Episode 1 - Introduction

This episode takes us back to the juggernaut of the iron age, Assyria and to the last great conqueror of the Neo-Assyrian empire, Esarhaddon, who  accomplished what was perhaps the greatest conquest in the empire history, the conquest of Egypt !! 

Imagine if somehow, Ukraine managed to conquer Russia, or if Scotland managed to conquer England... for me at least, these are the comparisons that came to mind when reading about the 25th dynasty of Nubia or Napata, and its conquest of Egypt. In this episode, we cover the rise of the kingdom of Nubia, and its eventual conquest of Egypt under its two greatest rulers, Kashta & Piye, the Nubian Pharaohs !!

Around the same time the ancestors of the ancient Egyptians began to settle along the banks of the upper Nile, the ancestors of another people began to settle along the banks of the great river to their south.
These people were the Nubians, and early on they established a civilization as advanced and as sophisticated as the great northern neighbor.  
In this episode, we will introduce these ancient and relatively unknown people, how and when their civilization began, how they came to be dominated and overshadowed by the ancient Egyptians for the better part of a millennia, before regaining their independence, and turning the tables of history.

In this episode, we continue the story of Tiglath-Pileser III, covering the major reforms the great Neo-Assyrian king enacted, and of course, his great conquests. Combined, these two transformed Assyria into the world's first true empire, as well as the greatest and largest the world had ever seen !!

When Shalmaneser III died, the Neo-Assyrian empire was facing one of the greatest threats it had ever faced in the form of the great rebellion. In this episode, we will cover this period of civil strife that weakened the empire and the decline it resulted in before reaching the reign of perhaps the greatest king and conqueror in Assyrian history, Tiglath-Pileser III. He will also be the first conqueror whose story will span more than one episode !!

For maps of the locations and the campaigns of Tiglath-Pileser III discussed in the episode, you can checkout the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/TheConquerorsPodcast/posts/192096352445487

With the death of Ashurnasirpal II, the first great Assyrian conqueror under whom Assyria completed its transformation from a growing regional power to an empire, the throne passed to his son, Shalmaneser III, who would go on to rule the empire for 35 years, and prove himself to be as ambitious, energetic and ruthless like his great father.

For maps of the locations and the campaigns of Shalmaneser III discussed in the episode, as well as depictions of Assyrian soldiers and the sources discussed in the episode, you can checkout the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/TheConquerorsPodcast/posts/192096352445487

In this  episode, we cover the reign of Ashurnasirpal II, who through a series of ruthless and brutal conquests, in which he boasted about flaying hundreds if not thousands of people alive, completed the transformation of Assyria from a regional power to an empire, the Neo-Assyrian empire, and left it perhaps stronger that it was ever before.

Also, don't forget to check out Trevor Culley's History of Persia podcast:

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This episode covers the history of the city, region and people of Aššur or Assyria, from its early days as a small town of Akkadian speakers to the early days of the Neo-Assyrian empire, an empire that would rise to become the largest the world had ever seen and is considered the first true empire in history.

No general or ruler gets the nickname of Napoleon for nothing. Thutmose III, the 5th Pharaoh of the illustrious eighteenth dynasty took the throne at the age of 2. For 20 years he shared the throne with his aunt/step mother Hatshepsut. When he finally became sole Pharaoh, the warrior Pharaoh went on to lead Egypt through an unprecedented period of warfare and expansion, bringing an end to Egypt's isolationist, inward past, firmly putting it on the path of empire and turning it into probably the strongest and wealthiest state in the world

This episode covers the life, reign and conquests of Ahmose I or Ahmose the Liberator, last Pharaoh of the 17th dynasty and founder of the 18th dynasty, the first dynasty to rule what is today called the New Kingdom of Egypt or the Egyptian empire. His conquests, stretching from Nubia in the South, to Byblos in modern day Lebanon in the north, ushered in the third and last golden age of Ancient Egypt.