How Great Was 'Darius The Great' REALLY?

One of the most famous and recognisable Persian kings of antiquity, Darius the Great was an Achaemenid superstar, ruling the Achaemenid Persian Empire some 2,500 years ago. His tale is preserved in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus; Darius’ story stretches from India to Ukraine and the Great Steppe. Reverend Professor Lloyd LLewellyn-Jones joins Tristan Hughes to discuss the rise, reign and fall of one of the most extraordinary Persian kings; Darius I, ‘Darius the Great’. 0:00 Introduction 2:14 Who was Darius the Great? 3:49 The Behistun Inscription as historical PR 5:20 Key sources for the life of Darius 7:51 Background and the gang of seven 14:21 Legitimising the throne through marriage and myth 17:22 Quelling rebellions across the Persian Empire 20:09 Fictionalising the Achaemenid ancestry 22:16 Representation of Darius in imperial art 24:41 The lawmaker and the establishment of world order 27:17 Religious beliefs and the concept of Arta 32:03 Imperial restructuring and the tax system 33:44 The royal road and Aramaic bureaucracy 39:27 The royal household and naming Xerxes as heir 43:04 Campaigns in Scythia and the clash with Greece 50:47 The end of Darius's life and his historical legacy We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here: https://fane.com.au/whats-on/an-evening-with-tristan-hughes/ Presented by Tristan Hughes. Producers are Joseph Knight & McKenna Fernandez, senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Editor is Matthew Wilson. Channel manager is Vilde Øksnes. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #HistoryHitPodcast #TheAncients #PersianEmpire