Casting Through Ancient Greece

Join us as we take you on an exploration of the fascinating world of the ancient Spartans. With Professor Paul Cartledge, a leading historian on the Spartans, as our guide, we will demystify the intriguing tales, values, and societal structure of this resilient warrior society. We'll wade through the Spartan mirage, unveiling the unique education system, political structure, and unrivalled military prowess that have shaped our understanding of this ancient civilization.

We're not stopping at the surface; we whisk you into the depth of the Spartan world and the wider Greek realm. We'll probe into the Spartan lifestyle, the Greek ideal of freedom, participation, agency, and involvement. Can you imagine a society where women commanded respect and power unlike their contemporaries? Well, get ready, we'll be discussing the unique status of Spartan women, their education, physical strength, and property rights. 

What if we told you that Sparta's influence extends far beyond the ancient world, even to our modern-day society? Brace yourself for our exploration of the legacy of Sparta, its influence and misappropriation throughout history. We'll dissect the portrayal of the Battle of Thermopylae in the movie 300, contrast views of Sparta in the French Revolution, and examine how the Spartan mirage is perpetuated in North America. Immerse yourself in this captivating journey as we unravel the enigma that is Spartan society, their enduring values, and their lasting legacy.

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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.

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Tad Crawford's Website

Buy On Wine-Dark Seas

Explore the literary world of Tad Crawford, acclaimed author of "A Floating Life: A Novel," "The Secret Life of Money," and numerous nonfiction books. With a National Endowment for the Arts award to his name, Crawford is also the founder and publisher of Allworth Press, residing in vibrant New York City.

Today, our focus turns to Crawford's latest fictional masterpiece, "On Wine-Dark Seas," set against the backdrop of the epic cycle, including the iconic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Uncover Crawford's unique interpretation of the post-Odysseus era in Ithaca, a central theme in this narrative.

In this interview, we delve into Tad Crawford's creative journey, exploring the genesis of ideas and themes that form the heart of "On Wine-Dark Seas." Learn how Crawford skilfully integrates mythology into his work, immersing readers in a captivating tapestry of ancient Greece, gods, and human drama.

The conversation extends to the rich tapestries of the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the broader epic cycle. Discover how Crawford seamlessly weaves these timeless themes into a modern narrative, making "On Wine-Dark Seas" accessible even to those unfamiliar with classic literature. For aficionados of the classics, the novel offers a poetic rhythm that resonates with the essence of these timeless tales.

Join us as we navigate the creative mind of Tad Crawford, providing insights into his literary approach, the allure of mythology, and the seamless fusion of classical and modern storytelling in "On Wine-Dark Seas."

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Step back in time once again to the second year of the Peloponnesian War and immerse yourself in the heart of ancient Athens, a city grappling with a devastating plague. But in this intriguing narrative, our journey takes a unique twist, leading us northward to the Chalcidice, where Athens has dispatched additional forces to besiege Potidaea. Along this expedition, we'll uncover the intricate tapestry of diplomacy in Thrace and Macedon.

During this period, diplomatic endeavours were abundant, and it's worth noting that Sparta was actively engaged in these manoeuvres as well. Their strategic approach was two-fold: disrupting the situation in the north and forging alliances with external powers. Towards the end of summer, Sparta initiated a diplomatic mission targeting Thrace and the Persian Empire.

As we return to Athens, our focus shifts towards the city itself and its magnetic leader, Pericles. Amidst the devastating plague, Pericles found himself in a precarious political position, navigating the intricate landscape of Athenian politics. We'll explore Pericles' strategies in addressing the mounting discontent towards his policies, especially as Athens faced adversity on multiple fronts.

As the second year of the war's campaign season drew to a close, both Sparta and Athens were engaged in activities across Greece. Athens, now under the influence of the war party, responded to Peloponnesian threats with a more assertive stance. These actions marked a departure from the moderate policies that had guided the initial two years of the conflict under Pericles' leadership.

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In the second year of the Peloponnesian War, the stage was set for a continuation of the struggle between Sparta and Athens. Archidamus, the Spartan commander, spearheaded an invasion of Attica with renewed fervour, while Athens harnessed its maritime might to direct a potent fleet towards a more expansive target on the Peloponnesian shores. Yet, amidst the echoes of warfare, an unforeseen and insidious adversary emerged – the plague.

