Podcasts about Plataea

This is a teaser of the bonus episode, "Salamis, A Turning Point?" found over on Patreon.The tiny island of Salamis witnessed a clash that would change the course of human history. When the Persian Empire's massive fleet sailed into the narrow straits between mainland Greece and Salamis in 480 BCE, few could have predicted the outcome that followed – a decisive Greek victory that permanently altered the trajectory of Western civilization.Standing amidst the ruins of Athens, which had been sacked and burned by Persian forces, the Greek alliance faced an existential crisis. King Xerxes commanded the largest invasion force the ancient world had ever seen, with estimates suggesting over a thousand ships and hundreds of thousands of troops. Against this overwhelming might stood the fractious Greek city-states, traditionally rivals now united by necessity against a common threat. At the heart of Greek resistance was Themistocles, the Athenian general whose strategic vision would transform disaster into triumph.What unfolded in the confined waters of Salamis wasn't merely a battle but a masterclass in strategic thinking. The Greeks deliberately lured the Persian fleet into the narrow straits where their numerical advantage became a liability. The Greek triremes, primarily from Athens, outflanked and crushed their opponents in the restricted space. This naval victory fundamentally changed the war's momentum, shattering Persian confidence and forcing Xerxes to retreat with much of his army. More significantly, it preserved Greek independence and with it the nascent democratic institutions, philosophical traditions, and cultural innovations that would form the foundations of Western thought. The battle reminds us that history's course often hinges on singular moments where courage, strategy, and unity transform apparent defeat into world-changing victory.Ready to discover more pivotal moments that shaped our world? Subscribe to our channel and join us next time as we explore the Battle of Plataea, where the Greek alliance delivered the final blow to Persian ambitions of conquest.If you would like to hear more and support the series click on the Patreon link at the bottom of the page or you can head to my website to discover other ways to support the series, HereSupport the show

This is a teaser of the bonus episode, "The Lull Before the Storm" found over on Patreon.Unlock the secrets of ancient warfare as we unravel the events leading to the Battles of Plataea and Mycale, where Greek resilience clashed with Persian ambition. Discover how the Persian invasion under King Xerxes I, once an unstoppable force, met its match at the Battle of Salamis, altering the course of history. In the aftermath, experience the strategic dance between retreating Persian forces and a revitalized Greek alliance, led by the indomitable spirit of Sparta and Athens, as they grapple with logistic nightmares and the shadow of looming battles.Join us as we dissect the political and military intricacies faced by both sides. From the demoralizing defeat at Salamis that rocked Persian confidence to the logistical prowess of Xerxes' retreat, these stories paint a vivid picture of a war-torn ancient Greece. Unearth how Themistocles' strategic foresight and the construction of defensive bastions at the Isthmus of Corinth shaped Greek preparations for future conflicts. This episode offers a captivating narrative of strategy, leadership, and survival, inviting listeners to step into the tumultuous world of 480 BC and witness the dramatic pivots that shaped the ancient world.If you would like to hear more and support the series click on the Patreon link at the bottom of the page or you can head to my website to discover other ways to support the series, HereSupport the show

Hello everyone,Here are 3 podcast-related things you may be interested in.Roman Graphic NovelFriend of the show Marco Capelli has made a comic book set in 6th century Italy. It follows two figures that we know about from an Ostrogothic jewellery collection that was discovered in 1938. A Roman Patrician Stephanus who marries a Gothic noblewoman Valatrud. They are subjects of King Theodoric who is trying to create a functioning Gothic-Roman kingdom in Italy. But their union comes shortly before Italy submerges into chaos. And Justinian sends Belisarius out to retake the home peninsula.You can get your hands on a copy in English or Italian. In paper or in a digital format. Plus loads of other goodies are available from Marco's Kickstarter campaign.The Kickstarter ends on October 11th so act now.Tour of GreeceLantern Jack, the host of the podcast Ancient Greece Declassified, is leading a tour to Greece.It's taking place from January 3rd to the 11th 2025. And it visits every site connected with the famous war between the Persians and the Athenians and Spartans. If you want to go you will visit the Acropolis, the Straits of Salamis, Marathon, Eubeoa, Thermopylae, Delphi, Plataea and you'll get to try on Hoplite Armour!Click here to find out moreThe History of Byzantium T-ShirtsFinally my new friend Magnus who creates Roman themed merchandise on Etsy has created an actual History of Byzantium podcast t-shirt. Or I should say t-shirts. Branded with the podcast logo you have several to choose from. I'm sure they will light up any occasion you go to with looks of confusion and bewilderment. But I think they look beautiful.Check them out here. He also has t-shirts and mugs celebrating lesser figures than me – such as Constantine, Justinian, Basil II, Marcus Aurelius and others. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Once the Persians had been defeated at Salamis and Plataea, they withdrew from the Greek mainland. But the war was far from over, and the Greeks went on the offensive.' For this episode, the team discuss issue XVII.4 of the magazine Finally Finishing The Fight: The Greco-Persian Wars, part II.   Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast  

“[Socrates] First of all, then, let's try to say what bravery is, Laches; and after that we'll investigate any ways of adding it to young men, in so far as it may be possible to do so by means of various activities and disciplines. So, as I say, try to put into words what bravery is.[Laches] My word, Socrates, that's not difficult! If a man is prepared to stand in the ranks, face up to the enemy and not run away, you can be sure that he's brave. …[Socrates] But what about another man, a man who still fights the enemy, but runs away and doesn't make a stand?[Laches] How do you mean, ‘runs away'?[Socrates] Well, I suppose just like the Scythians are said to fight every bit as much in retreat as in pursuit. …[Laches] Your point about the Scythians applies to cavalry – that's the way cavalry go into action, but infantry operate as I described.[Socrates] With the possible exception, Laches, of the Spartan infantry. At the battle of Plataea, so the story goes, the Spartans came up against the troops with wicker shields, but weren't willing to stand and fight, and fell back. The Persians broke ranks in pursuit; but then the Spartans wheeled round fighting like cavalry and so won that part of the battle.[Laches] That's true.[Socrates] Well, this is what I meant just now when I said it was my fault you didn't give a proper answer, because I didn't phrase the question properly; you see, I wanted to find out not just what it is to be brave as an infantryman, but also as a cavalryman, and as any kind of member of the forces; and not just what it is to be brave during a war, but to be brave in the face of danger at sea; and I wanted to find out what it is to be brave in the face of an illness, in the face of poverty, and in public life; and what's more not just what it is to be brave in resisting pain or fear, but also in putting up stern opposition to temptation and indulgence – because I'm assuming, Laches, that there are people who are brave in all these situations.[Laches] Very much so, Socrates.[Socrates] … So try again, and tell me with respect to bravery first of all what the constant factor in all these situations is – or do you still not understand what I mean?” (Laches, 190d-191d) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit figsinwinter.substack.com/subscribe

Have you ever worn a cloak of shame so heavy it seemed impossible to shed? Astrodemus of Sparta did, and his story of disgrace transformed into honor is a testament to the human spirit's relentless pursuit of redemption. Journey with us through ancient battlefields as we unravel the gripping narrative of a warrior who rose from the ashes of humiliation at the Battle of Thermopylae to a valorous end at Plataea. We'll dissect how Astrodemus' tale, echoed in novels and films, speaks to the broader themes of overcoming stigma and redefining what it means to reclaim lost dignity. It's a tale of how the echoes of the past still resonate with our struggles today. But why does Astrodemus' story matter to us? The episode pushes further, drawing parallels between the ancient Spartan's journey and our own battles with adversity in today's world. In a segment that contrasts the Spartan's physical trials with modern-day challenges, we touch upon how voluntarily facing hardship, as taught in programs like Mark Divine's Seal Fit and the practices of shugyo, can shape our character and fortify our resolve. This podcast takes you through the concept of 'voluntary hardship' - a transformative tool for character building. It's about pushing ourselves beyond comfort to grow stronger, both mentally and physically. As we draw from the wisdom of SealFit and shugyo, we realize the powerful impact such practices can have on our personal development. --------- EPISODE CHAPTERS --------- (0:00:00) - The Story of Astrodemus' Redemption (0:18:57) - Exploring Challenges and Growth Through Training (0:27:34) - Redemption and Personal Transformation --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/warriormindset/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/warriormindset/support

Uncover the chilling drama of ancient conflict as we journey through the shadows of the Peloponnesian War—revealing the political chaos of Corcyra, and the tragedy of Plataea. This episode uncovers the tales of rebellion, siege, and the sobering reality of political strife, all through the compelling lens of Thucydides' historical narratives. Be prepared to witness the darker side of human nature, where the lust for power leads to a breakdown in social order and a wave of indiscriminate violence that shook the very foundations of Ancient Greece.Step into the political arena of Corcyra where calculated moves and internal turmoil illustrate the complexities of Greek politics. We navigate through the strategic decisions that inflamed tensions and trace the harrowing outcomes of a society caught in the crossfire of war. The episode lays bare the ruthless political manoeuvres in a landscape fraught with desperation and strategic miscalculations, providing you with a profound understanding of the motivations and consequences that characterized one of history's most infamous conflicts. Join us and experience the intensity of a period where the line between friend and foe was perilously thin. Support the show

The Persian Wars came to an end in the spring of 479 BC, when the land forces of the allied Greeks met the Persian army in an epic clash at Plataea. But the legacy of the Persian Wars would last for decades and centuries to come, shaping memory, identity, and the future relationship between the Greeks and the Persians.Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWverge. And check out Patrick's new podcast The Pursuit of Dadliness! It's all about “Dad Culture,” and Patrick will interview some fascinating guests about everything from tall wooden ships to smoked meats to comfortable sneakers to history, sports, culture, and politics. https://bit.ly/PWtPoDListen to new episodes 1 week early, to exclusive seasons 1 and 2, and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/tidesofhistorySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Embark on a riveting exploration of ancient Greece as we delve into the tumultuous events surrounding Pericles, a towering political figure who shaped the destiny of the city-state for nearly four decades. Follow the gripping narrative of Athens' struggle during the siege of Potidaea, where Pericles' efforts faced unexpected challenges, leading to intricate negotiations, strained resources, and even accusations from critics. Inside the city walls, witness the grim realities that unfolded, including the harrowing conditions that drove defenders to resort to cannibalism.As the historical drama unfolds into the third year of the war, the focus shifts to Plataea, where Spartan king Archidamus spearheads a strategic campaign. Explore the motivations behind this unprecedented move, involving negotiations, Athenian support, and Plataea's resistance against Spartan attempts. The siege evolves into a complex blend of tactical moves, ultimately transitioning into a prolonged blockade, setting the stage for the dramatic events that would unfold in the fourth year of the war.Venture into the intricacies of Pericles' political legacy, as his influence is tested by the challenges of the second year, marked by the devastating plague that befell Athens. Witness the political ramifications, including Pericles' temporary removal from power, his emotional struggles, and the poignant moment where he seeks an exception to a citizenship law he had once championed. Despite securing his family legacy, the narrative takes a sombre turn as Pericles succumbs to the same plague that gripped Athens, marking the end of an era and the life of one of the most influential political figures in ancient Greece. Join us on this enthralling journey to uncover the untold stories, complex alliances, and enduring legacies that shaped the course of history in classical Greece.Support the show

