Wine-Dark Sea Stories

A revised version of an earlier episode, now with historical commentary following the story!The origin of Zeus, king of the gods, is a tale of danger and deception. How did his father, the Titan Cronus, come to reign as king of the cosmos, how was Zeus born, and how did he free his brother and sister Olympians to usher in a new age? A story from Greek mythology, based on Hesiod's Theogony, featuring: Zeus, Cronus, Rhea, Gaia, Uranus, Metis, the Titans - - -CREDITSMusic by Kevin MacLeodThumbnail Image: Council of the Gods (Giovanni Lanfranco, 17th century)

A revised version of an earlier episode, now with historical commentary following the story!Julius Caesar stands at the Rubicon river, as the Roman Republic teeters on the brink of civil war. Will he cross the Rubicon, march on Rome against his rival Pompey the Great and the Roman senate, and plunge the Republic into civil war? A story from Roman history (Late Roman Republic, Civil Wars, 49 BC), featuring: Gaius Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great), Marcus Licinius Crassus - - -CREDITSMusic by Kevin MacLeodThumbnail Image: Caesar Crosses the Rubicon (Adolphe Yvon, 1875)

A revised version of an earlier episode, now with historical commentary following the story!The Greek myth of the Great Flood ends with Deucalion and Pyrrha, the last mortals left alive, who struggle to survive as Zeus looks on. How was humanity created again after the deluge?A story from Greek mythology, based on Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 1), featuring: Deucalion, Pyrrha, Zeus, Themis- - -CREDITSMusic by Kevin MacLeodThumbnail Image:Deucalion and Pyrrha (Baldassare Peruzzi, 16th century)

A revised version of an earlier episode, now with historical commentary following the story!The tale of the Great Flood from Greek mythology continues, as the gods and goddesses of Olympus decide how to end human injustice...and Zeus and Poseidon unleash the great flood that destroys the world.A story from Greek mythology, based on Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 1), featuring: Zeus, Poseidon- - -CREDITSMusic by Kevin MacLeodSound effects from YouTube Audio LibraryThumbnail Image:Bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon from Cape Artemision, Greece, 5th century BC (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zeus_or_Poseidon_bronze_460_BC,_NAMA_X_15161_102617.jpg)https://pixabay.com/photos/ocean-storm-waves-cloudy-weather-7461792/

A revised version of an earlier episode, now with historical commentary following the story! The Greek myth of the Great Flood begins, as Zeus informs the other Olympian gods of his encounter on earth with the evil king Lycaon. What were Lycaon's crimes, how was he punished, and what does this portend for the fate of humanity as Zeus and the gods sit in council? A story from Greek mythology, adapted from Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 1), featuring: Zeus, Lycaon, the Olympian gods - - - CREDITS Music by Kevin MacLeod Thumbnail Image: Engraved gem with scene of Zeus and Lycaon (19th century; Beazley Archive, Oxford University)

A revised version of an earlier episode, now with historical commentary following the story! The Roman emperor Nero's murder of his own mother, the empress Agrippina the Younger, is among his most shocking crimes. A lurid tale of power, conspiracy, and violence emerges as the unstable Nero plots the death of an empress. A story from Roman history (Early Imperial Period, Julio-Claudian dynasty, 59 AD), based on Tacitus' Annals, featuring: Agrippina the Younger (Julia Agrippina), Nero, Seneca, Burrus, Anicetus - - - CREDITS Music by Kevin MacLeod Thumbnail Images: Relief of Nero and Agrippina from the Sebasteion in Aphrodisias, Turkey: c. 54-59 CE, Aphrodisias Museum View from the Amalfi Coast, Italy

A revised version of an earlier episode, now with historical commentary following the story! The Spartan lawgiver Lycurgus creates a new law code and way of life in ancient Sparta—revered thereafter as the Laws of Lycurgus—that pave the way for Sparta's rise as one of the greatest city-states in Greece. A story from Greek history (Early Sparta, Archaic Period, c. 800 BC), based on Plutarch's Life of Lycurgus - - - CREDITS Music by Kevin MacLeod Thumbnail Images: Statue of Lycurgus: c. 1880, Palace of Justice, Brussels View of the Eurotas valley, near Sparta in Greece

A revised version of an earlier episode, now with historical commentary following the story! Actaeon, a young hunter, unexpectedly meets the goddess Artemis in the forests of Boeotia near the ancient city of Thebes. What will happen to Actaeon when Artemis unleashes her power, and the hunter becomes the prey? A story from Greek mythology, based on Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 3), featuring: Actaeon, Artemis - - - CREDITS Music by Kevin MacLeod Thumbnail Images: Roman statue of Diana/Artemis (1st/2nd century CE copy of a Greek original) Actaeon (#1) by Paul Manship (1925, Smithsonian American Art Museum) Samaria Gorge, Crete