Originating from the Mediterranean's depths, the plague infiltrated Athens, exploiting its cosmopolitan trade networks. The city's bustling trade connections became both a source of prosperity and a conduit for disaster. However, the plague's devastation was exacerbated by the city's burgeoning population, driven to unprecedented numbers by the demands of the war. This surging populace led to congested streets and squalid living conditions, creating an ideal breeding ground.

The toll was profound and unrelenting. Families were shattered, lives extinguished, and a pall of despair enveloped the Athenian skyline. In an era accustomed to tales of valour and intellectual brilliance, this unseen assailant showcased the fragility of human existence. It was a stern reminder of the limits of human resilience against the inexorable forces of nature.

Within this cauldron of conflict and contagion, the second year of the war transcended its militaristic boundaries. It was a juncture where the will of cities clashed with nature's indiscriminate wrath. The plague, an unexpected interloper, reshaped Athens' narrative. As the war's tempest raged on, Athens wrestled not just with rival armies, but also with an unrelenting force that rose above the clashing of swords – an enduring testament to the intricate interplay between human agency and the capriciousness of fate.

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In this fascinating interview, I have the privilege of sitting down with Prof. Yvonne Korshak, a distinguished historian and accomplished writer, to delve into the captivating world of her latest masterpiece, “Pericles and Aspasia.” This remarkable work of Historical fiction shines a brilliant light on the period preceding the Peloponnesian War in Athens. Instead of merely employing historical events as a distant backdrop, Prof. Korshak skillfully weaves them into the very fabric of her narrative.

Through “Pericles and Aspasia,” Yvonne Korshak paints a vivid tapestry of unfolding historical events, interwoven with the intricacies of personal and intimate interactions. It’s a perspective that transcends traditional history books, offering readers a glimpse into the emotional depth and human experience of that era. By meticulously piecing together clues from historical records, Prof. Korshak masterfully constructs a narrative that feels authentic and relatable.

Our conversation spans a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from the creative process behind crafting this book, to the intriguing interplay between history and fiction. We explore myriad historical elements and timeless themes, enriching our understanding of both the past and the power of storytelling.

For those seeking an immersive journey into the heart of ancient Athens, “Pericles and Aspasia” stands as an eloquent testament to Prof. Yvonne Korshak’s dedication to historical accuracy and her unparalleled storytelling prowess.

Prof. Yvonne Korshak's Website

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The end of the first campaigning season of the Peloponnesian war had now drawn to a close. Sparta had invaded Attica with their offensive strategy, while Athens resisted with the defensive policy employed by Pericles. Athens had also launched naval operations which would harass the Peloponnese and secure Athens defensive position even further. However, no resolution to the war would be reached as the year came to a close and the conflict would drag on.

In Athens it was tradition during times of war that funeral processions were held to honour the fallen. This would allow the citizens to grieve for their loss as a collective, while it would also be a chance to install pride and honour into the Athenians. This tradition would prove to be very important, as it would help maintain morale during times of continued war.

To mark the end of the funeral procession an important Athenian figure would deliver a speech to the people. This time around it would be Pericles, and Thucydides would record the entire speech that he would give. In Thucydides account Pericles funeral oration would also mark the end point of the first year before continuing events into the second year of the war.

Pericles funeral oration would prove to be a speech that would inspire and shape political speeches all the way to our times, with It proving to be an example in oratory, literary and rhetoric skill. It was designed to install pride and honour to the Athenian people, celebrating the achievements of their city. It would show to those left behind that the fallen had not died in vain but had sacrificed themselves for a greater good. While in the end it would convince the Athenians that continuing the struggle was worth the continued hardships. 

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The first year of the Peloponnesian war is now upon us. The first phase of this nearly 30-year struggle would be known as the Archidamian War, named after the Spartan king Archidamus, who had tried to prevent war developing in the first place. Archidamus being the only available Spartan king, the other not yet of age, would find himself leading the Peloponnesian forces as they invaded Attica in 431 BC.