A Sassanid cataphract in Oxford–fortunately a re-enactor  From the Ionian revolt of the 490s, through the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea, the vastAchaemenid Persian Empire was pitted against the pitifully small Greek states on its western periphery, until the astonishing successes of Alexander of Macedon decapitated it, placing him and his companions atop that imperial trunk. But Alexander's death, and the wars of his successors, gave an opportunity for a new power to rise in the far west and march eastward. In time imperial Rome would face new Persian dynasties; and for centuries Rome and Persia warred in the Caucuses and across Mesopotamia, until at the beginning of the seventh century an apocalyptic struggle resulted in the downfall of Persia, and the crippling of Rome, just as a new world-changing force emerged from the Arabian peninsula.  That is a pretty good analogue to a Chat GPT description of a millennia's worth of history, and while some of the facts are correct, nearly all of its interpretations are false. Such is Adrian Goldsworthy's argument in his new book Rome and Persia: The Seven Hundred Year Rivalry. While there were periods of warfare, they were given the length of the two empires coexistence very sporadic indeed. Moreover, both empires had a respect for each other that they offered no other polity, and the trade and commerce between them–not just in products, but also in cultural mores–was perhaps the most important feature of their relationship. This is Adrian's fourth appearance on the podcast. He was last on the podcast discussing his book Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors; he has also explained how Hadrian's Wall worked, and why Julius Caesar needs to be taken seriously as a historian. For Further Investigation The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars AD 226-363: A Documentary History, edited by Michael H. Dodgeon and Samuel N. C. Lieu, and The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars AD 363-628, edited by Geoffrey Greatrex and Samuel N. C. Lieu–Adrian writes that "both very well done for the later periods with sources and comments" Ammianus Marcellinus, The Late Roman Empire (AD 354-378) Goldsworthy also recommends the Perseus Digital Library for all your classical reading and research needs For why battles aren't as important as you think they are, see my conversation with Cathal Nolan   Conversation with Adrian Goldsworthy Al: [00:00:00] Welcome to Historically Thinking, a podcast about history and how to think about history. For more on this episode, go to historically thinking.org, where you can find links and readings related to today's podcast. Comment on the conversation and sign up for our newsletter, and consider becoming a member of the Historically Thinking Common Room, a community of Patreon supporters. Hello, from the Ionian Revolt of the 490s, through the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea, the vast Persian Empire of the Achaemenid Dynasty was pitted against the pitifully small Greek states on its western periphery, until the astonishing successes of Alexander of Macedon decapitated it, placing him and his companions atop that imperial trunk. But Alexander's death, and the wars of his successors, gave an opportunity to a new power to rise in the far west. In time Rome, first as republic and then as empire, would face new Persian dynasties. For centuries, Rome and Persia warred in the Caucasus and across [00:01:00] Mesopotamia, until at the beginning of the 7th century, an apocalyptic struggle resulted in the downfall of Persia, the crippling of Rome, just as a new world changing force emerged from out of the Arabian Peninsula. That is a pretty good analogue to a chat GPT description of a millennia's worth of history. And, like lots of chat GPT descriptions, while some of the facts are correct, nearly all of the interpretations are false. Such would be Adrian Goldsworthy's argument in...

Wie wil kan reageren naar email harryhofkamp@live.nl De eerste aflevering over het Atheense Rijk. Over de situatie na de overwinningen bij Plataea en Mycale. Over het vertrek van Sparta uit de strijd tegen de Perzen en over het nieuwe bondgenootschap onder aanvoering van Athene. Over Cimon de nieuwe Atheense politieke ster aan het firmament en zijn bloedmooie halfzus Elpinike.

Een podcast van Harry Hofkamp. harryhofkamp@live.nl Deze aflevering ga ik het hebben over het gedoe binnen het Griekse bondgenootschap in de winter van 480/479, over de diplomatieke acties van de Perzen en over de in het voorjaar van 479 irritante terughoudendheid van de Spartanen om de strijd met het leger van de Perzen aan te gaan.

We have now reached the outbreak of the Peloponnesian war, where we saw the hostilities between Thebes and Plataea marking a point where the war would begin. Both of these city states were allied to Sparta, in Thebes case and Athens on the Plataean side. Even though preparations for war were underway already, this action would see that both Sparta and Athens would be ready for conflict since this was a blatant breach of the 30 years peace.However, before moving forward with developments, we are going to take a step back to see if we can get a better understanding of why this war would come to develop. We will first look at what Thucydides our main source says about the causes and his opinions. Remember, here it was his aim in presenting his work to make sure that all those that read it would have an understanding of the events and motivations behind this greatest of Greek conflicts.We will also explore the notion of the remote causes of the war and more immediate cause. This will see us looking back to even before the Persian War at the interactions between Athens and Sparta, while then following their interactions from the evolving developments of the Persian invasion and their victory in that war. Then we will turn to the years just before the breakout of the Peloponnesian War to see how both Athens and Sparta would come to be involved in this situation that had begun as a regional dispute out of their areas of influence.Trying to shed light on the causes for war developing in this conflict is not easy task. If we are expecting to find a single cause for the war, we will walk away disappointed. Although, Thucydides would provide what appears on the surface a straight forward answer, when you stop and think about it, there are so many elements tied up in his answer and it becomes apparent why he devoted his entire work to the subject of the Peloponnesian War.   Support the show

The war party within Sparta now had the majority in favour of their policy towards Athens. A clear vote had seen that the policies of the peace that had influenced much of Spartan policy since the end of the Persian invasions had now fallen out of favour. This would see that Sparta now saw that Athens had breached the 30 years peace, created nearly 15 years ago. However, for war to be the next step in developments a congress of the Peloponnesian league would need to be held for all its members to vote on the matter.Sparta would host the congress of the Peloponnesian League to put the matter to all members. It would be important to have everyone on board for a coming struggle with Athens and its empire. Thucydides would highlight that many would speak in favour of war with a particular focus on the speeches delivered by Corinth, where they would convince all that Athens could be defeated.The Congress would decide that war would be the best path forward, as Athens needed to be stopped. However, conflict would not develop just yet, with Sparta sending a number of embassies to deliver ultimatums to Athens. These were supposedly an attempt to avoid war, but the conditions were demands that Athens could not accept and no arbitration was attempted. Finally, with Athens rejection, diplomatic connections would officially break down. Conflict between the two would still not develop, though up in Boeotia an action by Thebes, Sparta's ally, would see the first action leading to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. They would target the small polis of Plataea, an ally of Athens, though with the action not going as Thebes planned, more conflict was sure to follow. What took place in Boeotia would be a clear breakdown of the 30 years peace, with Athens and Sparta now on a war footing. Support the show

The 2023/1 EXARC Journal is bringing you seven reviewed and five mixed matter articles. All the articles are open access to allow for free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past. There are some very interesting themes being discussed in this issue.Among others we have the first three contributions from the Sustainable Revolution for Open-Air Museums Session from the ICOM conference in Prague 2022. These come from AOZA in Germany, Twah Longwar in India and an experiment testing the potential of a shared project in a ‘virtual' open-air museum. More will follow.The other reviewed articles tackle various topics: we have articles on experimental weaving with ceramic crescents, making peat charcoal, reconstruction of scarab stamp seals production chain and last but not least there is Hard Fun, an overlap between a pedagogic case study and an archaeological experiment.From the mixed matter section, we would like to highlight two articles: the first part of the discussion with Ukrainians archaeologists on the topic Heritage in Times of War, and John Conyard's experience from the 2,500th Anniversary of the Battle of Plataea, which took place on the 26-31 July 2022.Support the show

Roel Konijnendijk joins us to talk all things Ancient Greek, but more specifically the battle of Plataea during the second Persian war.Support us: https://www.patreon.com/historyhackTips: https://ko-fi.com/historyhackBuy the books: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/historyhackMerch: https://www.historyhackpod.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

plutarch.life/pyrrhusPyrrhus, tempted to fight in the old Homeric style of one on one, strikes me as a man born in the wrong era. With the rise of the Macedonian phalanx, his tactical brilliance sees some success but his personal appetite for risk and voracious craving for the next adventure over the horizon cause him to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory too many times in his life. From Fabricius to Sparta to Argos, Pyrrhus seems to learn prudence, but only learns that even the Spartans can defend their homeland with everything they've got. How can we learn from Pyrrhus and not earn victories so costly that we end in defeat?Also, Pyrrhus's end in Argos...How to read a metaphor (or an omen!). And so much more...Support the show

In the third installment of my Greco-Persian war series we take a look at the Interbellum. The years between Marathon and Thermopylae.  A pivotal decade for both Greek and Persian alike.Alliances were an incredibly shaky proposition in ancient Greece but they would need something rock solid if they were to resist the coming enemy. We look at the Athenian naval build up during the period, the result of the visionary called Themistocles.Fortunately for the allies, Sparta had at her command the Peloponnesian League but the city of Lycurgus had two very new kings, with unstable thrones, in power at the time. They missed Marathon, Greece could not afford for them to miss what came next.Lastly, we'll head east and go into the detail around the build up of Xerxes' forces in Persia. He assembled a mighty army and navy, and the steps he took to get them to Greece were nothing short of astounding.I hope you all enjoy, and take good care. CONTRIBUTE HEREhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/spartanhistoryhttps://paypal.me/SpartanHistoryFIND ME HEREhttps://www.facebook.com/spartanhistorypodcasthttps://twitter.com/Spartan_History

EPISODE 35 A TALE OF TWO TYRANTSThe Greco-Persian wars were a series of truly tectonic engagements fought during the first half of the 5th century BCE. On one side was a lose coalition of free Greek cities versus the autocratic behemoth that was the Persian empire. A real David and Goliath style conflict, with this episode I'll be kicking off a series on the conflicts to describe the period in as much detail as possible.First up I take a look at the genesis behind the wars themselves, that is the Ionian revolt. Aristagoras of Miletus is often credited with stirring up a sense of nationalism amongst the cities of the Ionian coast, in western Turkey. From there his actions set the Greek world down a path to the serious engagements that would follow, Marathon, Thermopylae, Plataea and Salamis. However, Aristagoras' position as tyrant was underpinned by his father-in-law, Histiaeus, the real tyrant of Miletus. The  story of the Ionian revolt is just as much about the former man as it is about the latter. We'll look deeper into both these tyrants stories and drill into the events surrounding the Ionian revolt.Hope you all enjoy and take care.https://www.buymeacoffee.com/spartanhistoryhttps://paypal.me/SpartanHistoryhttps://www.spartanhistorypodcast.com/https://www.facebook.com/spartanhistorypodcasthttps://twitter.com/Spartan_History