A revised version of an earlier episode, now with historical commentary following the story! Phaethon, a young demigod and son of Helios, the Greek god of the Sun, meets his divine father at the ends of the earth. Recklessly eager to prove himself, he takes a terrifying ride across the heavens in his father's chariot. As the earth faces total destruction by an out-of-control sun, Phaethon's fate offers a timeless lesson in knowing your limits. A story from Greek mythology, based on Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-2), featuring: Phaethon, the Sun, Clymene, Epaphus, Gaia, Zeus - - - CREDITS Music by Kevin MacLeod Thumbnail Image: The Fall of Phaethon (Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1608)

A revised version of an earlier episode, now with historical commentary following the story! The hero Odysseus meets Circe, a powerful sorceress, on her mysterious island in this story from Homer's epic Odyssey. Will Odysseus outwit Circe, rescue his crewmates from the sorceress, and survive to complete his journey home to Ithaca? A story from Greek mythology, based on Homer's Odyssey (Book 10), featuring: Odysseus, Circe, Hermes, Eurylochus - - - CREDITS Music by Kevin MacLeod Thumbnail Images: Minoan fresco from Knossos, Crete ("Ladies in Blue"): c. 1500 BCE, Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Many legends were spun around the life of the Persian king Cyrus the Great, including how he met his end. The Greek historian Herodotus reports a tale that he deemed "most trustworthy," of the great king's last war in the distant steppes of central Asia--how he clashed with a fearsome tribe of mounted warriors called the Massagetae, led by a queen who defied the power of the new Persian Empire. A story adapted from the Greek historian Herodotus (Histories Book 1, 201-214), featuring: Cyrus the Great; Tomyris, Queen of the Massagetae; Croesus of Lydia; Spargaspises, son of Tomyris Original story contributed by Alba Wolf --- FREE COMMENTARY PODCASTS now available for every story on the channel! Learn more about the ancient historical and cultural context behind each Wine-Dark Sea tale. Find the full archive of videos and MP3s at: ⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/winedarksea/shop⁠⁠ --- CREDITS:  Music from www.storyblocks.com (Vlada Balas, Humans Win, Volodymyr Piddubnyk) and DanoSongs Thumbnail Images: Cyrus the Great (Mohawk Games: https://mohawkgames.com/oldworld/) Tomyris (Veysel Kara: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/EVa5gK) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum)

Archimedes' life and achievements gained mythic stature in ancient times, and his reputation for genius endures today. Past the equations and feats of engineering was a man committed to finding answers--whether in contemplating the physics of water, or resisting the power of Rome. A story from ancient history, based on Vitruvius (De Architectura, Book 9), Polybius (Histories, Book 8), and Plutarch (Life of Marcellus), featuring: Archimedes, Hiero II, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Hieronymus Original story contributed by Alba Wolf --- FREE COMMENTARY PODCASTS now available for every story on the channel! Learn more about the ancient historical and cultural context behind each Wine-Dark Sea tale. Find the full archive of videos and MP3s at: ⁠https://ko-fi.com/winedarksea/shop⁠ --- CREDITS: Music by Scott Buckley Thumbnail Images: Fresco from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence showing Archimedes' "heat-ray" weapon atop the walls of Syracuse (Giulio Parigi, 1600) Monument to Archimedes in Syracuse (Luciano Campisi, 1885; photo by Giovanni Dall'Orto) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum)

Hippolytus is the young prince of Athens, son of the king and famed hero Theseus, and stepson of Phaedra, the queen. When Aphrodite, goddess of love, makes the innocent Phaedra a weapon of her divine wrath against Hippolytus, a tragic tale of lust, deceit, and death ensues as the royal family of Athens is torn apart. A story from Greek mythology, based on the tragedy Hippolytus by Euripides (staged in 428 BC), featuring: Hippolytus, Phaedra, Theseus, Aphrodite, Artemis, Phaedra's Nurse Original story contributed by Konstantinos Christidis --- FREE COMMENTARY PODCASTS now available for every story on the channel! Learn more about the ancient historical and cultural context behind each Wine-Dark Sea tale. Find the full archive of videos and MP3s at: https://ko-fi.com/winedarksea/shop --- CREDITS: Music from www.storyblocks.com Thumbnail Images: Phaedra and Hippolytus (Pierre-Narcisse Guérin, c. 1802) Phaedra (Alexandre Cabanel, c. 1885) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum)

