The Persian Wars: Xerxes, Thermopylae and Salamis
The Ancients27 Feb 2025

The Persian Wars: Xerxes, Thermopylae and Salamis

In 486 BC, King Xerxes ascended the Persian throne, inheriting its vast and glittering world empire. But his ambition didn’t stop there - he sought revenge on Greece.


In this episode of The Ancients, the culmination of our two-part series on the Persian Wars, Tristan Hughes is joined once again by Dr. Roel Konijnendijk and Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to explore Xerxes' massive invasion. From the assembling of his colossal army to the legendary battles of Thermopylae and Salamis featured in the accounts of Herodotus, discover the earth-shattering conclusion to the largest invasion ancient Greece had ever faced.


Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.


All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds


The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(599)

The Parthenon: Wonder of Athens

The Parthenon: Wonder of Athens

It is the most famous monument of ancient Greece. Its remains standing tall above modern Athens today, more than 2,000 years old. The Parthenon. A temple, treasury, the residence of a powerful general...

15 Aug 202458min

Mycenae: Cradle of Bronze Age Greece

Mycenae: Cradle of Bronze Age Greece

Overlooking the Argolid Plain in the eastern Peloponnese, Mycenae was once the envy of the Mediterranean world. It rose to prominence in the late Bronze Age, centuries before the great Greek states of...

11 Aug 202452min

Commodus: The Gladiator Emperor

Commodus: The Gladiator Emperor

Known as one of Rome's worst emperors, Commodus is famed for both his infamy and bravado. Ascending the throne as a teenager, he dressed up as Hercules, fought as a gladiator in the Colosseum, and ren...

8 Aug 202454min

Origins of the Olympics

Origins of the Olympics

The Olympics. It’s the most famous sporting event in the world, and the 33rd Olympiad is taking place in Paris right now. But how did it all begin?It's a story that takes us back more than 2,000 years...

4 Aug 202432min

Hestia: Goddess of Hearth & Home

Hestia: Goddess of Hearth & Home

As both the eldest and youngest child of the great titan Kronos, and the Greek goddess of hearth and home, Hestia was incredibly important in almost every sphere of Greek daily life. But she is arguab...

1 Aug 202449min

The Maya Collapse

The Maya Collapse

Just over 1,000 years ago, the ancient Maya world in Mesoamerica was turned upside down. Prominent cities like Tikal, Palenque, Copan and Calakmul, their great stone art and architecture left to be gr...

28 Juli 202443min

The Roman Gladiator

The Roman Gladiator

The ferocious, professional fighters who fought in great arenas all across the Roman Empire for the pleasure of the crowd were the celebrities of their day. They were sex symbols and yet they also ran...

25 Juli 20241h 2min

Neanderthal Britain

Neanderthal Britain

For more than 100,000 years, Neanderthals made their home in Ice Age Britain, right on the edge of the inhabitable world. But what evidence do we have for this early species in what is today Britain?D...

21 Juli 202447min

Populärt inom Historia

motiv
massmordarpodden
historiska-brott
p3-historia
historiepodden-se
olosta-mord
rss-massmordarpodden
rss-seriemordarpodden
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-brottsligt
rss-historien-om
konspirationsteorier
nu-blir-det-historia
krigshistoriepodden
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
militarhistoriepodden
palmemordet
rss-arkiv-stieg
vetenskapsradion-historia
podme-bio-4