Check out what I'm up to this summer and fall and see if you can learn some Greek and Latin with me.Full Show Notes Available at https://plutarch.life/alexanderSeason 4 is brought to you by Hackett Publishing - Use the coupon code PLUTARCH for 20% off and free shipping at hackettpublishing.com     Important People-Bucephalus - Yes, a horse is an important character! Fiery, hard-working, and lasting till the edge of Alexander's empire, Bucephalus (ox-head) provides an analogue for us to see a fiery temperament tamed. -Philip - Alexander's ambitious father and the succesful military reformer who almost led an expedition against Persia himself. His untimely assassination makes that task fall to Alexander. -Olympias - An ambitious and scheming mother, Olympias always pushes Alexander to do more and work harder. While at home, she frequently conflicts with Antipater, the regent Alexander left in charge of Macedonia in his decade-long absence. -Darius III - The last Achaemenid emperor of Persia flees from Alexander twice but, overall, is treated well by his enemy. He didn't choose his successor, but ultimatley respects the man who sits on the throne of Cyrus after his death. -Poros - One of the last king-generals that Alexander defeats before turning around to head back home. Poros lives on the far side of the Indus River and earns Alexander's respect in a hard-fought battle. Alexander keeps him in his current position and adds lands to his after defeating him. -Aristotle - One of the greatest philosophers who ever lived worked as the personal tutor to Alexander the Great for at least two years. The two men continue to correspond later in life but some versions of the story have their relationship cool significantly after Alexander executes his grand-nephew, Callisthenes (cf. sections 53-55)-Philotas - A contemporary of Alexander rising in the ranks under his father, Parmenio. Both experienced leaders who served under Philip and Alexander, Philotas's pride finds him implicated in a conspiracy and Alexander kills him and his father. -Clitus (Cleitus) - A member of Alexander's companion cavalry who saves his life at The Battle of Granicus River. When he later tries to publicly correct Alexander for adopting too many Persian customs, the fight leads to his tragic death, which Alexander struggles to recover from.  -Callisthenes - Grand-nephew of Aristotle accompanying Alexander on the Persian Expedition. He acts as a proxy for Alexander's relationship with the ethical and political lessons Alexander had learned from Aristotle. When he dies (some reports say by Alexander's order, others do not), it seems Alexander lost his last link with his childhood education.Important Places-Thebes - Not just in Plutarch's backyard, but the city punished for revolting after Philip's death. It is burned to the ground and 30,000 of its inhabitant are sold into slavery. Plutarch thinks this must anger the god Dionysius, who was born close to Thebes. -The Battle of Granicus River -Battle of Issus-The Siege of Tyre-Alexandria-The Battle of Gaugamela-The Battle of HydapsesKey Virtues and Vices-Generosity -Justice  -Friendship   -Ambition (φιλοτιμία)Support the show

In this third installment of the Peloponnesian War podcast, we take a look at life after Pericles and the years 428 and 427 BC.  Leaders of Mytilene's oligarchy have decided that now is the time to leave the Athenian-led alliance.  The conflict in Plataea also finally comes to an end while another bloody civil conflict between factions in Corcyra gets out of hand and shocks the Greek world.  At the end of it, the Athenians head west to see if they can exert their influence in southern Italy and Sicily.  The war is really heading up and who knows where the fires will spread to next! In this third installment of the Peloponnesian War podcast, we take a look at life after Pericles and the years 428 and 427 BC.  Leaders of Mytilene's oligarchy have decided that now is the time to leave the Athenian-led alliance.  The conflict in Plataea also finally comes to an end while another bloody civil conflict between factions in Corcyra gets out of hand and shocks the Greek world.  At the end of it, the Athenians head west to see if they can exert their influence in southern Italy and Sicily.  The war is really heading up and who knows where the fires will spread to next! Contents:00:00 Introduction01:10 Revolt of Mytilene06:25 Judgement of Mytilene: Cleon vs. Diodotus 13:41 The Fate of Plataea16:07 Civil War in Corcyra22:05 Sicily and Syracuse25:43 Thank You and PatronsSupport the show

The Delian League had been campaigning in and around the Aegean for the best part of ten years. Thucydides had given us the picture of Athenian growth in power during this period with the league focusing less and less on the Persian threat and looking to police Greeks in the region before then having to turn to their own members looking to leave the league.During this period the Persian Empire was also continuing with their policies within their lands, though mostly out of the view of the Greeks. For this reason, we have no narrative accounts of what was taking place, just small pieces of evidence suggesting likely activities. These would range from further campaigning on their boarders, expanding their lands; put down possible revolts and engaging in great construction projects at their capitols.Although, it had appeared that the Persian threat in the Aegean had died down as the 470's progressed, just over ten years after the battles of Mycale and Plataea, there would be a renewed effort. The Persian had begun assembling naval and land forces in southern Anatolia to prepare for what appeared to be another campaign directed at the Greeks.Cimon would receive word of the Persian build up and direct the leagues attention towards southern Anatolia as the campaigning season came on. A naval battle would take place at the opening of the Eurymedon River, then the Greeks would fight a land battle to follow up their victory at sea. There is also the possibility that a second naval engagement followed these two battles against a reinforcing force. The battle of the Eurymedon would effectively end any future Persian attempts at launching an offensive directed at Greek lands.Support the show

In 510 BC, an obscure Greek city located literally on a backwater revolted against its tyrant. This was not extraordinary; such things happened regularly in the many Greek city-states. What followed however was extraordinary, and even world-changing. Athens became a democracy. Then just seventeen years after that, Athens and its tiny ally of Plataea defeated a raid by the mighty Persian Empire. The great century of Athenian glory had begun.Yet the history of Athens did not end with either Spartan victory in the Peloponnesian War, or with the supremacy of Macedon, or even with conquest by Rome. While never quite attaining its heights under Pericles, Athens was often important; and even when it was relatively unimportant, it always remained interesting. The history of Athens, both during its decades of glory and its centuries of relative peace and quiet, is chronicled by Bruce Clark in his new book Athens: City of Wisdom. Clark is a writer for The Economist, where he covers European affairs and religion. He moves from Athenian origins, to Periclean Athens; from to the medieval city when the Parthenon was the castle of the Duke of Athens, to Ottoman conquest; to Greek independence, and Athens becoming the capital of a new Kingdom of Greece; and all the way into the 21st century. For Further Investigation Also by Bruce Clark, a history of events mentioned in our conversation (as well as in the conversation with Roderick Beaton): Twice a Stranger: The Mass Expulsions That Formed Modern Greece and Turkey For a very important part of Athenian history we deliberately ignored, see the conversation with classical historian Jennifer Roberts in Episode 121: The War Between the Greeks, or, The Forever War For another different perspective on Athens, see Episode 179: What's the Good of Ambition, or, Socrates and Alcibiades The Acropolis Museum Atlas Obscura is one of my favorite sites to browse, and here's The Atlas Obscura Guide To Athens: 55 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Athens Greece Al Zambone is a historian and the host of the excellent podcast Historically Thinking. You can subscribe to Historically Thinking on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In 510 BC, an obscure Greek city located literally on a backwater revolted against its tyrant. This was not extraordinary; such things happened regularly in the many Greek city-states. What followed however was extraordinary, and even world-changing. Athens became a democracy. Then just seventeen years after that, Athens and its tiny ally of Plataea defeated a raid by the mighty Persian Empire. The great century of Athenian glory had begun.Yet the history of Athens did not end with either Spartan victory in the Peloponnesian War, or with the supremacy of Macedon, or even with conquest by Rome. While never quite attaining its heights under Pericles, Athens was often important; and even when it was relatively unimportant, it always remained interesting. The history of Athens, both during its decades of glory and its centuries of relative peace and quiet, is chronicled by Bruce Clark in his new book Athens: City of Wisdom. Clark is a writer for The Economist, where he covers European affairs and religion. He moves from Athenian origins, to Periclean Athens; from to the medieval city when the Parthenon was the castle of the Duke of Athens, to Ottoman conquest; to Greek independence, and Athens becoming the capital of a new Kingdom of Greece; and all the way into the 21st century. For Further Investigation Also by Bruce Clark, a history of events mentioned in our conversation (as well as in the conversation with Roderick Beaton): Twice a Stranger: The Mass Expulsions That Formed Modern Greece and Turkey For a very important part of Athenian history we deliberately ignored, see the conversation with classical historian Jennifer Roberts in Episode 121: The War Between the Greeks, or, The Forever War For another different perspective on Athens, see Episode 179: What's the Good of Ambition, or, Socrates and Alcibiades The Acropolis Museum Atlas Obscura is one of my favorite sites to browse, and here's The Atlas Obscura Guide To Athens: 55 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Athens Greece Al Zambone is a historian and the host of the excellent podcast Historically Thinking. You can subscribe to Historically Thinking on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In 510 BC, an obscure Greek city located literally on a backwater revolted against its tyrant. This was not extraordinary; such things happened regularly in the many Greek city-states. What followed however was extraordinary, and even world-changing. Athens became a democracy. Then just seventeen years after that, Athens and its tiny ally of Plataea defeated a raid by the mighty Persian Empire. The great century of Athenian glory had begun.Yet the history of Athens did not end with either Spartan victory in the Peloponnesian War, or with the supremacy of Macedon, or even with conquest by Rome. While never quite attaining its heights under Pericles, Athens was often important; and even when it was relatively unimportant, it always remained interesting. The history of Athens, both during its decades of glory and its centuries of relative peace and quiet, is chronicled by Bruce Clark in his new book Athens: City of Wisdom. Clark is a writer for The Economist, where he covers European affairs and religion. He moves from Athenian origins, to Periclean Athens; from to the medieval city when the Parthenon was the castle of the Duke of Athens, to Ottoman conquest; to Greek independence, and Athens becoming the capital of a new Kingdom of Greece; and all the way into the 21st century. For Further Investigation Also by Bruce Clark, a history of events mentioned in our conversation (as well as in the conversation with Roderick Beaton): Twice a Stranger: The Mass Expulsions That Formed Modern Greece and Turkey For a very important part of Athenian history we deliberately ignored, see the conversation with classical historian Jennifer Roberts in Episode 121: The War Between the Greeks, or, The Forever War For another different perspective on Athens, see Episode 179: What's the Good of Ambition, or, Socrates and Alcibiades The Acropolis Museum Atlas Obscura is one of my favorite sites to browse, and here's The Atlas Obscura Guide To Athens: 55 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Athens Greece Al Zambone is a historian and the host of the excellent podcast Historically Thinking. You can subscribe to Historically Thinking on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