Sparta would launch a campaign where the main focus was on ravaging the Athenian country side to try and force the Athenians from out behind their walls. This then, as the Spartan calculated, would see a large battle between two hoplite armies develop, where Sparta excelled. However, Athens had been working on its defences and security for some 50 years. This would see that their long walls would neutralise an invading land force, while the strength of their navy and empire would see that resources would still flow in during a siege.

Activities on land would not be the only actions undertaken during this first year. Athens would launch naval operations directed at the coast of the Peloponnese and surrounding areas. They would conduct raids, recruit new allies and secure their defences further with this developing war now in effect. Though, for the time being, Athens was looking to operate in a defensive manner while Sparta was on the offensive.

During this first year, we would also find that opinion but in both Sparta and Athens would waver when it came to the respective leaders of both cities. Archadamius, known for his opposition to war having been declared would delay and drag his feet on a number of occasions during the campaign, perhaps looking for an opportunity for negotiations. While Pericles would not allow his forces from out behind the walls of Athens while the Peloponnesians were on Attic soil, this seeing discontent within the hoplite class grow. However, the conflict would not be resolved by the end of the campaigning season and the Peloponnesian war would continue.   

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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.   

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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. 

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This is a teaser of the bonus episode, Persian Counter Attack found over on Patreon.

After having looked at the reasons for the Ionian revolt breaking out, we now turn to the revolt itself. In the main series we had focused on the revolt in general with a large focus on the Greeks operations. This time around we take a closer look at the Persian response and the campaigns that they would launch against Cyprus, the Hellespont, Caria and Ionia. This will take us up to the final years of the revolt and the decisive naval battle of Lade which will be the focus of our next bonus episode along with the end of the revolt.

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, HereI

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With Potidaea now under siege from Athens, Corinth, although unofficial involved, was looking to help save the city and their connection to it before it would fall. To do this, they would work with the surrounding cities on the Chalcidids to mount raids on the Athenians to help relive pressure on the city. However, their primary goal was to try and get Sparta to enter the conflict along with the other Peloponnesian cities. Corinth would convince their current allies to travel to Sparta to put their cases forward, while they would also travel to lead the argument for war.

Sparta would be forced to send out an invitation to members of the Peloponnesian league, inviting those who had been harmed by Athens. An assembly would be held where a number of cities would put their grievance to the Spartans. Corinth would have all their cities speak first to help set the mood before they would then stand and speak providing somewhat of the main event.

Athens had also sent representatives after learning of what was going to take place in Sparta, although they had not been invited. After Corinth had presented their case Athens would ask the Spartans if they could address the assembly. However, Athens was not looking to address the specific charges laid against them, but rather urge Sparta to think long and hard about the decision they would come to. They would highlight the gravity of what war would mean, especially with a city state such as themselves.

To round out the assembly, the Spartans would dismiss all the various representatives so they could discuss the matter between themselves. This would then see speech’s given by King Archidamus, representing the peace part and an ephor from the war party. After they had spoken the Spartans would vote on if they thought Athens had breached the 30 years peace where it quickly became clear Sparta was in the mood for war, a departure from the policies of the peace party that had dominated Spartan politics for most of the past 50 years. 

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Athens support of Corcyra had seen hostilities once again develop with Corinth who had been engaged in a dispute with the island polis. Athens would send ships to support Corcyra, as the Corinthian set sail to impose their will. Out of this affair would see the battle of Sybota take place and with it the first engagement seeing Athenian and Corinthian ships openly fight one another. This would see tension raised further and questions around the official statue between the two.

Once the Athenians had learnt of what had taken place around Corcyra, they saw that war with Corinth was likely. They would now take measures to prepare for this coming conflict, though they would also attempt to not take any action that would breach the 30 years’ peace. Early measures included preparing financially with decrees made on how funds were to be spent, this seeing Athens scale back its building projects for the time being. However other measures would be taken that targeted other regions.

One would be known as the Potidaean affair, where Athens looked to secure their influence over the port city of Potidaea on the Chalcidice in Thrace. Potidaea was originally a Corinthian colony and still had ties to their mother city, Athens seeing Potidaea at risk of going into revolt due to Corinthian incitement. Athens would make demands on the city to take down its walls and expel any Corinthians within. However, Potidaea would resist and obtain Corinthian support along with other allies. This would see Athens having to commit to an ever-growing situation developing around Potidaea where they would end up being forced into laying siege to the city.

