Founding Father: Cyrus the Great and the Birth of Persia

About this episode

This episode explores the life and legacy of Cyrus the Great, the first king of a unified Persia, amidst the backdrop of a contemporary revolution in Iran.

As there's currently a revolution taking place in Iran, it seemed high time that the 'History Loves Company' podcast traveled to this historically and culturally rich land to explore its ancient past. If you've attended any of the pro-democracy demonstrations in Persian communities throughout the world, then you've seen images of heard tell of a man known as Kurosh, better known in the West as Cyrus the Great. The first king of a unified Persia, he'd go on to forge what was the largest empire in the world at the time. But just who was this man? Where did he come from? And was he indeed responsible for the first known human rights policy in history? Find out in this week's episode and tremble before the might of the great "Shahanshah" ("king of kings")!

People in this episode

Host: Chester Sakamoto

Topics covered

• Cyrus the Great
• Persian history
• human rights
• ancient empires
• Iranian revolution

Keywords

• Cyrus the Great
• Persia
• Iran
• human rights
• ancient history
• Shahanshah
• empire

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: History Loves Company

Places: Persia, Iran, Persian communities

More episodes of History Loves Company

• All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Touching Tale of Saint Guinefort · June 12, 2026 · 8 min
• Not For "Prophet": The Nabis and the Prophets of Modern Art · June 5, 2026 · 10 min
• Asmara, Amore Mio: The Story of Italian Eritrea (Part Two) · May 29, 2026 · 7 min
• Asmara, Amore Mio: The Story of Italian Eritrea (Part One) · May 22, 2026 · 8 min
• Do You Hear the People Sing?: The Singing Revolution · May 8, 2026 · 8 min
• Sinner to Saint: The Wondrous Life of Milarepa · May 1, 2026 · 6 min