In 510 BC, an obscure Greek city located literally on a backwater revolted against its tyrant. This was not extraordinary; such things happened regularly in the many Greek city-states. What followed however was extraordinary, and even world-changing. Athens became a democracy. Then just seventeen years after that, Athens and its tiny ally of Plataea defeated a raid by the mighty Persian Empire. The great century of Athenian glory had begun.Yet the history of Athens did not end with either Spartan victory in the Peloponnesian War, or with the supremacy of Macedon, or even with conquest by Rome. While never quite attaining its heights under Pericles, Athens was often important; and even when it was relatively unimportant, it always remained interesting. The history of Athens, both during its decades of glory and its centuries of relative peace and quiet, is chronicled by Bruce Clark in his new book Athens: City of Wisdom. Clark is a writer for The Economist, where he covers European affairs and religion. He moves from Athenian origins, to Periclean Athens; from to the medieval city when the Parthenon was the castle of the Duke of Athens, to Ottoman conquest; to Greek independence, and Athens becoming the capital of a new Kingdom of Greece; and all the way into the 21st century. For Further Investigation Also by Bruce Clark, a history of events mentioned in our conversation (as well as in the conversation with Roderick Beaton): Twice a Stranger: The Mass Expulsions That Formed Modern Greece and Turkey For a very important part of Athenian history we deliberately ignored, see the conversation with classical historian Jennifer Roberts in Episode 121: The War Between the Greeks, or, The Forever War For another different perspective on Athens, see Episode 179: What's the Good of Ambition, or, Socrates and Alcibiades The Acropolis Museum Atlas Obscura is one of my favorite sites to browse, and here's The Atlas Obscura Guide To Athens: 55 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Athens Greece Al Zambone is a historian and the host of the excellent podcast Historically Thinking. You can subscribe to Historically Thinking on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 510 BC, an obscure Greek city located literally on a backwater revolted against its tyrant. This was not extraordinary; such things happened regularly in the many Greek city-states. What followed however was extraordinary, and even world-changing. Athens became a democracy. Then just seventeen years after that, Athens and its tiny ally of Plataea defeated a raid by the mighty Persian Empire. The great century of Athenian glory had begun.Yet the history of Athens did not end with either Spartan victory in the Peloponnesian War, or with the supremacy of Macedon, or even with conquest by Rome. While never quite attaining its heights under Pericles, Athens was often important; and even when it was relatively unimportant, it always remained interesting. The history of Athens, both during its decades of glory and its centuries of relative peace and quiet, is chronicled by Bruce Clark in his new book Athens: City of Wisdom. Clark is a writer for The Economist, where he covers European affairs and religion. He moves from Athenian origins, to Periclean Athens; from to the medieval city when the Parthenon was the castle of the Duke of Athens, to Ottoman conquest; to Greek independence, and Athens becoming the capital of a new Kingdom of Greece; and all the way into the 21st century. For Further Investigation Also by Bruce Clark, a history of events mentioned in our conversation (as well as in the conversation with Roderick Beaton): Twice a Stranger: The Mass Expulsions That Formed Modern Greece and Turkey For a very important part of Athenian history we deliberately ignored, see the conversation with classical historian Jennifer Roberts in Episode 121: The War Between the Greeks, or, The Forever War For another different perspective on Athens, see Episode 179: What's the Good of Ambition, or, Socrates and Alcibiades The Acropolis Museum Atlas Obscura is one of my favorite sites to browse, and here's The Atlas Obscura Guide To Athens: 55 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Athens Greece Al Zambone is a historian and the host of the excellent podcast Historically Thinking. You can subscribe to Historically Thinking on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

In 510 BC, an obscure Greek city located literally on a backwater revolted against its tyrant. This was not extraordinary; such things happened regularly in the many Greek city-states. What followed however was extraordinary, and even world-changing. Athens became a democracy. Then just seventeen years after that, Athens and its tiny ally of Plataea defeated a raid by the mighty Persian Empire. The great century of Athenian glory had begun.Yet the history of Athens did not end with either Spartan victory in the Peloponnesian War, or with the supremacy of Macedon, or even with conquest by Rome. While never quite attaining its heights under Pericles, Athens was often important; and even when it was relatively unimportant, it always remained interesting. The history of Athens, both during its decades of glory and its centuries of relative peace and quiet, is chronicled by Bruce Clark in his new book Athens: City of Wisdom. Clark is a writer for The Economist, where he covers European affairs and religion. He moves from Athenian origins, to Periclean Athens; from to the medieval city when the Parthenon was the castle of the Duke of Athens, to Ottoman conquest; to Greek independence, and Athens becoming the capital of a new Kingdom of Greece; and all the way into the 21st century. For Further Investigation Also by Bruce Clark, a history of events mentioned in our conversation (as well as in the conversation with Roderick Beaton): Twice a Stranger: The Mass Expulsions That Formed Modern Greece and Turkey For a very important part of Athenian history we deliberately ignored, see the conversation with classical historian Jennifer Roberts in Episode 121: The War Between the Greeks, or, The Forever War For another different perspective on Athens, see Episode 179: What's the Good of Ambition, or, Socrates and Alcibiades The Acropolis Museum Atlas Obscura is one of my favorite sites to browse, and here's The Atlas Obscura Guide To Athens: 55 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Athens Greece Al Zambone is a historian and the host of the excellent podcast Historically Thinking. You can subscribe to Historically Thinking on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

Birth of the Delian League:Leagues in Greece were not a new concept, with many being in existence in one form or another. So, far the major leagues that we have followed have been the Peloponnesian league and the Hellenic league, with both of these still in operation by 477BC. These were primarily defensive in nature and were formed around city states that had shared interests or a common foe. Though, what would happen once interests were conflicted or a threat had been extinguished?In 478/477 Athens would find herself in this position now that Persian had been ejected from Greek lands and campaigning had moved into the eastern Aegean. For Sparta and the Peloponnesians, campaigning could begin to wind down with the threat now far away from their lands. Though Athens and the new eastern Greek members of the league saw the threat still present to their interests in Anatolia. This time interests were far more divided than they were in the disagreements before Salamis and Plataea.We are told the various Ionian and other eastern Greeks would unite together in the face of the harsh treatment by Pausanias and the Spartan commanders. They would approach Athens with support to take control of the leadership, eventually leaving Sparta no alternative with all of the other Peloponnesians having returned home. Though, how involved was Athens in ensuring this support would be fostered towards them and their bid on the leadership?What would eventuate though, with the new circumstances and realities would look very different to the framework and objectives of the Hellenic league. What Athens and the eastern Greeks now recognised, was that they have created something new, with differing goals and objectives. This new group of city states would end up holding their first congress on Delos, establishing the mechanisms and objectives of the league. Today we call this league the Delian league and it would be the beginning of future events that would unfold in the Aegean that would be so influential to the area of the Classical Age in Greece.  This episodes podcast recommendation: Warlords of History Podcast Support the show

The Persian invasion of 480 BC had now been defeated with the victory over Xerxes land forces on the Greek Boeotian plains outside Plataea. While his navy was destroyed in Persian controlled lands below mount Mycale on the Anatolian coast. The Greeks would continue operations into 479 under Athenian command for the first time, sailing into the Hellespont where Persian influence in the area would be extinguished.In the meantime, the Athenians had been returning to Athens now that the Persians had been vanquished. Though, their city lay in ruins and would need to be rebuilt for a second time in a year. The building programs would be overseen by Themistocles, now back in political favour. The defensive walls he planned would attract the attention of the Spartans who would engage in talks to have them removed. Though, Themistocles with his usual cunning would see they would be complete before anything could be done.The beginning of 478 BC would see yet another campaigning season begin over in the eastern Aegean. This time Sparta would be back in command, though this time Pausanias, who over saw the victory at Plataea would be leading the navy. Sparta seems to have recognised their misstep in abandoning the leadership the year before and now looked to regain their authority.Though, the regent Pausanias would fall from favour and so to would the Spartan King Leotychides. Pausanias, now over in Anatolia would appear to invert the qualities found to describe him in Herodotus. He would become cruel, arrogant, corrupt and even traitors by some accounts, and would eventually end up on trial in Sparta, where he would be starved to death. Leotychides would also face corruption charges after campaigning in Thessaly where he would end up going into exile. So, within 10 years the commanders who had led the forces that saw the Persian defeat had fallen from grace and were seen as nothing more than criminals.Casting Through Ancient Greece WebsiteFollow on TwitterFollow on FacebookSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/castingthroughancientgreece)

EPISODE 31 A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWNLikely by around 550 BCE, Sparta had the most powerful military in ancient Greece. They used that to their favour and created a coalition of Peloponnesian cities all bound to Sparta through unequal treaties of relative, mutual alliance. Called the, Lakedaimonians and their allies by ancient authors we know this union as the, Peloponnesian League.In the episode I get right into the nuts and bolts of how the early league formed and introduce a little of the background information for the individual polis as we go along.  Sparta used the 6th century to, whether by plan or providence, develop the Peloponnese into a fortress.It was also a prison. One of the primary reason's for the league's creation was to ensure the Helot population was surrounded by states completely antithetical to their cause. The end result saw Sparta Hegemon over the largest army Greece had seen since the mythical Trojan war. Leaving them prepared for an even bigger army, that of Xerxes at Plataea in 479 BCE. The land-based victory of the Greeks was a direct result of Spartan activities during the 6th century with the league being pivotal. Hope you all enjoy, welcome back and take care. If you're looking for other great history podcast's, checkout Feedspot's top 25 below. There's some awesome shows on the list. https://blog.feedspot.com/ancient_history_podcasts/https://www.buymeacoffee.com/spartanhistoryhttps://paypal.me/SpartanHistoryhttps://www.spartanhistorypodcast.com/https://www.facebook.com/spartanhistorypodcasthttps://twitter.com/Spartan_History

In 510 BC, an obscure Greek city located literally on a backwater revolted against its tyrant. This was not extraordinary; such things happened regularly in the many Greek city-states. What followed however was extraordinary, and even world-changing. Athens became a democracy. Then just seventeen years after that, Athens and its tiny ally  of Plataea defeated a raid by the mighty Persian Empire. The great century of Athenian glory had begun.Yet the history of Athens did not end with either Spartan victory in the Peloponnesian War, or with the supremacy of Macedon, or even with conquest by Rome. While never quite attaining its heights under Pericles, Athens was often important; and even when it was relatively unimportant, it always remained interesting. The history of Athens, both during its decades of glory and its centuries of relative peace and quiet, is chronicled by Bruce Clark in his new book Athens: City of Wisdom. Clark is a writer for The Economist, where he covers European affairs and religion. He moves from Athenian origins, to Periclean Athens; from to the medieval city when the Parthenon was the castle of the Duke of Athens, to Ottoman conquest; to Greek independence, and Athens becoming the capital of a new Kingdom of Greece; and all the way into the 21st century. For Further Investigation Also by Bruce Clark, a history of events mentioned in our conversation (as well as in the conversation with Roderick Beaton): Twice a Stranger: The Mass Expulsions That Formed Modern Greece and Turkey  For a very important part of Athenian history we deliberately ignored, see the conversation with classical historian Jennifer Roberts in Episode 121: The War Between the Greeks, or, The Forever War For another different perspective on Athens, see Episode 179: What's the Good of Ambition, or, Socrates and Alcibiades The Acropolis Museum Atlas Obscura is one of my favorite sites to browse, and here's The Atlas Obscura Guide To Athens: 55 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Athens Greece

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn what happened during the decisive battles of Salamis and Plataea, when the Greeks finally gained the upper hand in the Greco-Persian Wars, and how these battles went on to affect the overall outcome of the war.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn what happened during the decisive battles of Salamis and Plataea, when the Greeks finally gained the upper hand in the Greco-Persian Wars, and how these battles went on to affect the overall outcome of the war.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn what happened during the decisive battles of Salamis and Plataea, when the Greeks finally gained the upper hand in the Greco-Persian Wars, and how these battles went on to affect the overall outcome of the war.

