The podcast highlights the energetic efforts of Darius to create long-term support systems for the Persian Empire. The reforms brought about by him, including revising the structure of things and planning for succession, are discussed in detail.
Examining the ancient historian Dio Chrysostom's report on the official Persian version of events during the Empire of Darius, and the possible spin that was put on the story, as well as the arrival of The Mysticles in the court of Xerxes.
Herodotus describes the execution of 2000 sons of the Achaemenid elite by the orders of Persian ruler, Xerxes I, after they were taken as hostages. The execution followed the rebellion of a region in the empire, and some of the daughters of the elite were also taken as slaves, dressed provocatively and sent to carry jugs for water, serving as a reminder of the powerlessness of the parents and their children.
The Persian empire's propaganda of people willingly being part of their regime is false, as evidenced by their treatment of the Egyptians who rebelled against them in ancient times. The use of collective punishments, such as the mass execution of young boys and enslavement of girls, was a common practice in empires of the past.
The toughness of poverty can create the kind of people who can conquer or amass territory to create an empire, but eventually the cycle of empires culminates with the downhill slope, and once again, the poor guy gets stuck with the blame.