When the god Apollo wins the mortal king Admetus permission to evade death through the sacrifice of another, Admetus' beloved wife Alcestis willingly dies in his place. Death is cheated, and Admetus is devastated. But as Alcestis' funeral begins, fate takes a surprising turn when a famed hero arrives in town... A story from Greek mythology, based on the tragedy Alcestis by Euripides (staged in 438 BC), featuring: Admetus, Alcestis, Heracles, Apollo, Thanatos (Death) Original story contributed by Konstantinos Christidis --- CREDITS: Music by Scott Buckley Thumbnail Image: Hercules and Alcestis (Eugène Delacroix, 1962) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum)

The Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage saw one of the most daring strategies of ancient times: the Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca leading an army fully equipped with horses, elephants, and pack animals across the dangerous peaks of the Alps, to attack the Roman Republic from its northern Italian borders. Hannibal remembers this legendary mountain march, and describes it in his own words. A story from Carthaginian and Roman history (218 BC), based on Livy's Histories (Book 21) featuring: Hannibal Barca Original story contributed by Wesley Coulson --- CREDITS: Music from Storyblocks and Scott Buckley Episode Thumbnail Image: Hannibal's army crosses the Alps (20th century) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum)

Despite its fame in ancient myth and history, the city of Troy was long lost to the ages, as the real site immortalized in Homer's Iliad faded from the landscape of western Anatolia. But in a series of astonishing excavations in the late 19th century, the mythical world of Greek epic came back to life at the hands of Heinrich Schliemann, a businessman-turned-archaeologist with a lifelong passion for the tales of the Trojan War. More information on the sites excavated by Schliemann can be found here-- Troy: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/849/ Mycenae and Tiryns: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/941 Original story contributed by marceloburlon --- CREDITS: Music from Storyblocks Thumbnail Images: historical photos of the Lion Gate in Mycenae, Schliemann, and "Priam's Treasure" WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum)

Sailing beyond the Mediterranean Sea, a man named Lucian and his comrades are suddenly transported to the moon, where they find themselves in the middle of a great war between the Sun and the Moon. Recorded with eyewitness accuracy in his novel “A True Story,” Lucian recalls the fantastical sights of this epic star war—and leaves to the world one of the earliest works of science fiction. A story from Greek literature (2nd century AD), based on Lucian of Samosata's "A True Story," featuring: Lucian; Endymion, King of the Moon; Phaethon, King of the Sun Original story contributed by Demetrios Paraschos --- CREDITS: Music from Storyblocks WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum)

Isolated and betrayed in the heart of the Persian Empire, the mercenary army of ten thousand Greeks is faced with a grim future. But against the odds, they undertake a grueling journey north to reach the Black Sea, their avenue to return to Greece at last--yet their march will be anything but easy. A story from Greek history (401 BC), based on Xenophon's Anabasis (Books 3-4), featuring: Xenophon, Cheirisophos, Soteridas, Tissaphernes --- CREDITS: Music from Storyblocks Episode Thumbnail Image: the army arrives at the sea (B. G. Baker, 1901) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum)