The second measure taken by Athens during this period that would also be seen to have a major impact on a future war with Sparta developing, would be that of the Megarian Decree. This would see Athens impose economic sanctions on the polis that sat at the exit of the Corinthian isthmus, leading into Attica. Megara was a member of the Peloponnesian league, with this economic strangle hold having flow on effects to their other trading partners within the league. These actions by Athens plus other would see Corinth put forward a case to Sparta and the other Peloponnesian that action was needed against Athens, less they sit by and watch Athens dominate all of Greece.

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Athens had now taken the decision to send aide to Corcyra after having swayed from one side of the argument to the other. However, the assistance would be limited, with it being defensive in nature. Athens would send a small force of 10 triremes to Corcyra to lend their support with the commanders being instructed they were to only engage the Corinthians if Corcyrean territory was directly threatened.

This decision taken by Athens did not deter the Corinthians however, they would still set in motion the fleet that had been assembled. This would end up seeing the Corcyrean and Corinthian fleets meeting in a naval engagement known as the battle of Sybota in the waters between Corcyra and the mainland. Athens with its 10 triremes would also line up within the Corcyrean battle line where they would face the Corinthian contingent.

The battle would be joined as the sun rose in an old-fashioned melee at sea, perhaps a little primitive to the tactical manoeuvres Athens had perfected. To begin with Athens would not engage in combat, but would charge at the Corinthian line whenever they saw the Corcyreans were in trouble. They would peel off at the last minute, where their aim was to buy their allies time to recover. However, as the battle wore on Corcyra was now in real trouble of breaking. This would see Athens now charge in more recklessly to where they would be in open combat with Corinthian ships.

Athens intervention would see that the Corcyrean fleet remained intact and both sides were able to withdraw to their camps as night came on. The next day both fleets would be back in the water but battle would not develop. Corinth had a number of factors to consider now, one being their status with Athens. Both sides would claim victory in the engagement with Corinth departing back home, though, Corcyra would remain intact, still in control of their waters. The situation in Greece was now growing more volatile with each passing action, this time with a breach in the 30 years peace.

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The analogy of a powder keg in historical events it often used to describe a volatile situation that is waiting to explode into something larger. The most famous example of this is the events leading up to the breakout of World War 1. A seemingly remote region in the Balkans would see an act of violence take place that would end up embroiling all the empires within Europe in the most destructive war to that time.

A similar powder keg situation would develop in the ancient Greek world just before the breakout of the Peloponnesian War. This would be in a region north of Greece on the Albanian coast line far away from the interests of both Sparta and Athens. What would unfold here would be known as the affaire of Epidamnus, a colony both Corinth and Corcyra would lay claim to and enter into conflict over.

Both Corinth and Corcyra would engage in battle over the developments around Epidamnus, Corinth suffering a defeat at sea. This would not deter them and they would divert more resources towards bringing a renewed offensive against Corcyra. This would see Corcyra, not a part of any alliance, now look for assistance in this growing threat.

Corcyra would look towards Athens for this help and would send a delegation to try and secure this assistance. Corinth would also have an envoy in Athens having learnt of Corcyra’s intentions and both would now present their cases to the Athenians to decide upon. Athens would debate what was presented to them in two separate assemblies before arriving at the fateful decision to assist Corcyra. This decision along with the consequences and developments that would follow would see the situation become more volatile than ever.

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Athens had extinguished another fire in the Aegean when the island of Samos and Miletus, both Delian League members had gone to war with each other. Athens would assist Miletus seeing Samos revolt, though after a couple years Samos was back in the league. However, this had highlighted weaknesses in Athens control around its empire as other areas had also followed Samos’ example, including the important city of Byzantium.

With the major threats dealt with, Athens now turned to securing the edges of its empire to see their interests were better protected. This would see three major areas focused on, the first being that of Caria. Athens would streamline this region, by cutting out of the tribute list many Carian cities that lay inland, while incorporating the rest into the region of Ionia. 

