No one presents a subject like Greek theater better than Michael Scott. Captivating, intelligent, with the keen insight that he has become highly regarded for. Brilliant !!!
good old BBC Why not join the bbc happy viewers and listeners. I would be lost without radio 3, 4 and 4extra. These documentaries give me a bonus, to savour... Bunrett in Ireland
Great series. A wonderful way to learn about ancient Greece. The origins of theatre in Athens and its connection to democracy is fascinating. The plays that survived are still considered some of the best plays ever written.
The Grouch. He hated people and chased them away. One day, the future son in law who had eyes for his daughter, rescued the Grouch from a deep well. The Grouch opened his eyes to see what he had been like and realized that man was not meant to live alone, and submitted himself to favor his own daughter marrying the young man. This is reminiscent of "Forgive and ye shall be forgiven," and "Thou shalt not avenge nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
@@georgem3270 , if what you say is "true", there is no telling what any person will do or not do. Democracy is nothing more than a tool to manage survival-of-the-fittest. Everything is open to war, no peace. Since corporations are "people", Citizens' United gives us more to consider. Might is Right - by Arthur Desmond (aka Ragnar Redbeard) Serverus, thanks for replying.
What we know as the West today carries Persia’s legacy massively, to the point that the West is more Persian than Greek (see recent discussions at London University by Prof. Tom Holland, U of Oxford; also Dr. Richard Frye at Harvard; Professor Patrick Hunt at Stanford, and Prof. Maria Brosius, author of “The Persians” and lecturer at Queens College at Oxford University; and finally preeminent research by Dr. Gernot Windfur at the university of Michigan). At the very least, its global influence, “matches that of Athens, certainly surpasses Sparta’s” (Holland, T., author of “Robicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic”). The Persians who lay the foundation for Christianity via Zoroastrianism, also invented the notion of chivalry (and consequently jousting, the heavy armoured knights, and the concept of the duel passed on to Medieval Europe), the raising of one’s right hand as an oath and during an swearing in ceremony, the very basic conception of human rights, which includes religious and cultural freedom and refusal to enslave the subject populations (see “The Edict of Cyrus”; also the Jewish liberation during the Babylonian captivity in the Old Testament; also Josephus, History of The Jews). Persia - one of history’s first Caucasian nations to settle in Asia along with their Indo-European cousins the Ionian Greeks (who settled in Asia Minor), or according to Dr. Frye, “the Europeans of the East”, was also the first superpower to use force of arms to provide security for a group of other nations. Cyrus the Great used his might to liberate the slaves including the Jews held captive in Babylon. It is said that when in 5378 BC news came of their emancipation, the Jewish tribes broke into spontaneous songs of celebration and freedom. A scene that would not be repeated till millennia later when President Abraham Lincoln freed the Southern slaves. As the late Prof. David Stronach succinctly wrote, “For the first time in human history, Cyrus used his great powers to lift, not degrade the human condition”. Hence one can safely assume that despite their many imperfections, Persia and the United States were not, and are not your typical superpowers. But according to Prof. Emeritus Richard Frye of Harvard, one of the biggest “contributions the Persians made to the modern world, is the idea of a secular government, free of religious influence”. This is despite the discoveries made at the palace of Pasargsde that shows two fire alters adjoining its para-disia (the walled, or open, garden behind a reflective pool; eg., as seen at the Palace of Versailles, and The White House). The alters have religious significance and are indications of Zoroastrian symbol of light and purity (the fire), as well as for ceremonial purposes. One such ceremony would be when the newly sworn king would uphold a written “Contract” while standing at a pedestal directly across from the marble alter and swore to uphold the contract by law (usually containing specifics on how to allow for religious freedoms and protect the peoples of the empire, including pacifying the Eastern and Western fronts and securing farm-lands from marauders). The notion of the Contract, a sacred Iranian and proto-Iranian cultural tradition, was associated with the Sun-God Mithra (also God of Justice ) whom was incorporated (although demoted) onto a diety when prophet Zoroaster on a Spring day next to a river (in the first documented case of baptism), created the world’s first monotheistic religion via a “revelation by a Light” that spoke to him, declaring that there are no multiple deities or Gods, rather there is only one Supreme Being, and “We are all created in his image”. The religion decreed that, the World is divided between Good and Evil, Light and Darkness, and The Truth vs. Deceit - and thusly it is, “only up to us to choose between them”. The cosmic battle was said to be headed by Spenta Mainu (the Splendid Mind) on one side, and Angra Mainu (the Angry One) at the opposing end. Zoroaster also reveled that in end we will be judged by our actions, and that there will come a time when there will be an Armageddon, ushering the coming of a Saoshiant (Saviour). Such language were unheard of previously in the ancient world. While many are unaware, it might also have been in Zoroastrianism that we are first introduced to the existence of Adam and Eve dueling in para-daeisa (later. “The Garden of Eden”). However, Mithra, later the Mithraic cult (a much varied version of the Persian religion passed on to the Romans via Greece) not only continued to play a crucial role in Persian ideology despite the acceptance of monotheistic doctrines from Zoroaster, it also accordingly concluded, since a contract is between two willing people, and a slave is not a willing participant, then slavery was to be null (a sin). In Persia thus was formed, history’s first anti-slavery movement. Although it must be emphasized that the Persians did NOT ban slavery through out their large territories, but the concept enslavement did not exist in Iran proper, and they did free many tribes and peoples from bondage (or in the case of the aforementioned Jews, subjugation) in the lands they annexed. Other Persian achievements include the creation