Episode 8 -  The Persian WarsHi, my name is Clayton Mills.  Welcome to ‘A Short Walk through our Long History' - a podcast where we look at the events of history, and try to see how those events shaped our modern world. Welcome to Episode 8 -  The Persian Wars.  We're talking today about the ancient wars between Greece and Persia.  I've mentioned that Greece has had an important impact on the western world, but did you know that ancient Greece was almost wiped out?  A couple of times?  Greece was a small country, but they tangled with the biggest empire of their time:  The Persians.  The battles between these two countries will become legendary, and will give us a couple of the best quotes of all time.  Also, Pheidippides!  And his famous last words.  Lots of good quotes in this episode.  We've mentioned the days of the Mycenaeans, and the Greek dark ages, and how the beginning of the end of the Greek dark ages was when Homer wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, which was sometime around 800 BC.  Now we're getting to the real beginning of recorded history, and from this point on, we can almost always date what one culture says is going on against the records of other cultures.  In other words, we're finally at the point where we have a unified timeline, and we can fit events to very specific dates on the timeline.  Before this, we always had to say ‘sometime around 800 BC,' but after this, we're getting to the point where we can say ‘on September 27th, 480 BC, this happened.'  That's the date, by the way, of the Battle of Salamis, which was the Ancient Greek version of the Battle of Midway.  Well, with less dive-bombers. So, around 550 BC (ok, I'm still using ‘around' in a few places).  Around 550 BC, the Persians, who were a tribe from what is now Iran, began to expand.  They conquered the Medes, who had been the biggest kingdom in the region, and then continued to expand.  Their king was Darius, and he built up the largest empire the world had seen to that point.  The Persian empire stretched from the Persian gulf in the south, to what is now Kazahkstan in the east, up to the middle of the Black Sea in the north, and in the west, they began to expand into Greek-held lands in what is now Turkey.  This area of Turkey was called Ionia, and at first the Ionian cities did not resist the Persians.  They didn't have the strength.  But in 499 BC, the Ionians tried to rebel.  They were supported by two cities from mainland Greece, Eritria and Athens.  Together, they destroyed a Persian city, Sardis, and then the Eritrians and Athenians went back home. Well of course the Persians quickly came back and re-conquered Ionia.  And the Persians did not forget that the Athenians and Eritreans had helped in the revolt. So the Persians are thinking about the cities of Eritrea and Athens.  And they aren't happy.  This set up 50 years of fighting, known to the Greeks as the Persian Wars.  Ok, now we are getting to one of the most famous battles of all time, the battle of Marathon.  This battle is carefully recorded by the Greek historian, Herodotus, who wrote about it only 50 years after it happened.  In 490 BC, Darius came back to Greece with a massive army and a massive navy. He landed first at Eritrea, and destroyed the city.  Darius and the army then got back in their boats, and sailed to Marathon, a small town just northeast of Athens.  The Athenians sent their best messenger, a runner, a guy named Pheidippides, to run to Sparta, and ask for help.  It's about 150 miles from Athen to Sparta.  Lots of hills.  Herodotus mentions our friend Pheidippides.  Supposedly, Pheidippides ran that 150 miles just in 2 days.  For scale, that's about the distance from Houston to Austin.  The MS 150 is a BICYCLE race from Houston to Austin, and it takes 2 days.  Supposedly Phidippedes ran that whole thing, and then asked the Spartans for help.Normally the Spartans would have been all over this request, since they were maybe the most war-loving city in all of history.  But they were in the midst of an important city festival, and the elders said they couldn't come fight until the festival was over.  No, we can't come defend Greece.  We have this party, see?  It's kind of a big deal, so we'll come when the party is over.  OK?  So Pheidippides ran back to Athens with the bad news.  And then the Athenians sent him on to the front at Marathon with army.  The Greek army had about 10,000 soldiers.  Kind Darius and the Persians had at least 30,000.  Some estimates are higher.  When they began the battle, the Greeks intentionally let the center of their line collapse, and then the phalanxes on the Greek wings turned in and crushed the Persians.  We'll talk more about the Phalanxes and what they are in a separate episode.  The Persians, sensing that they were being beaten, fell apart and ran, and the Greeks chased them and cut them down, chasing them all the way to their ships.  The Persians lost as many as half of their men, which was a stunning defeat.  The ones who survived sailed back across the Aegean Sea to regroup.  Back on the field at Marathon, the Greeks sent our runnin' friend Phidippedes to run back to Athens, and tell then what had happened.  The distance from Marathon to Athens is just about 25 miles, which is where we get the distance for a modern marathons.  Phidippedes runs up to Athens, and says to the elders, ‘Nicómen!', which means, ‘We won!'.  And then he died, right there, right in front of the elders.  As last words go, though, those are pretty good. Right?So we have a historic victory for the Greeks, and and a heroic effort from Phidippedes, and the Persians retreating across the Aegean Sea to Ionia and points farther east.  Not long after that, King Darius dies, but the memory of what happened in Greece does not.  Darius's son, Xerxes (one of the cooler names in all of history, btw), succeeds him.  Xerxes wants to out-do his father, and wants to expand the Persian empire even farther.  So he decides he's going to bring an even bigger army to Greece, and show them what's what.   So in 480 BC, 10 years after Marathon, he sets out, with an army of between 150 thousand and million men.  Accounts vary on the size, Herodotus says a million, but it's quite probable this was the biggest army ever, up to this point in history.  Xerxes also has a huge navy, to try to fight the Greek navy, and keep them from sailing up the coast and flanking his army. But instead of sailing most of his army to Greece, he marches them.  There's a stretch of water they have to cross, in what is now Istanbul, called the Hellespont.  Xerxes has his engineers build a bridge there, using 600 ships, which is an enormous number of ships, by the way, and planks and even dirt on the planks, so his army can march on a road.  It apparently took the army seven days to cross, the army was so large.  Once they were across, they had to march over to the main part of the Greek peninsula.  And they had to march through some mountains to get to the peninsula.  But there waiting for them in the mountain pass, near the town of Thermopylae, was a group of about 7000 Greeks, including 300 Spartans led by their king, Leonidas.  You know where this is going, don't you?  The battle at Thermopylae is one of the most famous battles in all of history.  Leonidas and the Greeks had the advantage of good position, but Xerxes had almost unlimited men.  So sometime in late July or early August of 480 BC (see, we're getting more specific.  I told you we would), Xerxes begins to attack the Greeks.Leonidas and the Greeks held the pass for 7 days, including 3 full days of fighting, against the vastly larger Persian army.  Now we're getting to the great quotes from this battle.  When the Persians sent an envoy to tell the Greeks that they should surrender, the Greeks refused.  The envoy said, ‘We will darken the sky with our arrows!' Which they could easily do, with that many men.    But A Greek soldier, named Dienekes, reportedly said, ‘Good.  Then we will fight in the shade.'  That, is one of the best battle quotes of all time.  But the best is still to come.  The Persian envoy rather forcefully told King Leonidas to surrender all his weapons.  And Leonidas said, ‘Come and get them.'  In all the history of battle quotes, that, is the most bad-ass.  ‘Come and get them.' So the Persians eventually attacked, and the Greeks held them off for 3 days, until a local resident told Xerxes about a small mountain pass and led some of the Persians back behind the Greek lines.  Leonidas, realizing what was happening, let most of the Greeks go, to head back to Athens.  The 300 Spartans, and maybe 700 other Greeks stayed to hold the pass.  Almost all of the Greeks who stayed to hold off the main Persian army ended up fighting to the death.  The Battle of Thermopylae was technically a Greek defeat, but it wasn't really a Persian victory.  The Greek and Spartan warriors had bought the rest of Greece more than a week to prepare, and they had badly dented the morale of the Persians.  But the Persians did eventually break through the mountain pass at Thermopylae, and marched on to Athens.  But when they got there, they found the city deserted.  Now we get to the real victory, and the battle that just doesn't get as much attention as Marathon or Thermopylae, even though it's the one that really matters.  Salamis.  Salamis is an island off the coast of Greece, and it was the site of one of the largest naval battles in all of history.  Again, the Greeks were outnumbered, but again, the Greeks were better sailors than the Persians, and had the advantage of location.  According to Herodotus, there were about 370 Greek ships, against about 1200 Persian ships.  That's more than 3 to 1.  But the Greeks lured the Persians into a narrow straight between two islands, where the huge number of Persian ships actually worked against them, as they were too crowded and couldn't maneuver.  The Greeks thoroughly routed the Persian navy, and killed their admiral, who was one of Xerxes' brothers.   Xerxes himself supposedly watched the battle from a mountainside near the shore, and realized that the Persian fleet had been destroyed.  Xerxes took most of his army and marched back to Asia.  He left behind a sizable force, though, under one of his generals, Mardonius.  Eventually, in 479 BC, the Greeks defeated Mardonius and the Persians at the battle of Plataea, ending the wars between the Greeks and the Persians. The Persians never came back and attacked the Greeks.  Eventually though the Greeks will grow strong enough to attack the Persians, but that won't happen until Alexander the Great comes on the scene.  The Greeks were still a bit bitter about all these attacks, and wanted a bit of revenge.  But the defeat of the Persians in 479 BC begins what is known as the Golden Age of Greece, which is one of the most intellectually productive times in western history.  We'll look at this in upcoming episodes.So how do these battles between the Greeks and the Persians influence our modern world?  Well, as I've said, Greece is one of the most influential cultures in the history of the western world, and it wouldn't have been that if it had been beaten by the Persians. Maybe we would then be talking about how influential Persia was on western history, but hey, Thermopolyae.  Salamis.  Greece won.   The most influential thinkers in Greece show up soon after these battles.  Because the Greeks had bought themselves some time and some peace, they had a time of prosperity, where they were not spending their time fighting external enemies.  And in that time they developed some of the greatest thinkers the world has seen.  We'll look at those guys in upcoming episodes.  Another way that these battles influenced the modern world is that the western world, and especially western military units, have essentially inherited some of the values of the ancient Greeks who strove to defend their homelands.  Courage in the face of overwhelming odds, self-sacrifice, teamwork, leaders who are part of the battle, the importance of choosing your battleground, and the right to defend yourself against tyrants - all of these are important values in the western world.  In the end, this is what the Greek defense against Persia was all about - the Greeks were defending their right to rule themselves, rather than to be ruled by Persia.  And they were willing to take up arms and fight to the death, rather than let someone else rule them against their will.    There are echoes of this spirit in the American Revolution, in the American Civil War, in the Reformation, in the English Civil war, The Scots fighting against the invading British, the Zulus fighting against the invading British, OK, anyone fighting against the invading British, and in many of the great battles of western history.  The idea that some foreign power can come in and take over your land, then tell you to pay tribute to them - that is tyranny.  And though some people have said, ‘ok, we'll submit, that's better than fighting, don't hurt us,'  other peoples have said instead, ‘no, I'm not going to lie down and let that happen.'  That's the spirit of Patrick Henry's famous quote, ‘Give me Liberty, or give me death.'  One last thought on how that matters in our modern world.  It might just be that our current world is moving in the direction of tyranny again.  The history of the world is an ongoing struggle between tyrants who want to control everything, and people defending their rights to self-determination and liberty.  When a government begins to curtail the rights of its people to determine their own destiny, whether it is your own government or the government of a country that wants to take yours over, the time comes when people must choose to either submit, or to fight back.  History does not remember those who submitted.  History remembers those who have said, ‘come and take them.'  History remembers those who have said, “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”  We'll look at that document in a much later episode.In the next episode we will look at the development of Athenian democracy, something that clearly had a big effect on the western world.  But before that episode, we will take another quick side episode, to look at something that I find fascinating - Greek military and naval advancements, and how it was that they won these amazing battles against much larger forces.  