A mercenary army of ten thousand Greek troops, contracted by an ambitious prince of the Persian Empire, presses deep into the heartland of Mesopotamia in pursuit of riches and glory. But a series of startling events lands them in a battle they weren't expecting to fight. A story from Greek history (401 BC), based on Xenophon's Anabasis (Books 1-2), featuring: Xenophon, Clearchus, Proxenos, Cyrus the Younger, Artaxerxes II, Tissaphernes, Ariaeus, the philosopher Socrates --- CREDITS: Music from Storyblocks Episode Thumbnail Image: depiction of the Battle of Cunaxa (19th century) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In the ancient land of Phrygia, an encounter with the god Dionysus grants King Midas an extraordinary power: to turn anything he touches into gold. But it isn't long before this gift becomes a curse, and Midas learns a costly lesson. A story from Greek mythology, based on Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 11), featuring: Midas, Dionysus, Silenus --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin McLeod Episode Thumbnail Image: Bronze statue of Dionysus (2nd century AD) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In one of the greatest natural disasters of the ancient world, the Bay of Naples in Italy was devastated by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, destroying the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae, and others. In a set of letters to his friend, the historian Tacitus, the Roman writer and politician Pliny the Younger recalls his memories of the eruption in living detail, as an eyewitness and victim of the catastrophe. A story from Roman history, based on the Letters of Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (Pliny the Younger), letters 6.16 and 6.20, featuring: Pliny the Younger, Pliny the Elder, Plinia Marcella, Cornelius Tacitus --- CREDITS: Music from www.storyblocks.com Episode Thumbnail Image: View of Vesuvius Erupting (Pierre-Jacques Volaire, 18th century) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Legends tell of the hero Hercules' journey through Italy, where he faced off against a fire-breathing monster named Cacus. A generation later, the Trojan hero Aeneas finds himself in the little town that Hercules saved from the monster's fury, and hears the tale from his host, King Evander. Little does Aeneas know that this humble town will one day become the grand city of Rome, the capital of Aeneas' descendants -- and the tale of Hercules' victory will give rise to his worship in Rome for more than a thousand years. A story from Roman mythology, based on Vergil's Aeneid, Book 8 (19 BC), featuring: Aeneas, King Evander, Hercules, Cacus --- CREDITS: Music by Tunc Alicioglu, Psystein, Volodymyr Piddubnyk (www.storyblocks.com), and Kevin MacLeon (www.incompetech.com) Episode Thumbnail Image: Faience plate depicting Hercules and Cacus (Francesco Xanto da Rovigo, 1533) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Living in Judea after the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Roman centurion Cornelius receives a vision that leads him to seek the guidance of Simon Peter, once the close companion of Jesus. At the same time, Peter receives a vision of his own, that invites him to spread his teachings outside the Jewish community. The fateful encounter between Cornelius and Peter paves the way for the rise of Christianity across the Roman Empire. A story from Roman Judea, based on The Acts of the Apostles, Ch. 10 (late 1st century AD), featuring Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and Peter, Apostle of Christ --- CREDITS: Music by Humans Win (www.storyblocks.com) Episode Thumbnail Image: James Tissot, "The Confession of the Centurion" and "The First Denial of Peter" (1886-1894) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Agamemnon is the mightiest ruler in Greece, and father of the young princess Iphigenia. When an accident invites the wrath of the goddess Artemis, a dreadful sacrifice is demanded from Agamemnon: the slaughter of his own beloved daughter. A tragedy of anger, deception, and despair envelops the Greek camp at Aulis, with the Trojan War and the life of the princess hanging in the balance. A story from Greek mythology, based on Euripides' tragic play Iphigenia in Aulis (first performed in 405 BC, Athens), featuring: Iphigenia, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Achilles, Menelaus, Calchas, Orestes Original story by Konstantinos Christidis --- CREDITS: Music by Jon Presstone and Humans Win (www.storyblocks.com) Episode Thumbnail Image: Wall painting from Pompeii depicting the sacrifice of Iphigenia (1st century AD) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Philemon and his wife Baucis, an elderly couple, live happily in a humble cottage in the land of Phrygia. But a nighttime visit by two weary travelers will change their lives forever...when their guests turn out to be gods in disguise. A story from Greek mythology, based on Ovid's Metamorphoses (8.612-723), featuring: Philemon, Baucis, Zeus, Hermes --- CREDITS: Music by Scott Buckley Episode Thumbnail Image: Philemon and Baucis (Elias van Nijmegen, c. 1700; Rijksmuseum) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Polycrates (r. 540s - 522 BC) rules the Greek island of Samos, feared for his might as much as he is admired for his many achievements. Polycrates' name is synonymous with success...but too much worldly fortune risks the envy of the gods. The ancient legend of Polycrates' ring weaves a tale of the mysterious ways of fate, and the tragic fall of a man at the height of mortal glory. A story from ancient Greece, based on Herodotus' Histories (3.39-43, 122-26), featuring: Polycrates, tyrant of Samos; Amasis/Ahmose II, pharaoh of Egypt; Oroetes, Persian satrap of Lydia --- CREDITS: Music by Humans Win (www.storyblocks.com) Episode Thumbnail Images: Funerary stele for a Greek soldier, c. 330 BC (Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek; Wikimedia Commons) / Gold finger ring (British Museum; Openverse) / Background: view from Samos (Openverse) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Terrifying creatures stalked the dead of night in ancient Rome, as a man named Niceros has learned all too well. A guest at a lavish dinner party thrown by the fabulously wealthy Gaius Trimalchio, Niceros reveals a hair-raising encounter from his past: the time he met a dreaded werewolf! A story from ancient Roman literature, based on Petronius' novel Satyricon (mid-1st century AD; 61-62) --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Images: Bronze head of a wolf (Roman, 1st century AD) / Background from Openverse and Storyblocks WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The Trojan War is nearing its end, as new champions arrive at Troy to help fight the besieging Greeks: the Amazon queen Penthesilea and her twelve elite guardians. Driven by her quest for glory and a deep sorrow from her past, Penthesilea enters battle to save Troy, and takes on the deadliest of the Greek champions, the godlike warrior Achilles. A story from Greek mythology, based on Quintus of Smyrna's Posthomerica, Book 1 (3rd century AD), featuring: Penthesilea, Priam, Achilles, Ajax, Diomedes, Thersites --- CREDITS: Music by Giuseppe Rizzo, Suite Tracks Music, and William Van De Crommert (www.storyblocks.com) Episode Thumbnail Image: Scene of Amazons fighting Greeks, with Achilles and Penthesilea in the center, from a marble sarcophagus (Roman Empire, 3rd century AD) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Julius Caesar's early life was fraught with danger, as he found himself on the wrong side of violent civil strife in Rome. After spending years in a self-imposed exile to escape his enemies, he returns to Rome to launch a career in politics. But soon he strikes out again on the high seas, in search of the skills he needs to become the top man in Rome...but new dangers await in the Aegean Sea, and a fateful encounter with pirates will test the young Caesar's mettle. A story from ancient Rome, based on various ancient traditions (Plutarch, Life of Julius Caesar 1.8-2.7; Suetonius, Life of Julius Caesar 2.1-2; Velleius Paterculus, Roman History 41-42), featuring: Gaius Julius Caesar, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Cinna, Marcus Tullius Cicero, Apollonius Molo --- CREDITS: Music by Volodymyr Piddubnyk and Adrian Berenguer (www.storyblocks.com) Episode Thumbnail Image: "Julius Caesar captured by Cilician pirates, drawing" (20th century) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The Peloponnesian War rages between Athens and Sparta, enveloping the ancient Greek world. The city of Mytilene on the island of Lesbos, once allied with Athens as part of the Delian League, stages a rebellion against Athens' increasing tyranny. When the revolt fails, the citizens of Athens must decide the fate of the Mytileneans, and a fiery debate ensues: are the people of Mytilene to be executed and enslaved, or should the Athenians show restraint? The very identity of Athens and the justice of its new empire are at stake. A story from the ancient Greek world, based on Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War (3.1-50), featuring: Cleon, Diodotus, Pericles, Salaethus --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Image: "The Debate on Mytilene, 427 BC," William Spencer Bagdatopoulos (1915) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Alexander the Great takes a detour from his war against the Persian Empire, trekking into Egypt and becoming its new pharaoh. In search of an ancient temple of the supreme god Zeus-Ammon in the desert oasis of Siwa, Alexander receives a transformative prophecy from the god's oracle: the truth of his divine lineage from Zeus-Ammon himself. A story from the ancient Mediterranean world (332 BC), based on Quintus Curtius Rufus' Histories of Alexander the Great (4.7) and Plutarch's Life of Alexander (27) --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Images: Coin of Alexander with the ram horns of Zeus-Ammon, minted 3rd century BC / Egyptian hieroglyphs from the Temple of Hathor at Dendera WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Mithridates of Pontus seeks to expand his rule over Asia Minor, and rid his lands of the influence of the ascending Roman empire. In his vengeful quest for power, he orchestrates one of the bloodiest acts of terror in ancient history: the coordinated mass murder of all Romans or Italians who live within his reach. A story from Roman history, based on Appian's Mithridatic Wars (10-23) and Augustine's City of God (3.23), featuring: Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus; Nicomedes IV Philopator, King of Bithynia; Lucius Cornelius Sulla --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Images: Bust of Mithridates VI Eupator, 1st century AD / Ancient street in the ruins of Ephesus WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Medea is a beautiful and cunning princess, versed in the arts of magic. When Jason arrives from Greece with the Argonauts in the quest for the Golden Fleece, the two fall deeply in love, and begin a new life together in the Greek city of Corinth. But fate has other plans: when Jason betrays Medea and threatens to leave their two children, her sorrow wreaks vengeance upon them all. A story from ancient Greek literature, based on Euripides' Medea (431 BC), Pindar's Fourth Pythian Ode (466 BC), and Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica (c. 270 BC), featuring: Medea, princess of Colchis; Jason, the Greek hero from Iolcus; the two children of Jason and Medea; Medea's nurse; Glauce, princess of Corinth; Creon, king of Corinth; Aeetes, king of Colchis; Aegeus, king of Athens. Original Story by Konstantinos Christidis --- CREDITS: Music by Scott Buckley and Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Image: Relief from the Roman "Medea Sarcophagus," 2nd century AD WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The Battle of Frogs and Mice (Batrachomyomachia) is an ancient Greek epic poem written as a parody of Homer's Iliad. Featuring pint-sized warriors who talk and fight with the seriousness of Achilles or Hector, the poem spins a tale of tragedy, revenge, and war at the marshy edges of a lake -- while Zeus and the Greek gods look on with a mixture of shock and amusement. A story from ancient Greek literature (8th century BC - 2nd century AD; date disputed), based on the translation by H.G. Evelyn-White (1914), featuring: Physignathus (Puff-Jaw), King of the Frogs; Psycharpax (Crumb-Snatcher), Prince of the Mice; Troxartes (Bread-Nibbler), father of Crumb-Snatcher; Zeus; Athena; Hera --- CREDITS: Music by Scott Buckley and Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Image: "Batrachomyomachia/The Battle of the Frogs and the Mice" by Bjørn Okholm Skaarup (2016; http://www.bos-art.com/works/batrachomyomachia) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The Peloponnesian War has begun, and Athens recovers from Sparta's first attacks. As the city mourns its dead after the first year of fighting, the famed political leader Pericles is called upon to give a eulogy over the departed. Praising the valor of their fallen soldiers and inspiring the Athenians to fight on for their land, Pericles captures an enduring vision of the glory of Athens. A story from ancient Greek history (431 BC), based on Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 2.34-46), featuring: Pericles, leading citizen of Athens --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Images: Bust of Pericles (Roman copy of a Greek original from late 5th century BC) / Amphora with scene of dueling (Attica, late 6th century BC) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

