The Bad Boy of Sparta: The Life of King Cleomenes
Cleomenes I of Sparta has been called the most powerful Greek of the 6th century BCE. His reign included a major military victory over Argos, repeated attempts to meddle in Athenian politics, and a le...
15 Juni 26min
You Say You Want a Revolution: Cleisthenes and Athenian Democracy
After the expulsion of the tyrant Hippias, two prominent citizens were foremost in the competition for power. Isagoras was a conservative aristocrat who favored a narrow oligarchy. Cleisthenes, althou...
1 Juni 48min
Hurrah for the Pirate King! Polycrates and the Tyranny of Samos
The tyrant Polycrates of Samos impressed classical authors by building the first naval empire in the Aegean since the legendary king Minos of Crete. He dominated island cities, employed his navy for p...
15 Maj 21min
Won't You Be My Ally? The Expansion of Spartan Power in the Peloponnese
While Athens was transforming itself under the lawgiver Solon and the tyrant Pisistratus, Sparta was busy extending its influence in the Peloponnese. What began as an attempt to conquer and enslave th...
1 Maj 37min
Hey, Gang, Let's Put On a Show! Thespis and the Origins of Greek Tragedy
The Athenian tyrant Pisistratus centralized the Attic worship of Dionysus with an elaborate new festival. The Great Dionysia went on to become the city’s main dramatic festival, where later giants lik...
15 Apr 23min
Pisistratus and Sons: The Age of Tyranny in Athens
Despite the best efforts of the lawgiver Solon, political upheaval continued in Athens. A strongman named Pisistratus, after twice seizing power and losing it, ultimately established an autocratic reg...
1 Apr 49min
Weird Science: The Beginnings of Greek Philosophy
While the Athenians were setting up a new constitution under Solon, the Milesians across the Aegean were busy inventing philosophy. Perhaps not philosophy as we usually think of it, but a search for r...
15 Mars 25min
Chaos and Compromise: Early Athens and the Reforms of Solon
At the start of the 6th century BCE, Athens had only recently escaped a tyranny. Draco's published law code made the law accessible to more people but did nothing to alleviate the crushing debt that a...
1 Mars 45min
