Did Persian kings actually fight at the front line? Far as I know they just paid tons of mercenaries while sitting somewhere far away.

Besides, Persians shouldn’t talk shit in Muslim hearing range. Considering how utterly Persia was demolished by them, you’d think their people collectively forgot how to hold a sword.

I don’t know of anyone who ever mocked ancient Rome, contemporary or modern. Even China considered them to be somewhat equal just based on stories. And the Chinese emperors of old legit believed they ruled everything under the heaven.

To keep a regime built on strength running, you need to be strong or project strength. Doesn’t matter if its fascism or communism or to some degree even a democracy. Mussolini was sour Hitler did everything he did, but better and with more resources. Hitler just considered him his prototype who paved the way for him. Mussolini had no choice but to become “Hitler’s bitch” since he already burned all bridges with everyone else due to Ethiopia. It got so bad in the end that Mussolini was happy when he was arrested and imprisoned, and horrified when Hitler freed him and put him back in power. He was long since over that life at that point.

Was it the Assyrians or just the Sumerians who had this tradition? Because in the Fall of Civilization podcast about Assyria, the host mentioned there is a tradition where the king makes a guy king for a month then kills him to appease slash “fool” the gods. Happened more than once. Also kinda strange how Enlil-bani managed to rule for 24 years, considering it’s usually the powerful nobles / powerful families who command the armies and thus decide who gets to be king.