A dispute between the young city of Rome and its neighbor, the ancient capital called Alba Longa, escalates into war. Rome's ambitious king, Tullus Hostilius, seeks a glorious victory in battle; a fateful duel to the death ensues, fought between the Horatii, a set of three brothers from Rome, and the Curiatii, three brothers from Alba. The freedom of Rome and Alba Longa hang on the outcome of the duel of champions. A story from Roman history (7th century BC), based on Livy's History of Rome (Book 1.22-25), featuring: Tullus Hostilius, the Horatii brothers (feat. Publius Horatius), the Curiatii brothers, Mettius Fufetius, Gaius Cluilius, Marcus Valerius the Roman Fetial, Spurius Fusius the Alban Pater Patratus Original story by Wesley Coulson --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod and Scott Buckley Episode Thumbnail Image: The Oath of the Horatii (Jacques-Louis David, 1784) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The Greek city of Thebes was among the oldest and most storied of them all, and the heroic tales of its founder, Cadmus, remained alive in the ancient imagination. Traversing East and West, conquering fearsome beasts, and building a new homeland, Cadmus the hero was admired for his great deeds -- and haunted by a fate he could not escape. A story from Greek mythology, based on Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 3 and 4), featuring: Cadmus, Europa, Agenor, Phoenix, the Sown Men, Harmonia, the Oracle of Delphi, Zeus, Ares, Athena Original story by Dakota Caldwell Hear about the fate of Cadmus' grandson Actaeon in the story, "Artemis and Actaeon: A Goddess' Revenge"! --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Image: Etruscan cinerary urn depicting Cadmus fighting the dragon (2nd century BC, from Volterra) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

