In 330 BC, Alexander the Great seized the treasury of Persepolis, valued by Diodorus at 120,000 talents of silver, and the palaces burned. This full documentary tells the story of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, the first superpower: Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes and the fall to Alexander, the tribute, the daric, the Royal Road and the Persepolis tablets.

Watch next:
The Sumerians: https://youtu.be/Ck-vAsyNbMM
Ancient Egypt and the pyramids: https://youtu.be/7sy6APbZX1k
Carthage: https://youtu.be/XF9QgbKdQyc
The oldest laws in history: https://youtu.be/o3ZSN8pYF4g

Watch the full video documentary on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0rlfUHh-Lc

Our books: 101 Strange Laws That Ruled Empires https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HNHR85WW and Why Empires Fall? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HNKQBPVV

Music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0.

Narration uses an AI-generated voice. Researched and sourced; full source list in the YouTube description.

1087: William the Conqueror dies and splits his inheritance. Robert gets Normandy, William Rufus gets England, Henry gets only silver. Twenty years of rebellion, invasions and betrayal follow: Gerberoy, 1088, Mont-Saint-Michel, Robert's First Crusade, the arrow in the New Forest, Henry's Charter of Liberties, Alton, Tinchebray 1106 and Robert's 28 years in prison, then the White Ship and the Anarchy. Doubtful stories are flagged.

Watch next:
1453, the fall of Constantinople: https://youtu.be/m3vs7z1CgEI
Byzantium: https://youtu.be/DxpgPZf6rlg
The Fall of Rome: https://youtu.be/e54FnUmMELg
The Reformation: https://youtu.be/mrvyYf1wXVU
The Oldest Laws: https://youtu.be/o3ZSN8pYF4g

Watch the full video documentary on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEBXZCnBMrg

Our books: 101 Strange Laws That Ruled Empires https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HNHR85WW and Why Empires Fall? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HNKQBPVV

Narration uses an AI-generated voice. Researched and sourced; full source list in the YouTube description.

Music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).