history Further Podcast: The Persian Empire: Everything You Wanted To Know On Apple Podcasts
The Phoenicians formed the navy, the Medes the cavalry, the Mesopotamians the infantry, and so on. This method worked effectively on long campaigns, but its weakness was that it took up to two years to mobilize the entire empire for war, a serious situation in the conflicts among Persia and Greece in the lengthy run. The kings themselves adopted the title of “King of Kings.” They were delighted to acknowledge the authority of the rulers of the lands they had conquered, but expected these rulers to in turn acknowledge the Persian king’s overarching supremacy. Persian photos of the kings depicted...