It is the year 64 AD, and Nero rules the Roman Empire. In the wake of a Great Fire that blazes through the city, Nero finds an unwitting scapegoat to draw the blame of angry Romans: a mysterious, distrusted religious minority known as the Christians. A legendary tale of cruelty unfolds as Nero unleashes a violent purge of the Christians upon the city. A story from ancient Rome (64 AD), based on Tacitus' Annals (Book 15) and Suetonius' Life of Nero, featuring: Nero, St. Peter, St. Paul Special thanks to Anchises for contributing this story! Hear about another of Nero's infamous crimes in the story, "How Nero Killed His Mother: The Death of Agrippina." --- CREDITS: Music by Scott Buckley Episode Thumbnail Image: The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer (Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1883) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Jesus of Nazareth is born in the Roman-occupied land of Judea around 6 or 4 BC, an event that will inspire the holiday of Christmas. The world of the Nativity is a tumultuous scene of competing empires, diverse cultures, and ambitious leaders. How did Judea, homeland of Jesus and the Jewish people, become a province of the Roman Empire, and how did the infamous King Herod ascend the throne? Far from the capital of Rome, the wondrous birth of a child in rural Judea would one decide the fate of a mighty empire. A story from the Roman world (c. 67 BC - 4 BC), featuring: Jesus of Nazareth, Mary, Joseph, Herod the Great, Hyrcanus II, Aristobulus II, Antipater the Idumean, Pompey the Great, Mark Antony, Octavian/Augustus, Antigonus II, Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas For more on Judea's earlier history, including the life of Judas Maccabeus and the beginnings of the Hasmonean dynasty, check out our story “The Wars of the Maccabees”! --- CREDITS: Music by Scott Buckley Episode Thumbnail Image: Mosaic depicting the Nativity of Christ (1296-1300 AD, Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome, by Pietro Cavallini) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

