One must remember that the world was a different place 2,000 years ago and there was a lot less competition for the title of ‘Powerful Country’. The more advanced societies were mostly around the middle bit. You didn’t touch on Egypt which was also quite powerful at one point. Mostly down to subjugation of your neighbours and slave assets.
The Persians were a bit of a nuisance to the Greeks as they kept invading. Also they didn’t play fair as they employed slaves and mercenaries to fight for them to bring up the numbers, although that didn’t always work out if you think of Thermopylae. This gorge has been the site of a number of battles including in 1942 when German forces were delayed to allow time for the British Expeditionary force to ‘retire’ safely to Crete. However we know how that turned out eventually…
I suspect a certain amount of exaggeration here as I doubt the desert to the south of Fitzroy is quite the size of Texas. Probably more like Alaska maybe.
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