668. Greece vs Persia: The Rise of the First Superpower (Part 1)

Episode of The Rest Is History · May 10, 2026 · 1 h 13 min

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook trace Darius I's rise, the Ionian Revolt and Athens' role in burning Sardis, leading up to the Persian landing at Marathon in 490 BC.

Summary

In the first part of a series on the Greco-Persian Wars, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook opened with Herodotus's account of Darius I learning of the Athenian and Ionian burning of Sardis in 498 BC, likening it to George W. Bush's reaction to the September 11 attacks. Holland then outlined the rise of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great, the reign of Cambyses II, and Darius's seizure of power in 522 BC, which he argued probably involved the murder of the real Bardiya rather than a Magian impostor.

Holland described Darius as brutal but innovative, arguing that his campaigns against the rebellious Elamites were the first to promise soldiers divine blessings for fighting enemies of a god, Ahura Mazda, cast as agents of the Lie. He also presented Darius as an able administrator who organized tribute from Persepolis. The hosts covered Darius's failed Scythian campaign, Miltiades' proposal to cut the Danube bridge, and Histiaeus's refusal.

The second half traced Aristagoras's failed expedition against Naxos, his abdication and proclamation of the Ionian Revolt, and his recruitment of Athens and Eretria. Holland explained Athens' democratic revolution, its earlier offer of earth and water to Persia, the rout of the Greeks by Persian cavalry, and the brutal destruction of Miletus in 494 BC. The episode closed with Athens and Sparta executing Persian envoys, Datis's sack of Naxos and Eretria, and the Persian fleet heading for the bay of Marathon.

Chapters

1:33
Remember the Athenians
Sandbrook reads Herodotus's account of Darius learning of the burning of Sardis, and Holland frames it as the turning point that made Persian invasion inevitable.
6:17
Cyrus the Great and the rise of Persia
Holland recounts how Cyrus conquered Media, Lydia and Babylon to build the largest empire yet seen.
11:16
Darius seizes the throne
The hosts examine Darius's account of Cambyses, Bardiya and the false Magus, and suggest Darius staged a coup.
17:44
Terror, truth and the lie
Holland describes Darius's brutal suppression of rebellions and his innovation of holy war against the Elamites in the name of Ahura Mazda.
24:08
Administrator and universal king
The hosts discuss Persepolis, Darius's fiscal system, and the universalizing ideology of the empire.
27:17
The Scythian campaign and the Danube bridge
Darius's failed invasion of the steppe and Miltiades' plan to strand him, blocked by Histiaeus of Miletus.
35:37
Aristagoras and the Ionian Revolt
Aristagoras's failed siege of Naxos leads him to abdicate, embrace democracy and lead a revolt against Persia.
44:22
Athens joins the revolt
Holland explains Athenian democracy, its earlier submission to Persia, and the decision to send ships to burn Sardis before being routed.
53:08
The fall of Miletus
The Persians crush the Ionian Revolt, destroy Miletus and execute Histiaeus, while Miltiades flees to Athens.
59:06
Earth and water
Darius pushes into Macedon, and Athens and Sparta execute Persian envoys demanding submission.
Linked moment · 1:05:17Skip to 1:05:17 using a listen link in the info box.
1:05:17
The road to Marathon
Datis and Artaphernes sack Naxos and Eretria before steering the Persian fleet toward the bay of Marathon.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Tom Holland
Holland compares the Athenian and Ionian burning of Sardis to the September 11 attacks as an affront Darius had to answer.
“obviously, this is the equivalent of people flying planes into the Twin Towers. I mean, this is an appalling insult and appalling affront”
Listen from 5:05 · Burning of Sardis
Tom Holland
Holland asserts that Darius was the most powerful man who had ever lived up to that point.
“i mean he is the most powerful man who has ever lived i think it's no exaggeration at this point to say that”
Listen from 6:17 · Darius the Great
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook suggests Darius probably planned a coup himself and organized the murder of Cyrus's two sons.
“what was happening was that he had planned a coup himself and he organizes the murder of these two brothers, right?”
Listen from 16:11 · Darius the Great
Tom Holland
Holland argues there was probably no false Bardiya and that Darius killed the real Bardiya, citing the rebellions in the Iranian heartlands as corroboration.
“the person who gets killed by Darius and his fellow conspirators in Scythia Vartish was actually Bardia himself. And there's very good corroborating evidence for this”
Listen from 16:37 · Darius the Great
Tom Holland
Holland contends that Darius was the first to promise soldiers divine blessings in life and after death for fighting enemies of his god.
“He tells his army, and no one had ever done this before in history, that if they go to war against the Elamites, they can expect, and I quote, divine blessings”
Listen from 20:11 · Zoroastrianism
Tom Holland
Holland argues that Darius's suppression of the Elamite rebellion was one of the most innovative episodes in world history.
“I mean, it's an incredibly obscure period of history, the Elamite rebellion. But I would argue that it's actually one of the most innovative episodes in world history”
Listen from 20:21 · Zoroastrianism
Tom Holland
Holland argues that Darius's ideology contained the seeds of later ideas that conquest in a god's name can be a moral duty.
“that conquest in the name of a god or of a kind of moral truth or order can be cast as a moral duty”
Listen from 21:25 · Zoroastrianism
Tom Holland
Holland credits Darius's fiscal and tribute skills as being at least as important as his generalship, comparing him to Augustus.
“it is precisely this mastery of tribute and of fiscal policy and so on that actually is at least as important as his talents as a general”
Listen from 25:13 · Achaemenid Empire
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook argues that Darius's real genius was pairing practical revenue extraction with an ideology presenting the empire as a reflection of divine order.
“creates an ideological justification for empire where his empire is a reflection of divine order”
Listen from 25:35 · Achaemenid Empire
Tom Holland
Holland describes Darius as the first imperial invader to learn that the steppe is very hard to conquer, due to Scythian scorched-earth tactics.
“He's basically the first imperial invader to discover that it's not actually very easy to conquer the Stepplands”
Listen from 30:12 · Darius I's European Scythian campaign
Tom Holland
Holland argues that the Greek tyrannoi were better understood as populist strongmen, comparable to Perón rather than Hitler.
“Essentially, populist strongmen. They are Peron rather than Hitler. It's kind of a better analogy”
Listen from 30:59 · Ionian Revolt
Tom Holland
Holland suggests the Athenians joined the revolt partly because they underestimated Persia, probably equating it with the Lydians as a regional overlord.
“they probably don't have a sense of just how vast the persian empire is and how immense the resources available to the persian king”
Listen from 50:18 · Athenian democracy
Tom Holland
Holland explains that Greek hoplites caught in open ground by Persian cavalry were extremely vulnerable, as shown in the rout after Sardis.
“if they get caught in open land by Persian cavalry, they are toast. And this is pretty much what happens now”
Listen from 52:53 · Burning of Sardis
Tom Holland
Holland argues that Miltiades' election as a general signaled that Athens would fight rather than submit if Persia attacked.
“Miltiades' election as one of these ten generals serves as a signal to everyone to would-be appeasers in Athens, to other Greek cities, and to the Persians”
Listen from 57:53 · Greco-Persian Wars
Tom Holland
Holland compares the Persian view of Greece to the American view of Afghanistan after 9/11, combined with a religious duty to purge the Lie.
“I think Greece to the Persians is what Afghanistan was to the Americans in the wake of 9-11. We need to go and stamp this nonsense out”
Listen from 1:00:29 · Greco-Persian Wars
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook says the next episode will examine whether Marathon is reasonably seen as a clash between despotism and democracy.
“We should be exploring what it meant and whether that's actually a reasonable way to talk about it”
Listen from 1:10:38 · Battle of Marathon

