#41 Empires Around the Mediterranean Sea

In this episode, we discuss certain interesting features of some of the empires that originated around the Mediterranean Sea. What exactly is an empire? We look at the first (and fierce) empire of Assyria. We look at what Herodotus wrote about the pyramids of ancient Egypt, and how the process of mummification was carried out. We consider the negative portrayal of the Persians by their enemies, the Greeks. Who were the famous Persian kings, and how did they rule the Persian Empire? What did democracy look like in ancient Athens? We discuss the Battle of Marathon and the death of Phidippides. How did the Romans differ from the Greeks? Julius Caesar was one of the Roman generals who vied for power. Why was he stabbed to death? Did the Romans keep slaves? The Roman Empire had a huge impact on Christianity, but what was the influence of Christianity on the Roman Empire? These are some of the questions we look at in this brief overview of the Assyrian, Egyptian, Persian, Greek and Roman Empires. We've drawn on the excellent articles written by Cynthia Stokes Brown, Bennett Sherry, and Mike Burns for the Big History and World History Projects. Make sure to visit oerproject.com! We've also studied the works of professors Bob Brier and Glen S Holland who teach great courses on @TheGreatCourses.