Naxians had learned of this expedition, and stocked up for siege. Their fortifications were too much for the invaders and the city too well supplied. After four months of waiting them out, food had run out in the Persian camp. And worse than that, the money had run out too.
Knowing that they would not be paid, the army disbanded, leaving the island without even making a dent. Aristagoras was doomed. He had promised the Persians wealth and glory and all he did was waste their time and money.
Turning himself in would surely mean imprisonment, or worse. So he chose to save his skin by turning on his employers and reaching out to his fellow Ionian Greeks, whom he had always cared about, of course. He just shows it in different ways, like military invasions and supreme authority. The Ionians had never truly been happy under Persian rule.
They were a free people until the Lydians conquered them, and while that situation had not been satisfactory, it turned out to be fairly profitable, especially once the Lydians invented coinage. But the Persians were too much, with their different ways and their trousers and the way they talk it sounds like bar bar bar bar But what really burnt their baklava was that they were treated like second-class citizens They were not given the same favorable trade rights as they once had they were taxed especially hard They were ruled by these unchecked tyrants and most troubling of all they were being constantly drafted to fight their Greek cousins in the Aegean Well enough was enough in 499 propelled by the words of Aristagoras the Ionian cities revolt While the Persians were busy dealing with this mess, Aristagoras traveled to mainland Greece in the winter of 499 to seek out stronger allies. Of course he heads to Sparta first, but they say no. They might be strong, but there's no sense in picking a fight with someone who's done nothing to you.
But up north on the plains of Attica, the ever-growing city of Athens agreed to Aristagoras'request and readies its soldiers. Back in Anatolia, the closest- Persians commander Artafernes was responsible for launching the attack on Miletus, where he expected the Greeks to muster their forces. But in the spring of 498 BC, the Athenians had already landed on the Ionian coast and joined up with soldiers from the coastal city of Ephesus. Oh, and taking a shortcut through the mountains, they were almost at Sardis. Artafernes rushed back home just in time to hold the main fortress, but as for the main city, the Athenians and their allies burned it all.
And then they went home, probably realizing there was no way to sustain a prolonged war when Persian reinforcements arrive. Of course, this also meant leaving their Ionian allies to whatever fate the response from Darius would be. When the Persian king received news of what had happened at Sardis, he was in disbelief.
Not that someone would dare attack him, others had done so before. But the Athenians? Darius didn't even know who they were.
Herodotus writes, The story goes that when Darius learnt of this disaster, he did not give a thought to the Ionians, knowing perfectly well that the punishment for their revolt would come. But he asked who the Athenians were. Being told of them, he called for his bow.
He took it, set an arrow on the string, shot it up into the air, and cried, Grant, O God, that I may punish the Athenians. Then he commanded one of his servants to repeat to him the words, Master remembered the Athenians three times whenever he sat down to dinner. By 493, the revolt had been crushed after a naval battle near Laid, off the coast of Miletus. Aristagoras escaped to try to find new allies in Thrace, but was murdered there by locals unwilling to get involved.
Miletus was sacked and raised, punishment for their treachery. Yet as for the other Ionian cities, Artafernes showed them a surprising amount of leniency. He spoke with Greek leaders on what went wrong, and listen to their suggestions. Their biggest problem was taxes. Isn't it always?
And to fix that, the satrap changed it from a flat tax to a progressive one. Instead of each city paying the same amount, it would now depend on the size of its territory and resources. This was enough to keep the Ionians quiet for the time being, and the revolt was declared over. But then there was Darius, sitting on his throne, fixated on the bow he had cursed those meddling Athenians with.
He had not forgotten about them. How could he? He hadn't had a meal in almost a year without a servant nagging him about it. By the Amesha Spenta, alright already.
In 492 BC, he appoints his nephew Mardonius to command the Persian forces with one order. Destroy Athens. Oh, and while you're there, see about conquering any other Greek cities. Two orders. Destroy Athens, conquer Greece, and do it on the cheap.
Three. Three orders. Mardonius actually begins his expedition by going through the Ionian cities and surprising the citizens there by expelling the tyrants. In their place, he allows them to elect their own leaders, as they have always wanted. Yes, Mardonius was allowing democracy to flourish.
Again, don't read too much into this act. Giving the Ionians one more thing they wanted would ensure their cooperation as the Persians continued a war against their fellow Greeks. But still, not a bad overture. He crosses the Hellspont and makes his way through Macedonia, officially turning it from a vassal state into a full-fledged province. However, as his navy traveled past the waters near Mount Athos in northern Greece, a storm destroyed nearly his whole fleet, and he was forced to return to Persia.