People

In the conversation

Tom HollandEnglish actor cast as Telemachus
Dominic SandbrookBritish historian, author and co-host of The Rest Is History

Discussed

Darius the GreatAchaemenid King of Kings of Persia, 522–486 BC
HerodotusAncient Greek historian who described the Egyptian labyrinth
Cyrus the GreatFounder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire
Cambyses IISon of Cyrus and Persian king who conquered Egypt
BardiyaYounger son of Cyrus, killed in 522 BC
MiltiadesAthenian aristocrat, tyrant of the Thracian Chersonese and later Athenian general
HistiaeusTyrant of Miletus and royal table companion of Darius
AristagorasTyrant of Miletus who led the Ionian Revolt
ArtaphernesPersian satrap of Sardis and brother of Darius
DatisMedian commander of the Persian expedition of 490 BC
MardoniusPersian general and son-in-law of Darius
HippiasExiled tyrant of Athens
Mohammad Reza PahlaviLast Shah of Iran, who held the 1971 Persepolis celebrations
George W. BushPresident criticized for cutting taxes while going to war
CroesusLast king of Lydia, overthrown by Cyrus

Topics

From the publisher

Why did the Persian Empire cross the Aegean to destroy Athens in 490BC? Who was Darius, the King of Kings, and the most powerful man in the world? And, how did this totemic invasion unfold? Join Tom and Dominic as they launch into one of the most cataclysmic clashes in all ancient history: Persia’s invasion of Greece. Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at the⁠restishistory.com⁠ To read our new newsletter, sign up at: ⁠therestishistory.com/newsletters⁠ _______ Lloyds. 250 years on and still backing the nation's aspirations. _______ Advertise with us: Partnerships@goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton Social Producer: Harry Balden Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude Senior Producer: Callum Hill Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: History