A mythic showdown unfolds in the ancient land of Lydia: Arachne, a girl whose skill in weaving surpasses all, faces off against a wrathful Athena, the goddess of artisan crafts herself. The boastful but extraordinary Arachne weaves a masterpiece that shakes the glory of Olympus -- and awakens the fury of an equally proud Athena. As Arachne deftly spins her threads, will she become trapped in a web of her own making? A story from Greek mythology, based on Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 6), featuring: Arachne, Athena --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Image: Oil flask depicting women preparing wool, weaving, and folding finished cloth (c. 540 BC, from Attica) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

It is the 2nd century BC, and the land of Judea, homeland of the Jews, is ruled by the Seleucid Kingdom based in Syria. Subjected to a militant crackdown on their religious traditions, the Jews rebel against the Seleucid king Antiochus, and rally behind the leadership of Judas Maccabeus. The success of the Maccabean Revolt and Judas' restoration of the Temple of Jerusalem bring hope to the Jewish people, a legacy celebrated with the sacred festival of Hanukkah that endures to this day. A story from the ancient Mediterranean world, based on 1 and 2 Maccabees, featuring: Judas Maccabeus, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Mattathias, Simon Thassi, Jason, Menelaus --- CREDITS: Music by Scott Buckley Episode Thumbnail Image: Scene of Judas and the Maccabees facing a Seleucid army (Or Torah Synagogue, Acre, Israel) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The origins of Cyrus the Great (c. 600-530 BC), the first king of the Persian Empire, are shrouded in myth. The best known story, related by the Greek historian Herodotus, weaves a tale of intrigue in the lands of Media and Persia, ruled by the tyrannical king Astyages. When Astyages is visited by ominous dreams connected to the birth of his grandson Cyrus, a deadly plot is set in motion that leads ultimately to Cyrus' rise as the leader of the vastest empire yet seen. A story from the ancient Mediterranean world, adapted from Herodotus' Histories (Book 1, 107-130) featuring: Cyrus the Great, Astyages, Harpagus, Mithridates, Spaco, Mandane, Cambyses --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin McLeod and Dan-O Episode Thumbnail Images: Portrait of Cyrus the Great, inspired by a relief sculpture at Pasargad, Iran / The Tomb of Cyrus the Great in Pasargad, Iran WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Decebalus, king of the Dacians, gains power in the lands of eastern Europe now called Romania, and draws the attention of the Roman Empire commanded by the dynamic emperor Trajan. The two hard-fought Dacian Wars ensue, as Trajan and Decebalus engage in a battle of weapons and wits. A new imperial province will emerge from Dacia's conquest, sowing the seeds of a modern nation whose name bears witness to its Roman past. Very special thanks to Alba Wolf, who contributed this story for the channel! A story from the Roman Empire, adapted from Cassius Dio's Roman History (Book 68), featuring: Trajan, emperor of Rome, and Decebalus, king of the Dacians --- CREDITS: Music by Scott Buckley Episode Thumbnail Images: Bust of a captive Dacian nobleman, once part of a statue in Trajan's Forum (2nd century AD) / Bust of Trajan (108 AD) / Scene from Trajan's Column celebrating the Dacian victories (113 AD) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The Roman Civil War between Caesar and Pompey is raging, and the armies gather for a decisive battle at Pharsalus. In this dark tale from the Roman epic poem on the Civil War by Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (Lucan), the young Sextus Pompey, son of the great commander, seeks out a horrific necromancer as the showdown looms, desperate to learn of his family's fate. The witch Erichtho revives the corpse of a fallen soldier, who brings report from the underworld and reveals a grim destiny for Rome. A story from Roman literature, adapted from Lucan's Civil War, Book 6 (translated in Pharsalia: Dramatic Episodes from the Civil Wars) featuring: Sextus Pompey, Erichtho, Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin McLeod and Dan-O Episode Thumbnail Images: Sextus Pompey's portrait on a gold coin (aureus) from Sicily, 37-36 BC / "Design for a frieze with Roman trophies" Roman "Memento Mori" mosaic, Naples Archeological Museum, Italy WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Echo and Narcissus meet in the mysterious woods of Mount Helicon, an encounter that begins with curiosity, and ends in a shocking twist of fate. Echo is a carefree nymph, who suffers the curse of an angry goddess; Narcissus is a mortal famed for his astonishing good looks, but cold-hearted demeanor. A tragic story of voicelessness, irresistible love, and unexpected transformations ensues, deep in the forests of Greece. A story from Greek mythology, adapted from Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 3), featuring: Echo, Narcissus, Hera, Zeus --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Image: Echo and Narcissus (J. W. Waterhouse, 1903) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Alexander the Great arrives at the fortified island city of Tyre, and lays siege to the impregnable stronghold before continuing his conquest of the Persian Empire. The siege of Tyre demands legendary feats of engineering and strategy as the tides of battle swing between the Macedonian army and the Tyrian defenders, lasting for seven long months and culminating in a devastating defeat. A story from the ancient Mediterranean world (332 BC), featuring: Alexander the Great --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Images: Bronze statue of Alexander the Great on horseback (1st c. BC Roman copy of a Greek original by Lysippus, 4th c. BC) / "A naval action during the siege of Tyre" (A. Castaigne, 1898/99) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Dido, the queen of Carthage, and Aeneas, the leader of the Trojan War's survivors, have fallen deeply in love. But Aeneas' destiny as forefather of the Roman Empire demands that he leave Africa to pursue glory in Italy; a betrayed and heartbroken Dido descends into fury, culminating in a dark curse that will lock Carthage and Rome in war forever. A story from Roman mythology (Vergil's Aeneid, Books 1 and 4 ), featuring: Aeneas, Dido, Anna, Sychaeus, Mercury, Jupiter, Juno, Iris, Venus --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Images: Roman fresco of Dido and Aeneas (Pompeii, 1st century AD) / "Burning Fire Background Texture" WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The fateful romance of Aeneas and Dido begins, as the prince of ancient Troy escapes his city's destruction and sails to Africa with Trojan survivors. There he discovers the mighty new city of Carthage, and meets its leader, the capable and beautiful queen Dido. But the gods, who decree that Aeneas must lay the foundations of the Roman Empire, have other plans… A story from Roman mythology (Vergil's Aeneid, Books 1 and 4 ), featuring: Aeneas, Dido, Juno, Jupiter, Venus, Ilioneus, Achates, Sychaeus, Pygmalion --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Image: Roman fresco of Dido on her throne, with attendants; personified Africa stands to the right, with Aeneas' ship in the background WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Zenobia is the queen of Palmyra, an ancient city in Syria on the Roman Empire's eastern frontier. When her growing Palmyrene Kingdom is drawn into war with Rome, Zenobia fights to defend her city and her throne against a determined emperor Aurelian, with the fate of her people at stake. A story from the Roman world (c. 260-275 AD), featuring: Zenobia, Odaenathus, Aurelian, Gallienus --- CREDITS: Music by Scott Buckley Episode Thumbnail Images: Limestone funerary portrait of Aqmet, a Palmyrene noble woman (Palmyra, late 2nd century AD) / The ruins of Palmyra in Syria WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

