The ENTIRE History of Iran: How Persia Survived 5,000 Years

The Entire History of Iran explained: from ancient Persia and the Persian Empire of Cyrus the Great to the Islamic Revolution and modern Iran. Discover how Iran survived Alexander the Great, the Arab conquest, the Mongols, and centuries of foreign rule by absorbing its conquerors. In this video, we cover 5,000 years of Iranian and Persian history: the ancient kingdom of Elam, the birth of Zoroastrianism, the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus and Darius, the Greek wars, Alexander's conquest, the Parthians and Sassanids who stopped Rome, the Arab conquest, the Persian golden age of poetry and science, the Mongol invasion, the Safavid dynasty, the Great Game, the 1953 coup, the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and the story of why the country changed its name from Persia to Iran in 1935. Why did Iran survive when Babylon, the Hittites, and the Assyrians vanished? And why does the world still argue over whether to call it Persia or Iran? This is the full story. If you enjoyed this deep dive, like and subscribe for more videos on the stories that shaped our world. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Intro: The Empire That Wouldn't Die 1:44 Elam and the Birth of Iranian Civilization 2:53 The Aryans and Zoroastrianism 4:36 The Medes and the Rise of Cyrus the Great 6:23 Darius and the First Superpower 7:28 The Greek Wars: How Persia Won With Gold 8:29 Alexander the Great Burns Persepolis 9:45 Parthians and Sassanids: The Empire That Stopped Rome 11:32 The Arab Conquest 12:36 The Persian Golden Age 13:42 Seljuks, Mongols and Timur 15:20 The Safavids and Shia Iran 16:38 The Great Game and Foreign Control 18:07 Reza Shah and the Persia to Iran Name Change 19:14 WWII, Oil and the 1953 Coup 20:12 The 1979 Islamic Revolution 21:20 Two Names, One Land #HistoryOfIran #Persia #PersianEmpire #AncientHistory #WorldHistory Welcome to Stick Theory — where big stories are told by very small people. We turn fascinating stories from history, science, psychology, geography, technology and the strange world around us into simple stick-figure adventures. 📚 SOURCES & FURTHER READING Sources specific to this video will be listed here. 👍 Enjoyed the video? Like, subscribe and join Stick Theory for more ridiculously simple explanations of surprisingly complicated things. Big Stories. Tiny People. #StickTheory