Well, if at first you don't succeed, in 490 Darius tries again, this time sending a different general named Datis and the son of his brother Artafernes, also named Artafernes. Also joining them was the old deposed tyrant of Athens, Hippias. More on him later on in the episodes.
Datis wastes no time island hopping through the Aegean, conquering mostly through reputation alone. The destruction of Miletus sent shockwaves throughout Greek lands, as it was a city famous for its philosophers and cultural contributions. So when the Persian ambassadors arrived, offering the Aegean Greeks a bloodless solution to the war, an offering of earth and water is all they needed, the Greeks took it.
And so the Persian invasion continued on. heading towards the landing destination of Hippias'choice, a small town just 26 miles away from Athens called Marathon. By now, Athens had learned that the Persians were on their way and were desperately trying to seek out allies.
Except the Athenians had not enamored themselves to their neighbors because of a policy of fighting just about everything in their path. But they still managed to get out a runner named Pheidippides, who ran the 140 miles to Sparta in just two days to beg for help. Except the Spartans were currently celebrating a festival dedicated to Apollo, and it would be sacrilege to move out until after the upcoming full moon.
Athens and Sparta are famous for their rivalry to this day, but at this point in history it's unclear whether the Spartans were actually doing this despite the Athenians or genuinely engrossed in their religious ceremonies. But regardless, they weren't coming anytime soon. The Athenian generals, or stratagoi, argued over what course of action to take.
Many said fortify the city and pray the Spartans arrive quickly, while others urged a preemptive strike. Ultimately, it was the command of one Stratagos, a man named Miltiades, who convinced the others to meet the Persians head-on in combat, like true men of Athens. The Athenians could field an army of 10,000 heavily armored hoplites, those great warriors of the ancient world.
If you wanted the Iron Age equivalent of a tank, you could do no better than a decked-out hoplite warrior. Their equipment is a checklist of the finest armor and weapons available at the time. Hardened leather underarmor, bronze breastplate, helmet with plume, leg greaves, a short sword called a xiphos, a massive spear, and their trademark circular hoplon shield from which they get their name.
In total, this meant the soldier was carrying close to 60 pounds of equipment in battle, meaning that alone it would be difficult to quickly maneuver. But the hoplite did not fight alone. He fought in a tight square of eight men across and eight men deep, all overlapping their shields and protruding the long spears from within. This was the phalanx, virtually unbreakable from the front.
This style of warfare, while not unique to the Greeks, we have picture evidence of the Sumerians practicing it, was perfected by them and then later with the Macedonians. One giant wall of iron and big pointy sticks. Joining the Athenians were the only Greeks who answered their call, about 2,000 soldiers from Plataea, a town close to Thebes. These warriors would not be as heavily armored as their Athenian allies, but would field similar weaponry and tactics.
As for the Persians, who were just two miles from the Athenian camp, their massive army would consist of archers and light cavalry, with the bulk of their army made up of the Chikara, the Levy, drafted men of fighting age from all the provinces, given simple weapons and armor, and a crash course and staying alive. And then there were the Anishia, the Immortals. These were the Persians'shock troops, substituting heavy armor for mobility. They were clad in flexible iron-scale armor under a durable double tunic, with a headdress that could be pulled down to shield against the dust of the battlefield.
A typical attack from them was a threefold affair. First, pepper the enemy with arrows. As they come closer, use a spear to keep them at a distance.
When that fails, turn to the sword and wicker shield for close combat. Their name comes from the supposed practice of keeping their numbers always at 10,000. Anytime one immortal was killed or wounded badly, there was always a new one waiting to take his place. The immortals have been in the service of Persia and Iran on and off throughout the ages, most recently into modern times, guarding the Shah until they were disbanded in 1979 following the Iranian Revolution. These guys are pretty cool, but as a side note, their name in Persian, Anushia, means attendance.
Their name in Greek is Atanati, literally those without death. And it's thought that because when the Greeks heard the name Anushia, they thought they heard Anausha, which would mean immortals. Just a little linguistic trivia for you.
Anyway, despite the fact the two forces were just two miles apart, days passed with neither side making a move. No one's quite sure why the Persians did nothing, but the Greeks were concerned. They were outnumbered three to one. And an army of just hoplites would not last long in an open field, where horses could swoop in from the unguarded rear and archers could mow them down.