of the first true postal system, the many motifs, royal emblems, textiles, arched architecture, coloured-glasses, silverware art, the mounted heavy armoured warrior (French: Chevalier), and the feudal system of Medieval Europe, the culture from which emerged the Amazons (a certain degree of sexual equality among men and women), the discovery of algebra, the first medical encyclopedia (the latter two which served as the sole educational books through the European Dark Ages for 500 years), the discovery of alcohol, the discovery of measles, and the invention of the trouser and the coat and by extension, the modern suit; in general a revolution in textiles and costumery: the carpet, the Papal tiara, the tiara, the Gnome’s hat, etc., copied and accepted by the world over. The arena of garment-and-textile-art was to the Persians, what the astonishing architecture and realistic art-form was to the Mediterranean basin. With that being said, had the old Hellenes time-travelled to the modern world, they would have been shocked to discover that the World has adopted, not theirs, but the Persian way of dress, to them a symbol of the barbarians and subject to much ridicule in ancient Greece. But perhaps the biggest Persian contribution to the World might be a 3000 year old call to action, Prophet Zoroaster’s cry for unity, and “yearning for the brotherhood of mankind”. It is easy to assess the impact of the timeless heritage of Ancient Greece - democracy, the theater, art, architecture, literature and the burgeoning scientific inquiry - on the other hand however, it is difficult to measure the ubiquity and the extraordinary influence of Persia upon the world today as we know it. Yet much like the clapping of the left and the right hands, they have both left their mark on the global culture. I write this, my last article, in the memory of the brave men who fought for Greece, and for the marvelous Persians whom for 2.5 millennia had to endure its consequences. I hope this was insightful.
it's wonderful when the Beeb make tv instead of try straightjacket me into their worldview ---- still however living in hope for the moment in this docu when they tell me that men beat women at, you know.. shot-put in the same arena in ancient Athens so, you know... it's cooooool...
haha, yes inded, please put Attemborough to talk about anything, it doesn't matter what. And Michael Wood is also extraordinary, should use them for therapy...
What did the ancient Persians look like? I understand that it might be confusing at first look due to their lack of representation, but it will actually become pretty clear upon a second glance. For now as you read this just keep in mind that most contemporary art, even the ones depicted by modern Iranians themselves are based on ancient Persian Royal art, which itself was directly copied from the Assyrians and Babylonians who came before them - a highly symbolic, flat type of art where all faces regardless of which nation was represented, looked almost identical (for more see the last two paragraphs). Some of the modern art also conflates the current Middle-Eastern phenotype with that of the ancient peoples of Iran. The Persians and Spartans were both Indo-Europeans (Caucasians). But according to Greek historian Herodotus (Father of History), the Medes were blonds and sandy-haired Northern Iranians. Xerxes’s father, Darius, was a Mede, his mother a Persian. That collaborates centuries later with Roman poet and historian Ovid’s analysis when he said Northern Iranians (the Parthians, Scythians, Alans, Sarmatians, etc), were no different in appearance to the Celts and the Germanic tribes. The Roman author Ammianus Marcellinus, centuries earlier had stated the same. The few realistic art work we have of the Persians themselves done by Greek and Roman artists, depicts them as white, but dissimilar to the Greeks, and far more resembling the French, the Spaniards, and reveals them as Eastern European-like. Herodotus also noted that Xerxes was supposedly one of the most youthful in appearance and handsome men in Asia during his time, whatever that means. The most life-like depiction of ancient Persians are the “Bishapur art”, the wall and mosaic drawings done by Roman prisoners of war where they put their well-known talents to use and aided with decorating some newly constructed Persian palaces. In those, Persian women specifically and other female courtesans are depicted as almost pale with somewhat thick, flat eyebrows, with brown and black hair, very rarely some, including men, with red hair (as also depicted by Greek artists on the so-called Alexander’s sarcophagus and Sassanian floor fresco). The “Sassanian silver plates art”, also repeat the some of the same type of depictions, but since it was done by Persian artists, again many faces look similar, and have a symbolic quality to them to a certain extent, yet still a very good starting point. Other notable art include, “The Parthian solider” bust, (Greek-based), “The Dying Persian”, and “The Parthian statue”, a remarkable ancient Roman work of art with black marble used as the body, contrasting it with beige and black marble as his clothing and cape. Lastly, of importance are the many Parthian coins still in survival. Clean shaven (or not), and inspired by realistic portrayals unique to Hellenic art, Parthian kings and Princes with their Iranian weapons of choice, the bow and the arrow, look like Scandinavian war-lords, or at the very least are very Robinhood-like (see Arsaces I). Alexander’s northern Iranian wife who was after his death murdered by his mom or his men, was named Rukhshanaa (Roxana, Roxanne). In ancient Iranian and still today’s Persian, it means, shiny-faced, light-face. Back then, and even today in Iran, the more secluded a tribal group was/is, the “lighter-skinned” in appearance they are, something that again, is Specially true for some reason or the other with Iranian women, signaling lack of intermarriage. The indigenous peoples of the Iranian plateau, the Elamites, had beautiful olive-skin with long braided hairs, whom Persian royals went on to copy, as a form of fashion of the times, as well as borrowing their long robes with wide bejeweled sleeves. Their sophisticated culture was long established before the arrival of the Persians and other Iranian tribes. THE BOTTOM LINE? Northern Iranians aside, focusing strictly on the Persian tribes (Southern Iranians), THEY, resembled modern Albanians, Romanians, and modern Northern Italians, as well as very strongly, the Medieval Europeans (excluding Northern Europe). When you see an image of a Medieval European, from Hungary, Spain, and