Persia Reborn: Rise of the Sasanians

The Ancients

History Hit

History

4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 11 February 2024

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Sasanians are renowned as one of Rome's most feared enemies. Founded in third century Persia by an Iranian noble called Ardashir, their dynasty oversaw the growth of a mighty empire that brought down the Parthians and survived into the early Middle Ages. But how did one family oversee the rebirth of Persia as a Mesopotamian heavyweight?

In this episode of the Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Eve MacDonald to explore how the Sassanids came to dominate a region that had been under the control of Parthian kings for five hundred years, and discover why they dared to challenge the might of Rome.

This episode was produced by Joseph Knight and edited by Aidan Lonergan

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Transcript

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0:00.0	If you're enjoying all the content in this episode and the rest of the ancient series,
0:03.8	then why not join me on a trip uncovering Pompeii and Herculaneum alongside the legendary
0:09.2	archaeologist Dr. Sophie Hay. You'll get exclusive access to the Vesuvian sites,
0:14.3	a Plontis and the Bay of Naples. To book now or find out more about this
0:18.8	and other historical trips, just go to History Hit.com
0:22.3	forward slash trips. It's the entrance on history hit. I'm Tristan Hughes your host and in today's
0:42.0	episode we are talking about the rise of one of the most powerful
0:45.7	enemies the Romans ever faced. The Sasanians. We're going to explore in detail how this mighty empire was founded, how an Iranian noble
0:56.2	called Ardashir rose to prominence in third century Persia and wrestled control from the preceding
1:02.4	Parthian dynasty that had ruled this area of the ancient world for almost 500 years.
1:08.0	It's a gruesome bloody story.
1:11.0	But we'll also explore how Ardeshir then went on to consolidate his rule as the new king,
1:16.0	as the founder of this new Persian Empire, this new Persian dynasty.
1:20.8	Of course, we'll explore his domestic policy, his founding of many new cities
1:26.2	for instance, but we'll also look at his early interactions with the great power west of
1:30.5	the Euphrates River. Rome.
1:33.0	My guest today is the awesome Dr. Eve McDonald from the University of Cardiff.
1:38.0	Eve, she is one of my favorite historians.
1:40.0	She's an expert on all things to Senianenian Persia and she also has a book on this
1:44.8	empire coming out very soon. I really do hope you enjoy. And here's Eve.
1:52.1	Eve, so great to have you back on the podcast. So nice to be here Tristan.
1:56.4	Last time we talked about Shirin and that was like the late antique period wasn't it.
	...

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