As the Battle of Salamis looms, the Athenian leader Themistocles struggles to save Athens -- and all of Greece -- during a second war against Persia. How will Themistocles and the allied Greeks defend their land against the invading Persian Empire of King Xerxes? A mysterious oracle from Delphi may hold the answer: they must trust in the "Wooden Walls" at "Divine Salamis"... A story from Greek history (Persian Wars, 480 BC), based on Herodotus' Histories, featuring: Themistocles, Xerxes, the Pythia/Oracle of Delphi, Artemisia, Eurybiades --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Images: Bust identified as Themistocles (Roman copy of a c. 400 BC Greek original) / View of the island of Salamis WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The Titanomachy breaks out, and war rages between the Titans and the Olympian gods as Zeus' rise to cosmic kingship continues. Zeus fights to establish his reign against Cronus, the other Titans, and finally the fearsome monster Typhon, the very embodiment of primal chaos. A story from Greek mythology, based on Hesiod's Theogony, featuring: Zeus, the Titans, Typhon, the Hecatonchires (Cottus, Briareus, Gyges), the Cyclopes, Gaia, Tartarus, Prometheus, Atlas --- CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod Episode Thumbnail Image: Zeus fighting Typhon with a lightning bolt (illustration of a Greek vase painting from c. 530 BC) WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation: c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app