To understand the ancient world, this is an essential podcast. Thank you!!

Loved the Achaemenid episodes and the grandiose early style of this show, listing full regnal names and so on. It’s still good but there was a tonal shift around ep. 70-80 to a more irreverent youtuber-like delivery, and Alexander and the Diadochi have been bogged down with names and battles. Why cover those guys in such detail if they bore even you as the host?

From now on, any of you who talk to me like a 5 year old and go out of your way to signal your virtues get a one star review.

Why does Gilbert Gottfried start yelling about Rosetta Stone language courses near halfway through?

Wen will the secret wars be available on podcast platforms? Also the history of Persia is the best.

Normally this would be a 5 star review, but the ads have made it nearly unlistenable, between the horrible changes in volume and the sudden cut in the middle of a sentence. I understand that ads are necessary for the podcast to grow, but there has to be a better way than to flood the entire podcast with ads, at this point it seems like I’m listening to primarily ads with a brief history podcast in between. As it stands I find it hard to continue listening, which is truly a shame because it is a captivating podcast and host.

This podcast is really really good. Keep going!

Please please please learn to master your show so the volume of your ads doesn’t blow peoples eardrums Trevor!

Great combination of funny dorkitude and high-quality historical narration.

Literally unlistenable since the addition of all the ads. Which is too bad because it's a great podcast. I used to listen to it at night and fall asleep to it. Now the ads pop up mid-sentence without warning, which is intolerable even during waking hours. Please fix this, this is a great podcast, but I literally want to throw my phone across the room between that and the 20 or so minutes of ads at the beginning of each episode as well. What the heck Trevor??

I love the show, the research and writing is great. It’s great to hear about the Persian kings and lineage that is not just a side note of Greek history. I will however need therapy for the way the ads about therapy cut in. That said, as long as my phone is handy it’s easy to skip them as they are part of the show and not a secondary advertisement.

Having listened to Mike Duncan’s History of Rome and Robin Pierson’s History of Byzantium podcasts and loved both, I found myself wondering whether there was a podcast similarly covering Persian history. To my great delight, I immediately found Trevor Culley’s History of Persia and dove right in only to discover that this podcast is just as well researched and just as polished. Unlike most podcasts, which take a while to find their feet, HoP is clear, well-researched and polished from the very beginning! I’m only 13 episodes in, and so far loving it, so I’m very excited to dive into the nearly 100-episode back-catalogue. My one complaint is the way that the ads are spliced into the show. I get having ads, but it is a bit annoying when they cut in in the middle of a sentence. It can really disrupt the flow of the episode, and unless my hands are free to jump back and forth I find myself losing the point when this happens. That said, I’m otherwise a huge fan, and would History of Persia!

Good narrative, but the ads are really annoying, especially almost 3 min block in the middle. I stopped listening because of them.

This a great podcast for ancient history buffs. If you’ve always wondered what went on in Persia while all those Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian historians were telling “Western” history, this is the podcast for you. It’s like Mike Duncan’s History of Rome, but for Persia.

If you’re into ancient history, this is one of the must-listens. Trevor covers Persian history from its beginnings, which many podcasters avoid because there is a relative lack of written histories (though much has come to light in the last 50 years). The narrative is easy to follow, well-researched, and entertaining. Highly recommend!

This is a must listen podcast to delve into the history of an often looked over area, Persia. Sure, they get mentioned when the Greeks are in the middle of their shenanigans, or the Romans are being a nuisance, but we must see how these empires do, especially as the most powerful empire ever at the time. P.S. go to modern day, please and thank you.

I can’t recommend this podcast enough. The History of Persia podcast is absolutely a must for anyone with an interest in the subject of ancient Persia. Each episode is meticulously researched and has educated me more than many full-length books by top historians. His lack of bias and willingness to correct any mistakes he has made (which are few) is very refreshing. The best quality of the podcast, though, is his in-depth research of Persian sources. Wherever possible he provides Persian names, traditions, histories, and religious background that shed light on a culture that for so long has been seen mainly through Greek eyes. Areas most historians gloss over or skip he devotes entire episodes to. Again, I can’t recommend this channel enough!

If you want to learn more about the Persians and our vast accomplishments, I highly encourage you to start listening to this podcast ASAP. You will not educate yourself historically, but you will also grow an appreciation and develop greater respect for a people & culture that has been tainted by the Islamic insurrection of 1979.

Really enjoy the program - great presentation & content. Thanks

Very much enjoy the detailed Persian centric narrative. This is one of the most important societies in world history, but is often overlooked as a side character to Greece and rome. Also the Patreon bonus episodes are worth it.

It’s nice to have a consistent and quality podcast on Persia.

You’re not a good historian. You may be a good podcaster but they aren’t the same. You make WAY too many anachronisms and comparisons to modern history. Counter-factuals aren’t history, they are imaginings of nothing from reality. Yes, a battle could have gone the Persians way but Xerxes could have spontaneously combusted too. It does no good to anything, especially history. A 40 yr old man marrying a 13 yr girl WAS age appropriate; it may not be today but it was just fine then… up to quite recently, so… Slavery was normal then too. Stop making out to be the horrific plague on humanity that it is today; it wasn’t. Just give the facts, guy, don’t make the same mistakes every other history podcaster has made. Be a historian and tell history not your modern interpretation of the past.