Todays episodes sponsor is Hello FreshHead to Hello Fresh here to receive $80 Discount ($50 - $20 - $10) Including Free Shipping on your First Box! with the code HFAFF80Todays book recommendation is Persian Fire by Tom Holland The Greco-Persian Wars:The Greek and Persian wars would be a defining moment in the Greek world helping shape the trajectory of development in Greece and around the Aegean for time to come. Even today a detailed ancient account survives describing the events of 2500 years in what is one of the oldest works of history. Herodotus who has been labelled the father of history would be born during the wars and would travel the Greek world later in life collecting all he could, so as to understand what brought the Greeks and Persian to make war.In this episode we will be looking back at the last 18 episodes that looked at the Greco-Persian Wars and try and tie everything together, so as to refresh ourselves on all that has taken place over the 21 years since the Ionian revolt. This will then put us in a good position to then move on with the narrative of the series.The Greek and Persian Wars are often seen as beginning with the decision by Athens and Eretria to send ships to aide the Ionian revolt. Herodotus would say; “These ships were the beginnings of evil for both Hellenes and Barbarians”. The revolt would ultimately fail and Persian attention would now be focused on Greece.Two main invasions would be launched that would directly attack Greece, these coming in 490 BC and 48 BC. In these two invasions we see some of the most well know battles take place such as Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis. Though some lesser known would also be fought, but just as, if not more important battles, Plataea, Mycale and Artemisium.The Greeks would end up defeating the Persian invasions but this wouldn't see the end of operations. The Persian threat still loomed large in their minds and measures were taken to strengthen themselves against any further invasions. This as we move forward in the series would have consequences shaping politics and relations as the years past.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/castingthroughancientgreece)

The Persian Empire had launched its first invasion against Greece in 492 BC after their involvement in the Ionian revolt. The campaign that came across the Aegean Sea would fall short of capturing Athens in 490 BC at the Bay of Marathon, seeing the invaders withdraw back into the empire. Though, Greece was not forgotten, Xerxes the new king launching the second invasion in 480 BC.The second invasion would see one of the largest forces ever assembled to march west, heading through northern lands into Greece. This invasion would see a number of land and naval battles fought over the next two years. Defeats at Salamis, Plataea and Mycale would see the second invasion stopped with the Persians failing in subjugating all of Hellas.How did the Persian army being the size it was fail to capture Greece? Had their equipment and training been up to the same standard as the Greeks? Had they underestimated the way the Greeks fought, with their lands and armies quite different to what they encountered in the east. Or had their sheer size and reliance on various nations for their numbers brought them undone? Although the Greeks had won a major victory with it defining a generation, how did this affect the Persian Empire? Victory verses defeat is not often a zero-sum game. The Greek theatre was on the extreme western fringe of the Empire and the integrity of the Persian Empire remained intact. But the defeat and the ongoing operations would have consequences as the decade's past. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/castingthroughancientgreece)

Supposedly on the same day as the Battle of Plataea, another battle was unfolding at the foot of Mount Mycale (modern Mount Dilek). The Greek fleet agreed to aid Samian rebels against Persia and sailed all the way to mainland Anatolia to fight the Persian fleet. Still recovering from Salamis, the Persians opted to turn the confrontation into a land battle, but the new general, Tigranes, and his men were overwhelmed and even more of the fleet was destroyed by Greek hands. Arcadia – Support Renewable Energy Energy In The Words of Zarathustra Patreon | Support Page Twitter | Facebook | Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/history-of-perisa/support

Plataea is one of the many forgotten battles of the ancient world. A grand coalition of Greek city-states came together in a massive show of strength to oppose the Persian Empire. Nonetheless, the odds were still against the Greeks--as they had been at Marathon--at Thermopylae-- at Salamis, and now, at Plataea. The Persians under King Xerxes had retreated with a significant part of their massive army, returning to their central power base in Sardis. Mardonius, as a general, is still quite capable of finishing the job his King had started a year before. Northern and Central Greece was still firmly under Persia's control and wouldn't break away as long as the Persians maintained a military presence in the region. Only through one last great united effort would the rivals of Athens and Sparta triumph at last over the vast numbers of Persia.

The Hellenic league had now been victorious in two major engagements of 479 BC, at Plataea on the Greek mainland and Mycale in Persian territory. This would effectively see the end of the Persian invasion, and the Greeks victorious. Though, this was not immediately apparent and measures would be taken in the years to come to make sure they would not return.With the Greek victory, a responsibility to honour the gods that had assisted them needed to be attended to. One did not want to risk offending a god who had helped their city, or disaster could be just around the corner. The various polies would construct monuments and sanctuaries over the years after the victory to show their gratitude. At Delphi, a collective monument would be constructed that listed all of the Greek cities who had been the defenders of Greece.Back on the ground in Greece after Plataea, mopping up operations continued as Pausanias camped with the army on the Boeotian plains outside of Thebes. His focus now shifted to having the city answer for their crime of Medizing. Operations would also continue off the coast of Anatolia, with the fleet now making for the Hellespont and clearing Persian garrisons on this vital trade route.With the campaign season of 479 coming to a close the Greeks contingents would now make for the safe ports of their various city states and Islands. But this would not be the end of operations in the Aegean. This could be seen as the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. The decisions and events that would follow, would have ramifications for generations to come.   Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/castingthroughancientgreece)

In this episode I discuss Thebes in the 5th century BCE. How did it fare after Plataea and what position was it in by the end of the century? Revenge, a sporting controversy and even the big stage feature. Lots to listen to! Music by Music by Brakhage (Le Vrai Instrumental).

After a year of relative success, the Persian occupation of northern Greece received its second massive defeat. For the first time, the Hellenic League managed to field the full might of a Greek army against the occupation force commanded by Mardonius. They clashed repeatedly in the plains surrounding the small town of Plataea until their maneuvers drew both sides into a decisive and bloody confrontation. Arcadia – Support Renewable Energy Energy 300 Review In The Words of Zarathustra Patreon | Support Page Twitter | Facebook | Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/history-of-perisa/support

The battle of Plataea had been fought and won on the plains of Boeotia, seeing the Persian land forces finally defeated. Though, this wasn’t the end of the campaign, there was still yet another battle to be fought. Tradition would have it that it took place on the very same day as the victory at Plataea. This would see a transition in operations, now seeing the war arrive in Persian territory.The Greek fleet had also been preparing for operations as the campaigning season of 479 BC approached. The navy commanded by the Spartan king Leotychidas had set up base at the island of Delos after being approached by some Ionian exiles to support a revolt in Anatolia. Leotychidas was reluctant, he commanded a much smaller fleet than what had sailed the previous year. The Athenians yet to join the rest of the fleet.Diplomatic manoeuvrings with Sparta may explain the Athenian absence, but perhaps compromise between the two would finally see the Hellenic fleet more than double in size with the Athenians arrival. We are told a Samian delegation to the Greek fleet would finally see it sail, but this influx of ships would have seen Leotychidas become more confident in sailing east. The Hellenic league now made its way to the Persians based at Samos.The Persians would be alerted to the Greeks presence and fell back to the Anatolian coast, beached their ships and prepared defences at Mount Mycale. The Greeks pursued and what had begun as a naval operation would now be decided on land. The Greek victory here at Mycale would see Ionia once again break out in revolt while further operations from the Hellenic league would continue in the Aegean and Hellespont.Support the series at:https://www.patreon.com/castingthroughancientgreece?fan_landing=trueor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/castinggreeceSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/castingthroughancientgreece)

Themistocles saved Athens in its darkest hour, yet he dies in the Persian empire, the inveterate enemy of Athens. Is Themistocles a patriot or a traitor?Important PeopleAristides - Themistocles's main political rival and a man he has to recall from exile to help him fight Salamis. Plutarch considers Aristides to be one of the noblest Athenians who ever lived, and so their lives give us two different perspectives on almost the same time period. Eurybiades - The Spartan general in charge of the combined Greek forces at Artemisium and Salamis. Important PlacesMarathonArtemisium ThermopylaeSalamisShow Notes and Outline of the LifeHelpful External LinksBattle of Salamis Podcast by Barry Strauss (Classics Professor at Cornell University)Themistocles in PaintingsPlutarch's Life of Themistocles - Bernadotte Perrin translationSupport the show (https://patreon.com/grammaticus)

As the sun rose over the plains of Boeotia, the battle of Plataea would now finally be decided this day. The various Greek wings had got underway and began falling back in three sections, the centre having made its way back to Plataea. The Spartan wing had finally moved off leaving a rear-guard force to protect their withdrawal or the protesting Spartan battalion under Amompharetos, depending on how we interpret events here.Amompharetos and his battalion would start making their way back to the main Spartan line once it had halted. This occurring as the sun was beginning to rise and revealed to the Persians, the Greek line now broken into three separate formations. This would now present Mardonios with the first viable opportunity for an all-out attack of the past ten days.First the cavalry and then the infantry were sent rushing forward to engage the Greek line. Particular focus had been on the Spartan right wing where it could be seen an isolated formation was retreating without support. The battle that erupted would be fierce and intense all long the line. Most sources give the impression the centre of the Greek line shirked their duties, but hints to this not being the case have survive.The Spartan wing was engaged with the Persian element of Mardonios forces, while the Athenian left, attempting to come to the Spartans aide were now evenly matched against the Greeks allied to Persia. Mardonios had come forward in the Persian attack to help bolter morale but would fall in battle due to a rock thrown from the Spartan lines. This would now see the Persian forces and their allies waver and a route back to the Persian palisade would take place. This palisade after more intense fighting would also be breached and a general slaughter of the Persians would ensue. The Hellenic league had won the largest engagement of the Greco-Persian wars and effectively ended Xerxes second invasion.   Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/castingthroughancientgreece)

