The History of Ancient Greece

In this episode, we discuss the 460s BC, including the battle of the Eurymedon River (in Asia Minor), which sees Kimon winning a dual land and naval victory over the Persians; Sparta's clashes with the anti-Spartan coalition of Argos, Tegea, Eleia, and Mantineia; the assassination of Xerxes and eventual ascension to the Persian throne of his son, Artaxerxes; Themistokles' medism trial and his defection to the court of Artaxerxes; the revolt of Thasos from the Delian League; the debilitating earthquake in the Peloponnesos and the resulting Helot revolt; the political downfall and ostracism of Kimon, which leads to the severing of the Athenian-Spartan alliance; and the democratic reforms, assassination of Ephialtes, and ascendency of Perikles Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2017/04/041-end-of-era.html   Intro by Peta Greenfield and Fiona Radford of the Partial Historians Podcast Website: https://partialhistorians.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepartialhistorians Twitter: https://twitter.com/p_historians

24 Apr 201753min

In this episode, we discuss the aftermath of the Persian Wars and how the Athenians and Spartans both come to terms with the new state of affairs; the formation of the Delian League under Athens to carry on the war effort against Persia at sea; and the post-war political factions in Athens (Themistokles and Xanthippos vs Kimon and Aristeides) and in Sparta (Leotychidas and Pausanias vs Pleistarchos) and their struggle to dictate Athenian-Spartan foreign policy in the 470s BC Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2017/04/040-war-hawks-and-peace-doves.html   Intro by Rob Sims of the History in the Making Podcast Website: http://www.hitmpodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hitmpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/HITMpodcast

17 Apr 20171h 22min

In this episode, we discuss the tensions between the Spartan-Athenian alliance during the winter of 480/79 BC over how to deal with the lingering Persian threat; Mardonios' strategy of turning the Athenians and Spartans against each other; the eventual makeup (sort of) of Athens and Sparta; the combined Greek counterattack against the Persians in the spring of 479 BC, culminating in the twin victories at Plataia (in Boiotia) and Mykale (in Ionia), which effectively ended the first phase of the Greco-Persian Wars; and the Athenians' first attempt on the Thrakian Chersonesos, which would come to define their foreign policy in the rest of the century 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

10 Apr 20171h 5min

In this episode, we discuss the aftermath of the Greek loss at Thermopylai, as the Persians advanced southwards to Athens and the rest of the Greeks fled to Salamis and to the Peloponnesos; the lead-up to and the naval Battle of Salamis itself (in 480 BC), in which Themistokles tricked the Persians into fighting in the narrows between Attika and Salamis, resulting in a stunning Greek victory at sea; and the battle's aftermath, which saw Xerxes' fleet and the bulk of his army retreat back to Asia Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2017/03/038-behind-wooden-walls.html   Intro by Katy and Nathan of Queens Podcast Website: http://queenspodcast.libsyn.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QueensPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/Queens_Podcast

27 Mars 201756min

In this episode, we discuss the death of Dareios and the ascension of his son Xerxes to the Persian throne; Xerxes' preparations for a much larger, second Persian invasion of Greece (in 480 BC); the formation of the Hellenic League and their own preparations and tactical maneuverings in order to defend Greek liberty against Persia; the simultaneous multi-day land and naval battles at Thermopylai and Artemision in central Greece; and the folklore that surrounded Thermopylai afterwards and its monuments Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2017/03/037-molon-labe.html   Intro by Nitin Sil of the Flash Point History Podcast Website: http://flashpointhx.podomatic.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FLASHPOINTHX Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlashpointHx

20 Mars 20171h 16min

In this episode, we discuss the events leading up to the first Persian invasion of Greece (in 490 BC), including both sides' preparations for war, shifting alliances amongst the Greeks and Persians, and regnal squabbles at Sparta; the Battle of Marathon itself and its aftermath; the folklore that surrounded the battle afterwards and its monuments; the ongoing military feud between the Athenians and Aiginetans; and the internal political happenings at Athens during the 480s BC Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2017/03/036-marathonomachoi.html   Intro by Roxanne of the Mythology Translated Podcast Website: http://mythologytranslated.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/mythtrans

13 Mars 20171h 14min

In this episode, we discuss the events of the “Ionian Revolt,” in which the eastern Greeks revolted from the Persian Empire, including the failed Naxos expedition, Miletos' role in the rebellion and its spread throughout the western coast of Asia Minor and Kypros, the Greek sack of Sardeis, the three-pronged Persian counteroffensive in Kypros, Karia, Ionia, the Hellespont, and the Propontis, the Persian naval victory at Lade, and their subsequent sack of Miletos; the Spartan destruction of Argos at Sepeia; the early life of one of Athens' key political figures for the next four decades, Themistokles; and the internal political happenings of Athens during the 490s BC Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2017/03/035-ionian-revolt.html   Intro by Aven McMaster & Mark Sundaram of the Endless Knot Website: http://www.alliterative.net Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Alliterative Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alliterativeendlessknot Twitter: https://twitter.com/AvenSarah and https://twitter.com/Alliterative

6 Mars 201757min

In this episode, we discuss the final subjugation of the Ionian poleis to Persian-backed tyrannies, Dareios' failed invasion of Skythia, Megabazos' conquest of Thrake, and the submission of Makedon that brought Persia right up to the foothills of Mount Olympos, at the very borders of mainland Greece; the diplomatic follies of the Athenians; and whether war was or was not inevitable, at least in the last decade of the 500s BC Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2017/02/034-rising-tensions.html   Intro by Lantern Jack of Ancient Greece Declassified Website: http://greecepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greecepodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/greecepodcast

20 Feb 201749min