A History of the Persian Empire
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A History of the Persian Empire by A.T. Olmstead comes up on Hardcore History, with transcript quotes, timestamps, and episode context.
A History of the Persian Empire by A.T. Olmstead appears 3 times across 3 podcast episodes on 1 show, with transcript quotes and timestamps.
“One great defect had sullied his character, meaning Cyrus's character, occasional and incalculable cruelty.”
Why people keep bringing this up
The History of the Persian Empire is cited repeatedly on Hardcore History across three consecutive episodes (Show 56, 57 and 58), where the host invokes both A.T. Olmstead and Will Durant. In Show 56 the host proposes “letting historian A.T. Olmstead in a book published in 1948 say it,” in Show 58 Olmstead is described as having “wrote a history of the Persians that also addresses the character of Xerxes as a misunderstood figure,” and in Show 57 Will Durant’s 1930s work is called “a great historian writing an outdated history” that gives “the traditional Cambysi story.”
These mentions function as source signals within the Hardcore History narrative: older secondary histories are used to illustrate differing interpretations of Persian rulers and to provide passages the host can quote or interrogate. The pattern is to name specific historians as representative authorities—Olmstead for commentary invoked around Xerxes and Durant as an older, established account whose perspective the host both uses and critiques.
The host discusses the significant role of Cyrus the Great in shaping history, particularly in relation to Judaism and its continuity. He references A.T. Olmstead's book to highlight the historical importance and the enigmatic nature of Cyrus's life and death.
The host discusses the complexities of Cambyses' reign and the historical interpretations surrounding his mental state. Will Durant's book is referenced as a traditional account that captures the dramatic and often horrific aspects of Cambyses' rule.
The host discusses the complexities of Xerxes' reign and how historical narratives have shaped his reputation. They reference A.T. Olmsted's 'History of the Persians' to highlight the ongoing debate about Xerxes as a misunderstood figure in history.
Recent show rotation: Hardcore History.
Fastest path back to the source: the strongest indexed mention lands at 13:47 in the episode where we captured it.
Quick FAQ
Answers to common book, episode, podcast, and guest questions.
Which episode mentioned A History of the Persian Empire?
Show 57 Kings Of Kings Ii on Hardcore History is one of the clearest indexed episodes that mentioned A History of the Persian Empire by A.T. Olmstead. Other indexed episodes include Show 56 Kings Of Kings on Hardcore History and Show 58 Kings Of Kings Iii on Hardcore History. The first indexed transcript timestamp lands at 13:47.
Which podcast mentioned A History of the Persian Empire?
Hardcore History is the main indexed podcast currently tied to A History of the Persian Empire by A.T. Olmstead.
Who mentioned A History of the Persian Empire on podcasts?
PodcastMentions ties A History of the Persian Empire by A.T. Olmstead to Hardcore History, but the underlying mentions do not yet expose stable guest names for every episode.
Why do podcast guests bring up A History of the Persian Empire?
The host discusses the significant role of Cyrus the Great in shaping history, particularly in relation to Judaism and its continuity. He references A.T. Olmstead's book to highlight the historical importance and the enigmatic nature of Cyrus's life and death. It most often appears in conversations about Cyrus the Great's impact, Cambyses and power, and Xerxes and Persian history.
Mentions across episodes
Every mention card links back to the episode page and exact transcript anchor.
“Will Durant in 1930s. A great historian writing an outdated history did a wonderful job. And by the way, taking it at face value, giving you the traditional Cambysi story.”
“How about letting historian A.T. Olmstead in a book published in 1948 say it?”
“A.T. Olmsted wrote a history of the Persians that also addresses the character of Xerxes as a misunderstood figure.”