In the second of this two part series on the Achaemenid Persian Empire, we continue with Darius the Great's son, Xerxes and some of the main events of the Greco-Persian wars, and then follow the lives of his successors up to Darius III and the fall of the Achaemenid Empire with its conquest by Alexander of Macedonia, a.k.a. Alexander the Great.     Contents: 00:00 Intro and Recap01:33 Xerxes (486-465 BC)03:43 Xerxes Invades Greece08:47 Battle of Thermopylae11:18 Battle of Salamis12:40 Battle of Plataea 14:40 Xerxes after Greece18:26 Artaxerxes I (465-424 BC)25:57 Darius II (424-404 BC)30:07 Cyrus the Younger and the Battle of Cunaxa31:17 Artaxerxes II (404-359 BC)36:50 Artaxerxes III (359-338 BC)39:20 Philip II and the Rise of Macedonia42:25 Darius III (336-330 BC)44:47 Alexander of Macedon and the Battle of the Granicus River47:44 Battle of Issus50:17 Battle of Gaugamela53:40 The Last Days of Darius III57:38 End of the Achaemenid Empire and Aftermath58:54 Thank you and PatronsFollow History with Cy:YouTube ChannelInstagramFacebookTwitterWebsite Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/historywithcy)

The Persians are coming and Athens is doomed to destruction if the bold and clever Themistocles, and his rival the honorable Aristides, can't find a way to stop themChris & RyanPlutarch's Greeks and Romans PodcastSupport the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RLVZ3VNNPSRAL)

Athens refusal of Mardonius offer to join the Persian side had seen the Persian army march back into Attica and take control of Athens for a second time in a year. The Athenians had once again evacuated the city back across to Salamis, while the Peloponnesians remained behind the wall being constructed across the Isthmus. Mardonious would repeat his offer to the Athenians, now back in control of their city. But once again the Athenians would refuse. The Peloponnesians had previously in the campaign agreed to march north to meet the Persians in battle. They were now dragging their feet, with talks between the various city states seeming to get nowhere.Finally, Athens had had enough and used the Persian offer to try and force the Spartans to act. They would make it known that they were considering the offer since the Hellenic league would not unite and no other choice available to them. This appeared to see a change in tune from the Spartans, surprising everyone that their army was in fact already on the march north. Though, other hazy political considerations may well have been at play also.The various city states that made up the Hellenic league were now beginning to also march north after hearing that the Spartans were on the march. The further the Spartans marched the more the numbers of the army swelled. Eventually the Athenian force sailed from Salamis and would join the Spartans. With the news of the Greeks marching north Mardonious pulled out of Athens and deployed his army in country more suited to cavalry. The Hellenic league now more united than even, emerged out of the Citheron Mountains near the small polis of Plataea, where across the plains and Asopus river was the Persian army.    Episode brought to you by www.podgo.coCome and support the series https://www.patreon.com/castingthroughancientgreeceSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/castingthroughancientgreece)

Thwarted by Leonidas and his advance guard at Thermopylae, the Persians faced the failure of their invasion. Their mastery of intelligence and espionage now came to their rescue when a Greek traitor informed them of a way around the Greek position. The climax of the Battle of Thermopylae saw the Persian army overwhelm and wipe out Leonidas' force. Following their victory, the Persians swept down into southern Greece and occupied Athens. But then came the turning point: the Athenian admiral Themistocles lured the Persian navy into the narrow straits of Salamis and destroyed it. The next year, the Greek resistance won two more battles at Plataea and Mycale. The Persian invasion was over.

The Greek victory at Salamis was monumental. But in the aftermath of that victory, Greece and her leaders still had many decisions to make. It is here that we begin to see a divergence between the naval-minded leaders and their vision, and the land-centered leaders with a different vision. We begin to discuss these divergent views, how they were debated in Greece, and how the leaders of each view tried to outmaneuver their opponents. Amidst the politics and debate, Greece still had to finish their war with Persia. We witness the conclusion, as battle comes to both Plataea and then to Mycale, where an unexpected final blow decimates the remainder of the Persian naval force. Lyceum App Maritime Supply Company

About the Lecture: In 2017, Graham Allison, founding dean of the Harvard Kennedy School and former assistant secretary of defense, published “Destined For War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?” Allison's Thucydides's Trap rapidly became an influential statement on the challenge that a rising China poses to the international order created and lead by the United States. To help understand the dangers that China's rapid economic, technological, and military growth poses to both countries, Allison draws on the classic statement on great power war — Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War — to argue that the “structural stress caused when a rising power threatens to upend a ruling one” makes even “ordinary flashpoints” likely to trigger large-scale conflict.” Allison is certainly right about the growth of China. And he is right to look to Thucydides for help. But Allison reduces Thucydides' magisterial work to an instrument of realpolitik. Using Thucydides' account of the siege of Plataea as a guide to China's contemporary treatment of Hong Kong, we can see another, deeper and richer, lesson in Thucydides' History, one that must not be forgotten by those who wish, in the face of Chinese authoritarianism, to preserve the fragile but precious gift of freedom at the heart of Western civilization. About the Speaker: Bernard J. Dobski is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Assumption College and is currently a Visiting Scholar for 2019-2020 at the Heritage Foundation. He is the co-editor of two volumes on Shakespeare's political thought. His articles and essays on the political wisdom of Thucydides, Xenophon, Shakespeare, and Mark Twain appear in the Review of Politics, Interpretation, Society, and Philosophy & Literature. He has also published on foreign policy, military strategy, sovereignty, and nationalism.

Click here to buy: https://adbl.co/2TMi4lT Arimnestos of Plataea was one of the heroes of the Battle of Marathon, in which the heroic Greeks halted the invading Persians in their tracks, and fought in the equally celebrated naval battle at Salamis. But even these stunning victories only served to buy the Greeks time, as the Persians gathered a new army, returning with overwhelming force to strike the final killing blow. For the Greeks, divided and outnumbered, there was only one possible strategy: attack. And so, in the blazing summer of 479 BC, Arimnestos took up his spear one final time at the Battle of Plataea.

490 BC Battle of Marathon. During the first Persian invasion of Greece, the citizen army of Athens, aided by Plataea, defeat a much larger Persian force. The battle was the culmination of the first attempt by Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate Greece. The Battle of Marathon was a watershed in the Greco-Persian wars, showing the Greeks that the Persians could be beaten; the eventual Greek triumph in these wars can be seen to have begun at Marathon. The battle also showed the Greeks that they were able to win battles without the Spartans, as they had heavily relied on Sparta previously. This victory was largely due to the Athenians, and Marathon raised Greek esteem of them. The following two hundred years saw the rise of the Classical Greek civilization, which has been enduringly influential in western society and so the Battle of Marathon is often seen as a pivotal moment in Mediterranean and European history. Legend states an Athenian runner named Pheidippides running from Marathon to Athens (about 25 miles) after the battle, to announce the Greek victory, whereupon he promptly died of exhaustion. That is where the modern marathon run originates. 1940 Lascaux cave paintings discovered. Marcel Ravidat, 18, finds a narrow entrance into a series of caves beneath the fields of Dordogne, France, and comes back with three friends to explore the subterranean world. There they gaze upon the vivid Lascaux cave . The walls of the cavern are decorated with some 600 painted and drawn animals and symbols and nearly 1,500 engravings. The pictures depict in excellent detail numerous types of animals, including horses, red deer, stags, bovines, felines, and what appear to be mythical creatures. 1953 Nikita Khrushchev elected Soviet leader. Six months after the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev succeeds him with his election as first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Khrushchev denounced Stalin and his totalitarian policies at the 20th Party Congress, three years later, leading to a “thaw” in the USSR that saw the release of millions of political prisoners. Almost immediately, the new atmosphere of freedom led to anti-Soviet uprisings in Poland and Hungary. Khrushchev flew to Poland and negotiated a diplomatic solution, but the Hungarian rebellion was crushed by Warsaw Pact troops and tanks. 1990 East and West Germany, along with the UK, US and USSR—the Allied nations that had occupied post-WWII Germany—sign the final settlement for reunification of Germany. On 15 March 1991, the treaty would go into full effect.

Click here to buy: https://adbl.co/2UK9Gjg Arimnestos of Plataea has already lived through several lifetimes' worth of adventure, from being a rich man's slave in Ephesus to winning glory at the battle of Marathon against the might of the Persian Empire. But the gods - and the Persians - aren't finished with him yet. As an experienced sea captain - his enemies might say pirate - he has a part to play in the final epic confrontation of the Long War between the Greeks and Persians, the Battle of Salamis. It is a battle where many debts of blood will be repaid, ancient grudges settled, fame won and treachery exposed, where the Greeks must finally bury their differences and fight as one - for against them Xerxes, the Great King, has assembled the greatest fleet the world has ever known, his sworn purpose to brutally extinguish the flame of freedom and make every Greek his slave.

Click here to buy: https://adbl.co/2TE7Obm The heroic story of Arimnestos of Plataea continues - a thrilling historical adventure set amid the epic struggle between Greece and Persia - perfect for fans of the blockbusting film 300. Slave, pirate, husband and lover: Arimnestos of Plataea has been many things in the course of his life. But men remember him best as one of the heroes of the Battle of Marathon, the epic victory that prevented all of Greece from falling under the Persian yoke. But now there is a new Great King on the throne, determined to succeed where his father failed. As rumours abound of a vast Persian invasion, an embassy is sent to forestall the threat. Arimnestos is chosen to escort them - an honour he can hardly refuse. But as the storm clouds of war gather and factions on both sides begin to weave their treacherous plots, Arimnestos' journey begins to look more and more like a suicide mission.

Click here to buy: https://adbl.co/2RLTVGi An epic novel from the master of historical fiction, author of ALEXANDER: GOD OF WAR 'Brilliantly evoked' Sunday Times Arimnestos of Plataea is a man who has seen and done things that most men only dream about. Sold into slavery as a boy, he fought his way to freedom - and then to everlasting fame: standing alongside the Athenians at the Battle of Marathon where the Greeks crushed the invading Persians. Sometimes, however, a man's greatest triumph is followed by his greatest sorrow. Returning to his farm, Arimnestos finds that his wife Euphoria has died in childbirth, and in an instant his laurels turn to dust. But the gods are not finished with Arimnestos yet. With nothing left to live for, he throws himself from a cliff into the sea, only to be pulled by strong arms from death's embrace. When he awakes, he finds himself chained to an oar in a Phoenician trireme. And so begins an epic journey that will take Arimnestos and a motley crew of fellow galley slaves to the limits of their courage, and beyond the edge of the known world, in a quest for freedom, revenge - and a cargo so precious it's worth dying for.

This film Zach Snyder’s strengths in creating comic book panels on film. Slo-mo blood spatter. Abs and glistening man-meat. Western civilization Ancient Greece and “western civilization.” The birth of “democracy” in nearby Athens. Juxtaposing your historical culture with the “other.” Like George Washington crossing the Delaware but with way less man-meat. And 100% less codpieces. Sparta The dawn on the Spartan state. The nature of the Helot slave class. “Land-bonded” slavery vs chattel. Ancient Greek and Spartan combat methods. Heavy infantry. Training by doing crunches all.day.long. Ancient combat analogues with early UFC. The Persian Invasions Greece as a poor backwater on the edge of the Persian Empire. The Ionian Revolt, The Battle of Marathon, The Battle of Thermopylae, Battle of Plataea. Professional soldiering The incredible change that was the development of the professional standing army. Modern soldiers and modern combat compared and contrasted with ancient. Dying gloriously. Army sizes at Thermopylae as recorded closer to the time vs modern estimates. Modern understanding of Sparta Ancient sources and the lack of writing from the actual place and time. “The Spartan Mirage,” and the crafting of the Spartan image. Any training as a unit is better than none. Phalanx The universality of shield walls and spear hedges, aka the “spiky steamroller.” Strategically busting out in individual slow motion. Spear-length evolution. Learning whether “dragoons” are at all related to dragons. Josh's show's on LSG Media: The X-Files Podcast (always)Science Fiction Film Podcast (sometimes) Hardcore History - King of Kings, by Dan Carlin: Part 1Part 2Part 3 Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield: iTunesAmazon Support the show!