above all, France and Portugal, you are most likely coming very close to seeing the face of an ancient Persian. Accordingly, see the rock carving of the Khosrow II, an artistic work and an archeological piece 1000 years before the emergence of the Medieval Europe and the concept of the heavy armored warrior (what the French would later call the Chevalier, or the British, the knight). Ancient Iranian tribes hailed from Ukraine by the way, at least that’s as far as we can tell. As the late Prof. Emeritus Richard Frye of Harvard noted, while the Iranians are not geographically Eastern Europeans, they are however, “The Europeans of the East”. Or according to encyclopedia Brittanica, “The name Persia derives from Parsa, the name of the Indo-European nomadic people who migrated into southern Iran…in about 1000 BCE”. It’s important to note that Persian imperial art itself in Persepolis and other places does NOT depict the Persians, or any other groups, realistically, as they all show a flat profile, with most faces looking very similar or almost identical. This was partially borrowed from the Assyrian and Babylonian empires who came before them, to portray a continuity and homogeneity of races. It was also an attempt to legitimize Persian rule, the world’s first Indo-European super power, who replaced thousands of years of semitic kingship (the Egyptians and the aforementioned civilizations). Let me repeat that one more time, ancient Persian art itself is NOT realistic, but more symbolic. Where the “Indo” suffix of the designation, Indo-European comes from is due to the fact that while some Iranians tribes where settling in their new homeland, in modern Iran, simultaneously other Iranic tribes invaded Northern India. That is why many Indic and ancient Iranian Gods and religious beliefs display similarities. The British scholar who coined the term thought that the related-European groups passed through the Hindu Kush mountains. Although at some point the old Ariana (Iranian tribes) who invaded India were fortunately, eventually absorbed by the indigenous Brahmin population. Otherwise we wouldn’t have the nation of India, as we know it today. Something that for anyone who is a lover of cultures, arts, mathematics and good food would be unimaginable. That’s ethnicity; linguistically Iranian languages are classified as the aforementioned Indo-European, which can in turn be termed as ancient English. Words like, mother, father, son, daughter (dokhtar). ponder (pendaar), nice (nik,neekoo, nikki; Greek: Nike), Jasmine (yaasamin), scarlet (saghalaat, see Merriam-Webster), Melchior, art (Old Pers.: arta), mind (manaa), grab (Avestan/Eastern Persian, grab), far (related to fara, ex: faravahar; fra, par-vaaz), being (boodan), is (hast), you, tiger (tighra; Merriam-Webster), it (een), Allan (Alan, Alania; from the Northern Iranian tribes who settled in modern day Scotland), Ariana (Arya, Aria, Eire-aan, ultimately, “Iran”). Amazon (hama-zan; see “Sarmatians” in Brittanica; also Online Etymology Dictionary; also Adrienne Mayor, The National Geographic; also “The Early Amazons, JH Block, 1995), Caucasian (search engine: etymology of Caucasus), etc, are mostly still found in Farsi. I hope this was helpful.
The result of genetic studies: The Proto-Iranians can trace their origin to roughly modern Ukraine and Chelyabinsk, Oblast, Russia. These sites have been archeology completed and they are the so-called Sintasha and other cultures where the horse was first most likely domesticated. Before that we had the Andronova culture, with similarities to the Sintasha. On the other side, to the West of these cultures there was the Srubnaya culture that later both layered and replaced the Potapovka peoples. The Potapovka culture in turn was derived from the Poltavka culture. The genetically and culturally related “coded ware” was to the North of Srubnya and Sintasha cultures; the aforementioned “Coded Ware” culture was the first to migrate to the European continent. Although partially most of these related cultures migrated to Europe, some came back to Central Asia and Russia, some stayed in Europe. In these cultures mentioned, we see the emergence of various Iranian languages, a sub section of the larger Indo-European linguistic family that itself first bloomed in the Yamnaya culture in Southern Russia. The catacomb culture was to the South of ALL of these cultures mentioned. There were other cultures (settlements), but there no absolutely no need to go through every single one. Ultimately, the aforementioned populations were ALL related, yet with slight variations. At any rate, below are genetic studies and scholarly works that will expand on these answers further, “In studies from the mid-2000s, the Andronovo have been described by archaeologists as having cranial features similar to ancient and modern European populations. Andronovo skulls are similar to those of the Srubnaya culture and Sintashta culture, exhibiting features such as dolicocephaly. Through Iranian and Indo-Aryan migrations, this physical type expanded southwards and mixed with aboriginal peoples, contributing to the formation of modern populations…”- Kuzmina, 2007, p. 171. “The Potapovka culture is thought to belong to an eastward migration of Indo-European-speakers who eventually emerged as the Indo-Iranians. David W. Anthony considers the Potapovka culture and the Sintashta culture as archaeological manifestations of the early Indo-Iranian languages.” “In a genetic study published in Science in 2018, the remains four individuals ascribed to the Potapovka culture was analyzed. Of the two males, one carried R1a1a1b2a2a and U2e1, while the other carried R1 and C. People of the Potapovka culture were found to be closely related to people of the Corded Ware culture, the Sintashta culture, the Andronovo culture and the Srubnaya culture. These were found to harbor mixed ancestry from the Yamnaya culture and peoples of the Central European Middle Neolithic. The genetic data suggested that these related cultures were ultimately derived from a remigration of Central European peoples with steppe ancestry back into the steppe.” “The Potapovka people were massively built Caucasoids/Europoids. Their skulls are similar to those of the Catacomb culture. Potapovka skulls are less dolichocephalic than those of the Fatyanovo-Balanovo culture, Abashevo culture, Sintashta culture, Srubnaya culture and western Andronovo culture. The physical type of the Potapovka appears to have emerged through a mixture between the purely dolichocephalic type of the Sintashta, and the less dolichocephalic type of the Yamnaya culture and Poltavka culture.”
