00:00 The podcast discusses the famous Battle of Thermopylae and the cinematic nature of the Spartan warriors.

10:14 The Spartan culture is designed to make its warriors extremely skilled and fearless in combat, as demonstrated by their lack of concern for a spy sent by Xerxes and their preparation for battle.

19:53 The Book of Daniel in the Bible tells the story of Belshazzar, the King of Babylon, who sees a ghostly hand writing on a wall during a party, and Daniel is brought in to interpret the writing, which predicts the downfall of Babylon and the rise of the Medes and Persians.

29:29 The problem with ancient history is that it's difficult to separate truth from fiction and know where to begin the story, but historians have tried to piece together the puzzle and understand the events that happened in ancient Persia.

39:19 The Assyrians were known for their military dominance and their practice of taking the gods of conquered civilizations, which symbolized their superiority, and the rise of the Assyrian empire in the 700s BCE set the stage for the Medes to eventually take them down.

49:13 The Assyrians had a reputation for their violent and brutal tactics, but living in an Assyrian city during this time period might have been great, as it was a wealthy and cultured society, although you wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of their foreign policy.

58:47 The step peoples of Central Asia posed a unique challenge to settled societies due to their comparable fighting power, weapons technology, and geographic advantage, and the Assyrians developed a broad policy of dealing with them through diplomacy, intermarriage, warfare, and keeping the tribes divided and fighting amongst themselves.

01:08:15 The steppe people, including the Camarians and Scythians, invade and assault the Medes, leading to the domination of the Medes by the steppe peoples for 28 years.

01:18:43 The Assyrians, led by Ashurbanipal, display their loot and mete out brutal punishments, including pulling out tongues and skinning people alive, to those who have spoken blasphemy against their gods.

01:28:41 The Babylonians and Medes arrive too late to sack the city of Ashur and instead join forces to advance on Nineveh, with the addition of a horde of Scythians, resulting in the downfall of Assyria.

01:39:19 The Assyrian cities are left in ruins and forgotten within 200 years, while new powers like Babylon, Egypt, and Lydia emerge and vie for control, leading to conflicts and the downfall of Judah.

01:49:43 The Medians and the Lydians stop fighting during a battle when a solar eclipse occurs, leading to a peace agreement brokered by Babylon and the calichians, and the battle becomes known as the battle of the Haley's river or the battle of the eclipse.

01:59:37 The Greeks viewed the use of makeup by the Medians as a sign of effeminacy and decadence, which created an opportunity for someone with opposite values, like Cyrus, to exploit.

02:09:09 Cyrus defeats Cresus and the Lydians in battle and faces the challenge of capturing the fortified city of Sardis.

02:19:37 Cyrus captures the fortified city of Sardis in 14 days, and introduces a more tolerant and lenient approach to ruling, which is appealing to the conquered peoples.

02:29:31 Cyrus insults the Greeks for having marketplaces and lying to each other, setting the stage for problems between the Greeks and the Persians.

02:38:57 Nabonidus, the king of Babylon, is unpopular and faces resentment from the priesthood and the people due to his favoritism towards another god, economic troubles, and his absence during important ceremonies, which creates an opportunity for Cyrus and the Persians to exploit these grievances and gain support.

02:48:23 Cyrus and the Babylonian army defeat the Babylonians and capture the city, with the Babylonians voluntarily opening the gates and Cyrus sparing the lives of the king and the population, which is seen as evidence of Cyrus' humanistic and moral approach to governance.

02:57:37 Cyrus begins to adopt ancient Assyrian titles and traditions, and his approach to governance involves toleration of local customs and religions, which is seen as a political move to prevent revolts and gain support from the people he conquered.

03:07:27 Cyrus the Great's death is shrouded in mystery and there are conflicting accounts, but according to Herodotus, he died while attempting to conquer a queen who saw through his diplomatic proposal and sent him a message before he could complete his amphibious river crossing.

03:16:45 Cyrus the Great is killed in battle against the Massagetae, and his body is abused by their queen, Tamaris, who fills a wineskin with his blood and declares her victory over him.