The fall of the Assyrian Empire was marked with anger and vengeance from the people. Soldiers were motivated by more than just taking loot and slaves, as demonstrated by the defacing of Assyrian reliefs in the British Museum today.
Historians point to the sudden silence in Assyrian history as the period in which the fate of the Empire was determined, with the rise of Scythian tribes and their reign of terror being signs of the Empire's eventual downfall.
The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia believed that intellectuals were a threat to their new world, and as a result, they wiped out Cambodia's intellectual class. However, they did not take photos as they did not want to publicize their actions.
This podcast discusses the decision-making process in ancient Greece, particularly focusing on the political structure of Athens and Sparta and how it influenced their reactions to outsiders offering new ideas or proposals.
Nabonidus takes the gods of surrounding towns to Babylon, believing they could perform miracles and protect their settlements, before Cyrus returns them and causes the townspeople to freak out.