20:22(40:47) "Sacred band" of thebes were homosexual warriors who fought & died side by side. That fact alone is pretty interesting imo, so dunno why they didnt really go into it. Not even mention it. Maybe its not that related to the main topic but hey if ur already talking about a victory of theirs, maybe one more sentence wouldnt hurt BBC4 ;)
@me me Wikipedia for "Sacred Band of Thebes" (top search result by the way) cites ISBN 9780521810654 ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Band_of_Thebes#cite_note-ludwig-15 ). It looks like a big book, fancy cover, so probably smart.
„Didn’t even mention” WHAT about the sacred band? I really don’t get what you’re upset about? That they were gay? SO? The greatest fighters of their age (Spartans) were also gay….Is it the fact that “they fought side-by-side?”……Standard operating procedure.
Mr scott, I know you’re on the side of the Greek version of history, no doubt its how you’ve been taught in England. But you sound like an intelligent person, and im sure you’re familiar with a lot of ancient history. Considering everything you’ve heard and read about history, im sure deep down inside you know the ancient Macedonians were not Greek.
Watchman of MKDN You are right! All these decades spent on studying! How could all the scholars in the world not see it? Prof. Scott should know that the Macedonians were ancient Slavs. In fact Alexander was the first tsar in history. His matryoska must have been so proud. I guess the entire world believes in some sort of propaganda and only the nationalist regime that runs the country called North Macedonia knows the truth...
Ancient Macedonia was-and is-located in today’s Northern Greece (Phillip’s former palace-the center of his kingdom-sits squarely within N. Macedonia)…… (Why do ppl from other regions feel the need to appropriate the history of others)??
I’m terribly sorry dear, Enver but science has already proven your propaganda wrong. 🤷♂️ www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/08/greeks-really-do-have-near-mythical-origins-ancient-dna-reveals
"Greece" was not Greek. The concept of Greece did not exist yet. There were still the city states. Thebans were Thebans. Athenians were Athenians. Even their conquered territories never lost their original identity. They just had to pay taxes. Read ur historty man. And stop trying to attach modern concepts of nationalities to ancient peoples. Were ALL 1 human family. 99.9% identical. If ur focusing on that 0.01% then ur missing the big picture
Of course not. Greece was not a country in ancient times, so people were known by the cities they lived in Eg. in Athens, you were known as Athenian, not Greek. We really just call it Ancient Greece as what we are talking about happened predominantly in what we now call Greece, but in ancient times.
No one presents a subject like Greek theater better than Michael Scott. Captivating, intelligent, with the keen insight that he has become highly regarded for. Brilliant !!!
Agreed ❤
Finally, an amazing ancient history documentary I knew absolutely nothing about!! Without a doubt I'll watch this one a million times over!!
I've told you a million times.
Stop exaggerating 😂
@@FrazerStamps-te5ov 😆🤣
….I’ve got to say it : What a GORGEOUS hunk of manhood professor Scott is! ❤
good old BBC
Why not join the bbc happy viewers and listeners.
I would be lost without radio 3, 4 and 4extra.
These documentaries give me a bonus, to savour...
Bunrett in Ireland
Great documentary, I really enjoyed.
Professor Cartledge of Cambridge = Great ideas, expressions, even voice…..What a fabulous teacher he must be…
Great series. A wonderful way to learn about ancient Greece. The origins of theatre in Athens and its connection to democracy is fascinating. The plays that survived are still considered some of the best plays ever written.
Θαυμάσια σειρά, φωτεινή, πλουσιοπάροχη.
Amazing video! I want to dive into classic Greek theater! A big hole in my literature learning.
The Grouch. He hated people and chased them away. One day, the future son in law who had eyes for his daughter, rescued the Grouch from a deep well. The Grouch opened his eyes to see what he had been like and realized that man was not meant to live alone, and submitted himself to favor his own daughter marrying the young man.
This is reminiscent of "Forgive and ye shall be forgiven," and "Thou shalt not avenge nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
Great documentary, well presented and researched and it does help that the presenter is utterly adorable!
amazing narration!
Agreed.