This film Zach Snyder’s strengths in creating comic book panels on film. Slo-mo blood spatter. Abs and glistening man-meat. Western civilization Ancient Greece and “western civilization.” The birth of “democracy” in nearby Athens. Juxtaposing your historical culture with the “other.” Like George Washington crossing the Delaware but with way less man-meat. And 100% less codpieces. Sparta The dawn on the Spartan state. The nature of the Helot slave class. “Land-bonded” slavery vs chattel. Ancient Greek and Spartan combat methods. Heavy infantry. Training by doing crunches all.day.long. Ancient combat analogues with early UFC. The Persian Invasions Greece as a poor backwater on the edge of the Persian Empire. The Ionian Revolt, The Battle of Marathon, The Battle of Thermopylae, Battle of Plataea. Professional soldiering The incredible change that was the development of the professional standing army. Modern soldiers and modern combat compared and contrasted with ancient. Dying gloriously. Army sizes at Thermopylae as recorded closer to the time vs modern estimates. Modern understanding of Sparta Ancient sources and the lack of writing from the actual place and time. “The Spartan Mirage,” and the crafting of the Spartan image. Any training as a unit is better than none. Phalanx The universality of shield walls and spear hedges, aka the “spiky steamroller.” Strategically busting out in individual slow motion. Spear-length evolution. Learning whether “dragoons” are at all related to dragons. Josh's show's on LSG Media: The X-Files Podcast (always)Science Fiction Film Podcast (sometimes) Hardcore History - King of Kings, by Dan Carlin: Part 1Part 2Part 3 Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield: iTunesAmazon Support the show!

In this episode, we discuss the years 427 and 426 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the destruction of Plataea, stasis in both Megara and Corcyra, and Athenian campaigns in Sicily, central Greece, and northwestern Greece Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2019/05/094-new-leaders-and-new-strategies.html   Intro by Trevor Culley of the History of Persia Podcast Website: https://historyofpersiapodcast.wordpress.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryofPersiaPodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoryofPersia

Click here to buy: https://adbl.co/2RLwP2G Two and a half thousand years ago, the Greeks and the Persians fought an epic battle to decide the future of the world... Arimnestos of Plataea grew up wanting to be a bronzesmith, like his father. Then, in the chaos of war, he was taken to a city in the Persian empire and sold as a slave. To win his freedom he had to show that he could fight and kill. Now, to preserve that freedom, he must kill again. For the Persians are coming. A vast army sent by King Darius to put down the rebellious Greeks and burn the city of Athens to the ground. Standing against them on the plain of Marathon is a much smaller force of Athenians, alongside their Plataean allies. To defeat such overwhelming force seems impossible. And yet to yield would mean the destruction of everything the Greeks have dreamed of. In the dust and heat of Marathon, in the clash of shields and the rush of spears, amid the thunder of hooves and the screams of the dying, those dreams will undergo their fiercest test - and Arimnestos and his Greek comrades will discover the true price of freedom.

In this episode, we discuss the first year and a half of the war (431-430 BC), as both Sparta and Athens initiated their war strategies, including a Theban sneak attack on Plataea that began the war, Peloponnesian land raids on Attica, Athenian naval raids on the Peloponnese and northwestern Greece, Athenian alliances with Odrysian Thrace, a famous funeral oration by Pericles, and a deadly plague that devastated Athens Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2019/04/091-attrition-and-plague.html   Intro by Jonathan Adly of the History of the Copts Podcast Website: https://hxofcoptspodcast.wordpress.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hxofcopts/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HxCopts

Click here to buy: https://adbl.co/2Y6kXwA In the epic clash of Greece and Persia, a hero is forged - a monumental novel from the author of the Tyrant series. Arimnestos is a farm boy when war breaks out between the citizens of his native Plataea and their overbearing neighbours, Thebes. Standing in the battle line for the first time, alongside his father and brother, he shares in a famous and unlikely victory. But after being knocked unconscious in the melee, he awakes not a hero, but a slave. Betrayed by his jealous and cowardly cousin, the freedom he fought for has now vanished, and he becomes the property of a rich citizen. So begins an epic journey out of slavery that takes the young Arimnestos through a world poised on the brink of an epic confrontation, as the emerging civilization of the Greeks starts to flex its muscles against the established empire of the Persians. As he tries to make his fortune and revenge himself on the man who disinherited him, Arimnestos discovers that he has a talent that pays well in this new, violent world - for like his hero, Achilles, he is 'a killer of men'.

While Israel was being rebuilt as a nation, the second phase of the Persian Wars continues. In this episode, we cover the battles of Salamis and Plataea. www.messagetokings.com

Herodotus - father of history or father of lies? Matthew Parris introduces a sparky discussion about a writer whose achievements include a nine book account of a war between east and west - the Persian invasions of Greece. Justin Marozzi proposes him not just as an historian, but as geographer, explorer, correspondent, the world's first travel writer, and an irrepressible story teller to boot. Backing him up is Professor Edith Hall, who sees Herodotus as the author of a magnificent work of prose. But Matthew Parris wrestles with whether he was historian or hack. Justin Marozzi is the author of the award winning Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood. Edith Hall is Professor in the Centre for Hellenic Studies at King's College London. Herodotus of Halicarnassus - modern day Bodrum in Turkey - wrote about Croesus, Darius, Xerxes and Leonidas, plus the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae and Plataea. His books also embrace much of the rest of the known world. The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde.

the guys talk about a Frank Miller jam called "300" From comicvine.com 300 is Frank Miller's famous retelling story of the battle of Thermopylae. King Leonidas leads a Spartan army of only 300 men into battle against the army of Xerxes I of Persia, a force outnumbering them by thousands to one. The Spartans maintain a stand-still, holding off Xerxes' forces for two full days at a narrow pass known as the Hot Gates before the deformed and treacherous Ephialtes betrays the Spartans to Xerxes. This betrayal leads to the outflanking of the remaining Spartan soldiers, and their inevitable deaths on the third day. The tale ends a year later at the battle of Plataea where a now-united Greek army prepares for the final battle against Xerxes.

In this episode, we discuss the tensions between the Spartan-Athenian alliance during the winter of 480/79 BC, their eventual makeup (sort of), and the Greek counterattack against the Persians in spring 479 BC, culminating in the twin victories at the battles of Plataea and Mycale, effectively ending the first phase of the Greco-Persian wars Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2017/04/in-this-episode-we-discuss-tensions.html   Intro by Charlie of The Almost Forgotten Podcast Website: http://almostforgotten.squarespace.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/thealmostforgot

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss what is often called one of the most significant battles in history. In 480BC in the Saronic Gulf near Athens, between the mainland and the island of Salamis, a fleet of Greek allies decisively defeated a larger Persian-led fleet. This halted the further Persian conquest of Greece and, at Plataea and Mycale the next year, further Greek victories brought Persian withdrawal and the immediate threat of conquest to an end. To the Greeks, this enabled a flourishing of a culture that went on to influence the development of civilisation in Rome and, later, Europe and beyond. To the Persians, it was a reverse at the fringes of their vast empire but not a threat to their existence, as it was for the Greek states, and attention turned to quelling unrest elsewhere. With Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones Professor in Ancient History at Cardiff University Lindsay Allen Lecturer in Greek and Near Eastern History, King's College London and Paul Cartledge Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge Producer: Simon Tillotson.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss what is often called one of the most significant battles in history. In 480BC in the Saronic Gulf near Athens, between the mainland and the island of Salamis, a fleet of Greek allies decisively defeated a larger Persian-led fleet. This halted the further Persian conquest of Greece and, at Plataea and Mycale the next year, further Greek victories brought Persian withdrawal and the immediate threat of conquest to an end. To the Greeks, this enabled a flourishing of a culture that went on to influence the development of civilisation in Rome and, later, Europe and beyond. To the Persians, it was a reverse at the fringes of their vast empire but not a threat to their existence, as it was for the Greek states, and attention turned to quelling unrest elsewhere. With Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones Professor in Ancient History at Cardiff University Lindsay Allen Lecturer in Greek and Near Eastern History, King's College London and Paul Cartledge Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge Producer: Simon Tillotson.

This special, full-length episode frames the Battle of Plataea with voting practices of the ancient world. As it turns out, voting in Sparta was quite similar to going to a football match. Things get violent in the climax of the Persian Wars. This episode takes place in 478 BC.

The gloves come off. Themistocles and Aristides face off in the Assembly. Distant scuffles between Athens and Persia flame up into full scale war. The Persian wave crashes on the beaches of Marathon while Athens, with the small town of Plataea, brace to endure it. The world is beginning to be reordered. This episode covers approximately 494 BC – 481 BC.

If this were a movie, the events and cameos would be too numerous and star-studded to mention. It includes Xerxes, Spartans, Immortals, Alexander the Great, scythed chariots, and several of the greatest battles in history.

Peisistratos, tyrant of Athens, seems to have ruled benevolently and Athens prospered under his regime. In the course of the 6th century BC, important public buildings were erected in both the Agora (town square) of Athens and on the Acropolis. But change was afoot: in this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd traces the events of the late sixth century and earlier 5th century BC, an action-packed period for Athens. The Peisistratid tyranny fell and was replaced by a new form of government – democracy. Despite the new regime, life was not peaceful: the Athenians united with other Greeks in bloody clashes with the invading Persians, fighting some of the greatest battles in history - Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Peisistratos, tyrant of Athens, seems to have ruled benevolently and Athens prospered under his regime. In the course of the 6th century BC, important public buildings were erected in both the Agora (town square) of Athens and on the Acropolis. But change was afoot: in this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd traces the events of the late sixth century and earlier 5th century BC, an action-packed period for Athens. The Peisistratid tyranny fell and was replaced by a new form of government – democracy. Despite the new regime, life was not peaceful: the Athenians united with other Greeks in bloody clashes with the invading Persians, fighting some of the greatest battles in history - Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

The First Persian War includes the Persians being defeated by the Athenians at the Battle of Marathon. The Persians started this war out of anger for the Athenians and their support of the Ionian Revolt. This battle is also where we get the name for our modern-day Olympic Game: The Marathon. The Second Persian War includes the famous Greek stand at Thermopylae, the brilliant Athenian naval victory at Salamis, and the catastrophic Persian defeat at the Battle of Plataea. Following this war, the Persians would not reenter Greek affair until briefly in the Peloponnesian Wars. This also set the stage for Alexander the Greats conquering of Persia in the 4th century BC.