Latest / The Achaemenid Empire: Persia's Golden Age of Power — Fexingo History
Persian Royal Women: Power Beyond the Harem
In this episode, Lucas and Luna look past the Greek sources that painted Achaemenid queens as scheming harem figures and uncover the real economic and political power wielded by royal women. Drawing on the Persepolis Fortification Tablets and the archives from the satrapy of Egypt, they follow the careers of Irdabama, the wealthiest woman in the empire; Puruša, a widow who managed a workforce of hundreds; and Artystone, daughter of Cyrus the Great and wife of Darius I. They also examine Queen Parysatis, the formidable mother of Artaxerxes II, whose political maneuvering reshaped the…
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