Very recommendable
Excellent doc but we need ccs and transcripts
If CCS is equivalent to CYA (cover your ass) or, in academic parlance, 'citation needed', I thought this all the way through, and concur.
I think that Hill near or by Maraton was and is a earlyer monument on a battlefield then the Pillar of the war between Thebes and Sparta
5:00 if at first you don't succeed, quote pieces of theatre or literature.
Existem legendas em Português? Alguém pode me informar? Agradeço.
This series is one of the finest. The takeaway for me: A question that shakes the ground, is might right? What was your take away?
Unfortunately that is human nature. Always was, always will be. That is not to say that we shouldn't strive for a more humane and fairer world.
@@georgem3270 , if what you say is "true", there is no telling what any person will do or not do. Democracy is nothing more than a tool to manage survival-of-the-fittest. Everything is open to war, no peace. Since corporations are "people", Citizens' United gives us more to consider.
Might is Right - by Arthur Desmond (aka Ragnar Redbeard)
Serverus, thanks for replying.
Greek theater began as a religious event. Most of the protagonists were to suffer downfall of hubris.
What we know as the West today carries Persia’s legacy massively, to the point that the West is more Persian than Greek (see recent discussions at London University by Prof. Tom Holland, U of Oxford; also Dr. Richard Frye at Harvard; Professor Patrick Hunt at Stanford, and Prof. Maria Brosius, author of “The Persians” and lecturer at Queens College at Oxford University; and finally preeminent research by Dr. Gernot Windfur at the university of Michigan).
At the very least, its global influence, “matches that of Athens, certainly surpasses Sparta’s” (Holland, T., author of “Robicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic”).
The Persians who lay the foundation for Christianity via Zoroastrianism, also invented the notion of chivalry (and consequently jousting, the heavy armoured knights, and the concept of the duel passed on to Medieval Europe), the raising of one’s right hand as an oath and during an swearing in ceremony, the very basic conception of human rights, which includes religious and cultural freedom and refusal to enslave the subject populations (see “The Edict of Cyrus”; also the Jewish liberation during the Babylonian captivity in the Old Testament; also Josephus, History of The Jews).
Persia - one of history’s first Caucasian nations to settle in Asia along with their Indo-European cousins the Ionian Greeks (who settled in Asia Minor), or according to Dr. Frye, “the Europeans of the East”, was also the first superpower to use force of arms to provide security for a group of other nations.
Cyrus the Great used his might to liberate the slaves including the Jews held captive in Babylon. It is said that when in 5378 BC news came of their emancipation, the Jewish tribes broke into spontaneous songs of celebration and freedom. A scene that would not be repeated till millennia later when President Abraham Lincoln freed the Southern slaves.
As the late Prof. David Stronach succinctly wrote, “For the first time in human history, Cyrus used his great powers to lift, not degrade the human condition”.
Hence one can safely assume that despite their many imperfections, Persia and the United States were not, and are not your typical superpowers.
But according to Prof. Emeritus Richard Frye of Harvard, one of the biggest “contributions the Persians made to the modern world, is the idea of a secular government, free of religious influence”. This is despite the discoveries made at the palace of Pasargsde that shows two fire alters adjoining its para-disia (the walled, or open, garden behind a reflective pool; eg., as seen at the Palace of Versailles, and The White House). The alters have religious significance and are indications of Zoroastrian symbol of light and purity (the fire), as well as for ceremonial purposes. One such ceremony would be when the newly sworn king would uphold a written “Contract” while standing at a pedestal directly across from the marble alter and swore to uphold the contract by law (usually containing specifics on how to allow for religious freedoms and protect the peoples of the empire, including pacifying the Eastern and Western fronts and securing farm-lands from marauders).
The notion of the Contract, a sacred Iranian and proto-Iranian cultural tradition, was associated with the Sun-God Mithra (also God of Justice ) whom was incorporated (although demoted) onto a diety when prophet Zoroaster on a Spring day next to a river (in the first documented case of baptism), created the world’s first monotheistic religion via a “revelation by a Light” that spoke to him, declaring that there are no multiple deities or Gods, rather there is only one Supreme Being, and “We are all created in his image”. The religion decreed that, the World is divided between Good and Evil, Light and Darkness, and The Truth vs. Deceit - and thusly it is, “only up to us to choose between them”. The cosmic battle was said to be headed by Spenta Mainu (the Splendid Mind) on one side, and Angra Mainu (the Angry One) at the opposing end.
Zoroaster also reveled that in end we will be judged by our actions, and that there will come a time when there will be an Armageddon, ushering the coming of a Saoshiant (Saviour). Such language were unheard of previously in the ancient world.
While many are unaware, it might also have been in Zoroastrianism that we are first introduced to the existence of Adam and Eve dueling in para-daeisa (later. “The Garden of Eden”).
However, Mithra, later the Mithraic cult (a much varied version of the Persian religion passed on to the Romans via Greece) not only continued to play a crucial role in Persian ideology despite the acceptance of monotheistic doctrines from Zoroaster, it also accordingly concluded, since a contract is between two willing people, and a slave is not a willing participant, then slavery was to be null (a sin). In Persia thus was formed, history’s first anti-slavery movement.
Although it must be emphasized that the Persians did NOT ban slavery through out their large territories, but the concept enslavement did not exist in Iran proper, and they did free many tribes and peoples from bondage (or in the case of the aforementioned Jews, subjugation) in the lands they annexed.