A solid pace and makes sure to cover every corner of the story. Trevor always makes sure to clarify when something is left up in the air, and gives likelihoods for each route. Very helpful, especially for an ancient history podcast. Keep strong!

I very much enjoy this podcast. Topics presented clearly and concisely. Highly recommend.

A must for anyone interested in the first radically different empire that laid the foundation for a multiethnic and tolerant system of governance

3/4 speed doesn’t exist. Please slow down. The pace of your narration is panic attack/cleaning sideboards with toothbrush

A pompous narrator Delivery in the same cadence as every late night comedian Breaking off the narrative to editorialize and ask silly questions (why would an island surrender to Persia which didn’t have a navy? ) If Herodotus is such a bad source that you have to interject how bad of a source he is in every podcast why not just lay out the problems with him in your introduction episode it would have made the narrative more fluid and enjoyable.

Having listened continually to several historical podcasts I really enjoy this one. It is probably in my top 3 favorite historical podcasts. Being a Westerner it is a great opportunity to learn more about subjects that I don't know as much I would like to. I would recommend others to take the timeto listen to an episode or two at the very least.

I’m thankful for this great podcast on Persian History!

I came to the game late but I’m to have found out that podcasts can be great resources for learning history. Persia has always interested me but it’s been hard to find anything outside of dense, textbook-style reads or scattered pieces from the histories of other places. Thanks for the great work!

I love all things ancient history, and this podcast has helped me move beyond Greece and Rome.

Persia deserves more attention in world history and this podcast does a lot to rectify that

Not much to choose from on a pod from this time that isn’t Rome or Greece so I really appreciate this . Well researched and delivered.

When the focus is on Persian history, it's really good. But sometimes when he delves into tangential history, it's obvious that he hasn't researched them very well & is just regurgitating questionable info.

Trevor does an amazing job delivering a truly compelling story about one of the most important areas in human history. Well researched and extremely easy to follow, this is a must listen!

Great effort. Since you are a seeker of knowledge, may I recommend looking into Jordan Foundation’s (at UCIrvine) publication as well (especially Prof Touraj Daryaee). Thanks and carry on with this.

I've really enjoyed Trevor Culley's "History of Persia" podcast so far and rank it up there with David Crowther's "History of England" and Robin Pierson's "History of Byzantium". It's incredibly well researched and tries as much as possible to use Persian, Assyrian, Babylonian, etc sources and not just myopically rely on Herodotus. Well paced, informative and well produced, I look forward to following this journey through the Seleucids, Parthians, Sassanians and beyond. Great job!

Context is key and this podcast pairs exciting narratives and stories with a break every few episodes to explain key details to the narrative that make each episode well paced and interesting in its own way. Keep up the good work, Trevor!

I just stumbled upon this gem of a podcast a few days ago when I was trying to find something to help me fill in my many gaps about the early history of Iran. I have enjoyed some fourteen episodes since then. Each is thoroughly researched, well-structured, and thoughtfully delivered. The series stands in the lineage of, and is stylistically similar to, such classics and the History of Rome and the History of Byzantium. I sincerely hope that Trevor continues to so generously give us his time and sees the narrative and the series through to its conclusion.

it is clear that a lot of work has gone into the research, review and presentation. Thank you so much!

Persian history told in such a compelling and concise way. Trevor’s passion for his topic gives a calm confidence to the delivery of this epic timeline. Bravo!

I love this podcast. I’ve long wanted to know the history of Persia, and this podcast is the best way to do it, and I enjoy the way Trevor weaves the history.

A welcome addition to a multitude of podcasts on European history. Mr. Culley tells a great story but does not limit himself to a simple narrative. The analysis and insights he provides enrich the podcast tremendously. Strongly recommend to any history lover.

Students if Western history know that you can’t really understand it without the Achaemenid and Persian empires. This wonderful podcast fills the gap, and is a great listen.

It’s cool to learn about Persia after hearing about the Parthians and Sasanids from a Roman perspective. I appreciate the details and comparisons between conflicting accounts in different sources. My favorite episodes are thematic, like ancient Persian religion.

Great to learn more about the Persians!

Persia has always lurked on the periphery of the other history podcasts I listen to, so I was very glad to find a podcast dedicated to it. Very well done. Informative and easy to listen to.

Trevor does a great job of distilling history into an easy to understand narrative for beginners. I enjoy the topics, the detail, and the clarity on what we know and where we know it from. A serious history podcast (especially when scripted, as here) will often be clear and articulate, but a little dry. Although this podcast won’t be for everyone, this is a good example of a solid history podcast that is not Greece or Rome (4.5 stars), and seems to be mostly done by one person (extra half star). I hope this podcast gains some traction and Trevor can continue to make content, perhaps expanding to other near eastern empires.

No! I’m all caught up! This is a great podcast I’ve been looking for an in-depth history of Persia on here off and on for months, never thought it would happen. So glad you are doing this. Can’t wait for Darius!

A history rarely told to modern listeners