Ancient Greek Civilization | Beyond Greece: The Persian Empire (Lecture 12)

Lecture 12: Throughout the Archaic period, contact between Greeks and non-Greeks occurred as a result of trade and colonization. By the late sixth century, however, the Persian Empire had grown so vast and powerful that the Greeks of the Ionian Coast came into direct contact with the Persians, in some cases even becoming tributary states to the Persians. This set the stage for the epic confrontation between Persia and the Greeks which would change Greek history forever.

In this lecture, we will look at the Persian Empire, its origins under Cyrus the Great, and its territorial expansion. We will discuss the accomplishments of the Persians, attempting to avoid the bias of the Greek sources. What emerges is a great and sophisticated society, which, by historical accident, became a negative image of the Greeks' view of themselves.

Suggested Reading
Cook, J.M. (1983) The Persian Empire. London.

Lecture 13: https://www.bitchute.com/video/Fh8gCbpzRvFv/