Other Persian achievements include the creation of the first true postal system, the many motifs, royal emblems, textiles, arched architecture, coloured-glasses, silverware art, the mounted heavy armoured warrior (French: Chevalier), and the feudal system of Medieval Europe, the culture from which emerged the Amazons (a certain degree of sexual equality among men and women), the discovery of algebra, the first medical encyclopedia (the latter two which served as the sole educational books through the European Dark Ages for 500 years), the discovery of alcohol, the discovery of measles, and the invention of the trouser and the coat and by extension, the modern suit; in general a revolution in textiles and costumery: the carpet, the Papal tiara, the tiara, the Gnome’s hat, etc., copied and accepted by the world over.
The arena of garment-and-textile-art was to the Persians, what the astonishing architecture and realistic art-form was to the Mediterranean basin.
With that being said, had the old Hellenes time-travelled to the modern world, they would have been shocked to discover that the World has adopted, not theirs, but the Persian way of dress, to them a symbol of the barbarians and subject to much ridicule in ancient Greece.
But perhaps the biggest Persian contribution to the World might be a 3000 year old call to action, Prophet Zoroaster’s cry for unity, and “yearning for the brotherhood of mankind”.
It is easy to assess the impact of the timeless heritage of Ancient Greece - democracy, the theater, art, architecture, literature and the burgeoning scientific inquiry - on the other hand however, it is difficult to measure the ubiquity and the extraordinary influence of Persia upon the world today as we know it.
Yet much like the clapping of the left and the right hands, they have both left their mark on the global culture.
I write this, my last article, in the memory of the brave men who fought for Greece, and for the marvelous Persians whom for 2.5 millennia had to endure its consequences.
I hope this was insightful.
48:05 DONT STARE AT THE MOLE! DONT STARE AT THE MOLE! DONT STARE AT THE MOLE!
it's wonderful when the Beeb make tv instead of try straightjacket me into their worldview ---- still however living in hope for the moment in this docu when they tell me that men beat women at, you know.. shot-put in the same arena in ancient Athens so, you know... it's cooooool...
British narration is like heroin to me.
so so true. hahahah
haha, yes inded, please put Attemborough to talk about anything, it doesn't matter what. And Michael Wood is also extraordinary, should use them for therapy...
hav u tried da new devourer jit?
What did the ancient Persians look like? I understand that it might be confusing at first look due to their lack of representation, but it will actually become pretty clear upon a second glance. For now as you read this just keep in mind that most contemporary art, even the ones depicted by modern Iranians themselves are based on ancient Persian Royal art, which itself was directly copied from the Assyrians and Babylonians who came before them - a highly symbolic, flat type of art where all faces regardless of which nation was represented, looked almost identical (for more see the last two paragraphs). Some of the modern art also conflates the current Middle-Eastern phenotype with that of the ancient peoples of Iran.
The Persians and Spartans were both Indo-Europeans (Caucasians). But according to Greek historian Herodotus (Father of History), the Medes were blonds and sandy-haired Northern Iranians. Xerxes’s father, Darius, was a Mede, his mother a Persian. That collaborates centuries later with Roman poet and historian Ovid’s analysis when he said Northern Iranians (the Parthians, Scythians, Alans, Sarmatians, etc), were no different in appearance to the Celts and the Germanic tribes. The Roman author Ammianus Marcellinus, centuries earlier had stated the same.
The few realistic art work we have of the Persians themselves done by Greek and Roman artists, depicts them as white, but dissimilar to the Greeks, and far more resembling the French, the Spaniards, and reveals them as Eastern European-like. Herodotus also noted that Xerxes was supposedly one of the most youthful in appearance and handsome men in Asia during his time, whatever that means.
The most life-like depiction of ancient Persians are the “Bishapur art”, the wall and mosaic drawings done by Roman prisoners of war where they put their well-known talents to use and aided with decorating some newly constructed Persian palaces. In those, Persian women specifically and other female courtesans are depicted as almost pale with somewhat thick, flat eyebrows, with brown and black hair, very rarely some, including men, with red hair (as also depicted by Greek artists on the so-called Alexander’s sarcophagus and Sassanian floor fresco). The “Sassanian silver plates art”, also repeat the some of the same type of depictions, but since it was done by Persian artists, again many faces look similar, and have a symbolic quality to them to a certain extent, yet still a very good starting point. Other notable art include, “The Parthian solider” bust, (Greek-based), “The Dying Persian”, and “The Parthian statue”, a remarkable ancient Roman work of art with black marble used as the body, contrasting it with beige and black marble as his clothing and cape. Lastly, of importance are the many Parthian coins still in survival. Clean shaven (or not), and inspired by realistic portrayals unique to Hellenic art, Parthian kings and Princes with their Iranian weapons of choice, the bow and the arrow, look like Scandinavian war-lords, or at the very least are very Robinhood-like (see Arsaces I).