The Athenians had made camp in the hills where they were better protected, but the Persians were still at the landing site, with the ocean behind them. This may have prompted Miltiades to commence the attack, or as it's been suggested, he heard reports the Persians were preparing their own attack, or they were missing some of their cavalry. But at some point in September of 490 BC, the Greeks attacked. It is said that once they were 1500 meters or about a mile from the Persians they charged covering the entire Distance in a full run. I can't run a mile on a normal day without feeling like my body is giving up on me So you can imagine running a mile wearing 60 pounds of metal on a hot summer day in tight Phalanx formation and not impaling yourself on your own spear because you got sweat in your eye.
Yeah, these guys are tough As the Greeks closed in, the hoplites shifted positions so that the center line would only be four men deep, and the two supporting wings would have the full complement of soldiers. This is a classic pincer strategy that is employed over and over again with no one ever seeming to learn from it. As the Persians pushed back against the weaker center line, the stronger wings began to close in, enveloping the trapped Persian army who had nowhere to run except back to their ships.
They broke rank and fled, having lost the battle. When the thunderous cheering of the Athenians and Plataeans had subsided, the body count was tallied up. The Persians lost 6,400 men.
The Greeks? Just 192. An Athenian named Thersippos, or also Pheidippides, was so ecstatic about this victory that he ran the 26 miles all the way back to Athens in full armor and loudly proclaimed, Nennekeikamen, we won! And then he dropped dead. And now around the world, people run the 26 mile marathon in honor of this one man's noble feat. Except with more hydration and better sneakers.
The battle was finished, but the Spartan army arrived just in the nick of time to congratulate them on their success and turn around to go home. Thanks. For the soldiers who fought this battle, the Maratonomaki They were treated with all the honors and prestige that their society could give them. The Greek playwright Aeschylus, whose works survive and give us amazing glimpses into ancient Greek life, also fought in this battle.
This, he decided, was the only accomplishment of his life worth mentioning on his epitaph. Aeschylus the Athenian, Euphorion's son, is dead. The glorious grove of Marathon can tell of his valor, as can the long-haired Persian who well remembers it. Darius took the news of his defeat in a calm and collected manner. I mean no report exists of him flipping out, breaking things, and reaming out his commanders, so all we have to go on are his previous reports that he is a calm man.
He spends the next few years preparing for another invasion of Greece, but Egypt rebels in 486 BC, and on his way to suppress it, Darius the Achaemenid, Darius the Great, dies at the age of 64. Though he had failed to punish the Athenians, who who, it must be said, were the initial aggressors here. Darius proved himself a true equal to Cyrus'accomplishments. Sure, he was a little more rough around the edges, but Cyrus was an idealist.
You need a Darius to say, Okay, I see what you're doing, but how can we prevent it from falling apart, and make a little money on the side too? Darius died a proud man, and in his own words he writes, If now you shall think that how many are the countries which King Darius held, look at the sculptures of those who bear the throne. Then shall you know, then shall it become known to you, the spear of a Persian man has gone forth far. Then shall it become known to you, a Persian man has delivered battle far indeed from Persia.
So it's now 486 BC. How about a checkup to see what the rest of the world is up to? Over in India, the Buddha has either just died or is nearing the end of his life, after having radically challenged the caste system concept with his message of non-attachment and spiritual enlightenment.
Further north in China, all the reforms made in the late spring and autumn period have given way to civil war. Off in the Americas, the mysterious Olmec were on the decline, for reasons no one's quite sure. In Northern Africa, Carthage is spreading its economic influence throughout the Mediterranean, while south of the Sahara, the Bantu people are on the move. In Europe, as Rome begins to understand its new republic, up north in what is now France, Switzerland, and Britain, the Celts were gathering their strength.
And in Greece, whose soldiers had just held off the most powerful army in the world, their victory was incomplete. The battle was won, but the war had just started. Soon Xerxes, the great and terrible, would arrive, and it would take more than just earth and water to turn away his wrath.
Except that next time on the Podcast History of Our World, we're going back in history again, way back to the earliest days of our next featured civilization, the Greeks. But really, what is a Greek? Is it all people who speak the same language? Were there always Greeks in Greece?
What about the Minoans on Crete? What's up with the bull jumping and the super low-cut shirts? And these stories about legendary kings and promiscuous gods and crazy monsters that are instantly recognizable to this day. Is there any historical basis to them? Well, it's going to be a neat episode, that's for sure.
So join me as we venture back again into a time of myth and legends to explore the earliest origins of Western civilization.