Alexander’s northern Iranian wife who was after his death murdered by his mom or his men, was named Rukhshanaa (Roxana, Roxanne). In ancient Iranian and still today’s Persian, it means, shiny-faced, light-face. Back then, and even today in Iran, the more secluded a tribal group was/is, the “lighter-skinned” in appearance they are, something that again, is Specially true for some reason or the other with Iranian women, signaling lack of intermarriage. The indigenous peoples of the Iranian plateau, the Elamites, had beautiful olive-skin with long braided hairs, whom Persian royals went on to copy, as a form of fashion of the times, as well as borrowing their long robes with wide bejeweled sleeves. Their sophisticated culture was long established before the arrival of the Persians and other Iranian tribes.
THE BOTTOM LINE? Northern Iranians aside, focusing strictly on the Persian tribes (Southern Iranians), THEY, resembled modern Albanians, Romanians, and modern Northern Italians, as well as very strongly, the Medieval Europeans (excluding Northern Europe). When you see an image of a Medieval European, from Hungary, Spain, and above all, France and Portugal, you are most likely coming very close to seeing the face of an ancient Persian. Accordingly, see the rock carving of the Khosrow II, an artistic work and an archeological piece 1000 years before the emergence of the Medieval Europe and the concept of the heavy armored warrior (what the French would later call the Chevalier, or the British, the knight). Ancient Iranian tribes hailed from Ukraine by the way, at least that’s as far as we can tell.
As the late Prof. Emeritus Richard Frye of Harvard noted, while the Iranians are not geographically Eastern Europeans, they are however, “The Europeans of the East”. Or according to encyclopedia Brittanica,
“The name Persia derives from Parsa, the name of the Indo-European nomadic people who migrated into southern Iran…in about 1000 BCE”.
It’s important to note that Persian imperial art itself in Persepolis and other places does NOT depict the Persians, or any other groups, realistically, as they all show a flat profile, with most faces looking very similar or almost identical. This was partially borrowed from the Assyrian and Babylonian empires who came before them, to portray a continuity and homogeneity of races. It was also an attempt to legitimize Persian rule, the world’s first Indo-European super power, who replaced thousands of years of semitic kingship (the Egyptians and the aforementioned civilizations). Let me repeat that one more time, ancient Persian art itself is NOT realistic, but more symbolic.
Where the “Indo” suffix of the designation, Indo-European comes from is due to the fact that while some Iranians tribes where settling in their new homeland, in modern Iran, simultaneously other Iranic tribes invaded Northern India. That is why many Indic and ancient Iranian Gods and religious beliefs display similarities. The British scholar who coined the term thought that the related-European groups passed through the Hindu Kush mountains. Although at some point the old Ariana (Iranian tribes) who invaded India were fortunately, eventually absorbed by the indigenous Brahmin population. Otherwise we wouldn’t have the nation of India, as we know it today. Something that for anyone who is a lover of cultures, arts, mathematics and good food would be unimaginable.
That’s ethnicity; linguistically Iranian languages are classified as the aforementioned Indo-European, which can in turn be termed as ancient English.
Words like, mother, father, son, daughter (dokhtar). ponder (pendaar), nice (nik,neekoo, nikki; Greek: Nike), Jasmine (yaasamin), scarlet (saghalaat, see Merriam-Webster), Melchior, art (Old Pers.: arta), mind (manaa), grab (Avestan/Eastern Persian, grab), far (related to fara, ex: faravahar; fra, par-vaaz), being (boodan), is (hast), you, tiger (tighra; Merriam-Webster), it (een), Allan (Alan, Alania; from the Northern Iranian tribes who settled in modern day Scotland), Ariana (Arya, Aria, Eire-aan, ultimately, “Iran”). Amazon (hama-zan; see “Sarmatians” in Brittanica; also Online Etymology Dictionary; also Adrienne Mayor, The National Geographic; also “The Early Amazons, JH Block, 1995), Caucasian (search engine: etymology of Caucasus), etc, are mostly still found in Farsi.
I hope this was helpful.
The result of genetic studies: The Proto-Iranians can trace their origin to roughly modern Ukraine and Chelyabinsk, Oblast, Russia. These sites have been archeology completed and they are the so-called Sintasha and other cultures where the horse was first most likely domesticated. Before that we had the Andronova culture, with similarities to the Sintasha. On the other side, to the West of these cultures there was the Srubnaya culture that later both layered and replaced the Potapovka peoples. The Potapovka culture in turn was derived from the Poltavka culture. The genetically and culturally related “coded ware” was to the North of Srubnya and Sintasha cultures; the aforementioned “Coded Ware” culture was the first to migrate to the European continent. Although partially most of these related cultures migrated to Europe, some came back to Central Asia and Russia, some stayed in Europe. In these cultures mentioned, we see the emergence of various Iranian languages, a sub section of the larger Indo-European linguistic family that itself first bloomed in the Yamnaya culture in Southern Russia. The catacomb culture was to the South of ALL of these cultures mentioned. There were other cultures (settlements), but there no absolutely no need to go through every single one. Ultimately, the aforementioned populations were ALL related, yet with slight variations.
At any rate, below are genetic studies and scholarly works that will expand on these answers further,
“In studies from the mid-2000s, the Andronovo have been described by archaeologists as having cranial features similar to ancient and modern European populations. Andronovo skulls are similar to those of the Srubnaya culture and Sintashta culture, exhibiting features such as dolicocephaly. Through Iranian and Indo-Aryan migrations, this physical type expanded southwards and mixed with aboriginal peoples, contributing to the formation of modern populations…”- Kuzmina, 2007, p. 171.
“The Potapovka culture is thought to belong to an eastward migration of Indo-European-speakers who eventually emerged as the Indo-Iranians. David W. Anthony considers the Potapovka culture and the Sintashta culture as archaeological manifestations of the early Indo-Iranian languages.”
“In a genetic study published in Science in 2018, the remains four individuals ascribed to the Potapovka culture was analyzed. Of the two males, one carried R1a1a1b2a2a and U2e1, while the other carried R1 and C. People of the Potapovka culture were found to be closely related to people of the Corded Ware culture, the Sintashta culture, the Andronovo culture and the Srubnaya culture. These were found to harbor mixed ancestry from the Yamnaya culture and peoples of the Central European Middle Neolithic. The genetic data suggested that these related cultures were ultimately derived from a remigration of Central European peoples with steppe ancestry back into the steppe.”
“The Potapovka people were massively built Caucasoids/Europoids. Their skulls are similar to those of the Catacomb culture. Potapovka skulls are less dolichocephalic than those of the Fatyanovo-Balanovo culture, Abashevo culture, Sintashta culture, Srubnaya culture and western Andronovo culture. The physical type of the Potapovka appears to have emerged through a mixture between the purely dolichocephalic type of the Sintashta, and the less dolichocephalic type of the Yamnaya culture and Poltavka culture.”
good show ...what s the name of the play?
if you mean the one in the beginning, it is called BACCHAE ( women followers of god Dionysus ) by Euripides.
Did you watch the episode? If so, did you only hear one play mentioned?
Nietzsche send me here.
Lead up to the fall of democratic Greece...reprising of classical plays (movies) and focus on the actors. Sound familiar?
20:22(40:47) "Sacred band" of thebes were homosexual warriors who fought & died side by side. That fact alone is pretty interesting imo, so dunno why they didnt really go into it. Not even mention it. Maybe its not that related to the main topic but hey if ur already talking about a victory of theirs, maybe one more sentence wouldnt hurt BBC4 ;)
@me me Wikipedia for "Sacred Band of Thebes" (top search result by the way) cites ISBN 9780521810654 ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Band_of_Thebes#cite_note-ludwig-15 ). It looks like a big book, fancy cover, so probably smart.
„Didn’t even mention” WHAT about the sacred band? I really don’t get what you’re upset about? That they were gay? SO? The greatest fighters of their age (Spartans) were also gay….Is it the fact that “they fought side-by-side?”……Standard operating procedure.
mummy what is that pointy thing coming out the mens clothes at 7:58
Where’s 3/3?
46:30 the great tradigians XD
You're right. I thought he'd said "tragedians" pronouncing the DI as J but no, that first consonant was a D... definitely switched the two around. :)
Benfica Caralho!!!!
Its hard to follow what this guy is talking about as I'm more focused on his good looks then what he's saying, lol
And don't want to hear about Theatres....
Women don't care who wins or loses in war. Only that the male winners of war like them.
oh and twitch if u reading this, gimme some of dat free rp. tryna get high noon yas ight bet?
SCOTT'S LOOKS ARE DISTRACTING....& THOSE BLUE EYES .....!!!!! JUST MY OPINION..
M E DI A controls all in the end.
Mr scott, I know you’re on the side of the Greek version of history, no doubt its how you’ve been taught in England. But you sound like an intelligent person, and im sure you’re familiar with a lot of ancient history.
Considering everything you’ve heard and read about history, im sure deep down inside you know the ancient Macedonians were not Greek.
Watchman of MKDN You are right! All these decades spent on studying! How could all the scholars in the world not see it? Prof. Scott should know that the Macedonians were ancient Slavs. In fact Alexander was the first tsar in history. His matryoska must have been so proud. I guess the entire world believes in some sort of propaganda and only the nationalist regime that runs the country called North Macedonia knows the truth...
Not Greek. Hellenes. An Hellenic diaspora. Greek
Ancient Macedonia was-and is-located in today’s Northern Greece (Phillip’s former palace-the center of his kingdom-sits squarely within N. Macedonia)……
(Why do ppl from other regions feel the need to appropriate the history of others)??
@@angrybirdo ……Good grief. Not a “Slavic” bone in his body…
how did the macedonians write , wasnt it in greek?
No......not interested in political history.....😮
The Ancient greek was not greek
F off Albanian 🤣
Ilirjan Azari You’re right. God bless the ancient Albanians. They gave us democracy, theater, philosophy... Plato is my favorite ancient Albanian!
I’m terribly sorry dear, Enver but science has already proven your propaganda wrong. 🤷♂️
www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/08/greeks-really-do-have-near-mythical-origins-ancient-dna-reveals
"Greece" was not Greek. The concept of Greece did not exist yet. There were still the city states. Thebans were Thebans. Athenians were Athenians. Even their conquered territories never lost their original identity. They just had to pay taxes. Read ur historty man. And stop trying to attach modern concepts of nationalities to ancient peoples. Were ALL 1 human family. 99.9% identical. If ur focusing on that 0.01% then ur missing the big picture
Of course not. Greece was not a country in ancient times, so people were known by the cities they lived in Eg. in Athens, you were known as Athenian, not Greek. We really just call it Ancient Greece as what we are talking about happened predominantly in what we now call Greece, but in ancient times.