Other regions on the edges of the empire that Athens would focus on were around the Black Sea and Thracian lands. The key to the Black Sea and Athens bread basket in the Ukraine was the city of Byzantium. Athens would launch a campaign of goodwill and deterrence to attempt to secure influence in the city while deterring those hostile regions nearby. While in Thrace important colonies would be established to secure Athenian interest from the inland tribal groups within Thracian and Macedonian lands.

This point would then see Athens at its most secure in the Aegean than it had ever been. Another thing that becomes noticeable from all Athens efforts, was the fact that we can not really talk of them being at the head of a league. They had taken measures that would see that they would now fit the definition of an empire.

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Book: Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Homer's Ithaca 

In the series we have look at some elements within Greek history that have connections to traditional tales and mythology. Some big examples of these were when we looked at the Trojan War, Mycenae and the Minoans. Well once again we are looking at historical connections to what can be found within the ancient writings of Homer, this time with a focus on the Odyssey. This episode will be focused around the idea of locating the island of Ithaca that Homer describes within the Odyssey. For a long time, controversy has surrounded the actual location of Homers Ithaca, with many since ancient times questioning whether the Island we know today as Ithaki was actually the Ithaca of the Odyssey.

In our modern time, one such man also questioned this idea. Robert Bittlestone with a Classics, Science and economics background, would return from the business world to his love of Classics to delve into the mystery around the home island of Odysseus. Robert would develop a working theory that would be eventually presented to an audience at Cambridge University. This is where Prof. James Diggle would become involved, seeing great merit in what Robert presented. Prof. Diggle would go on to contribute to Robert Bittlestone’s book, Odysseus Unbound. The search for Homer’s Ithaca. Unfortunately, Robert would pass away in 2015, however his legacy and work would continue on with the creation of the Odysseus Unbound foundation, with a number of professionals and academics making up its members, including Roberts son’s Simon and Mathew.

The Odysseus unbound Foundation is an educational charity dedicated to advancing knowledge of the ancient world. Specifically, we conduct and promote scientific and historical research to discover the actual locations of historical sites that have been described in ancient literature such as Homer’s Odyssey.

They are committed to publishing widely all their results so our understanding of the ancient world and the origins of our civilization today is enhanced to everyone’s benefit.

The Foundation was formed in 2017. It is built upon the inspiration of the late Robert Bittlestone whose ground-breaking ideas about the location of Ithaca, the homeland of Odysseus described by Homer in the Odyssey, are showing significant promise.

Prof. James Diggle, Trustee of the Odysseus Unbound foundation is Emeritus Professor of Greek and Latin at Cambridge University and a Life Fellow of Queens’ College.

His publications include The Cambridge Greek Lexicon (Editor-in-Chief, Cambridge, 2021), The Oxford Classical Text of Euripides (Oxford, 1981-94), Euripidea: Collected Essays (Oxford, 1994) and Theophrastus: Characters (Cambridge, 2004).

He was University Orator at Cambridge for eleven years and has published a selection of his speeches in Cambridge Orations (Cambridge, 1994). He is a Fellow of the British Academy and a Corresponding Member of the Academy of Athens.

He was awarded his CBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to classical scholarship.

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We continue our look at the development of Corinth in the series. Last episode we ended with the period of tyranny that had lasted two generations and ended with the assassination of the third. However, Corinth would continue to flourish, with cultural and economic advances taking place. Corinth would end up hosting one of the Pan Hellenic games, being one of the first mainland cities to mint their own coins, while large public building would begin to dot the Acropolis.

The mid-6th century would also see Corinth become part of a larger collection of city states, through the establishment of the Peloponnesian league. This league was headed by Sparta and it seems Corinth sought security from other city states growing in power that were close by. We would also find that Corinth would have a level of influence within the league that others did not, coming down to them possessing one of the largest navy’s within the league.

Once we reach the Greco-Persian War in Herodotus’ account we start to see Corinth portrayed in a negative light. This would be through the Corinthian commander supposedly putting up opposition to how the Athenians wanted to conduct the campaign. While also giving accounts of the Corinthian army and navy being unreliable in battle. However, as we look at, the times these histories were being written in would have an impact of how they were presented.

After the Persian Wars Corinth would continue to hold influence within the Peloponnesian league. They would be one of the main players of the First Peloponnesian War while also influencing Sparta’s decision on conducting campaigns across the Aegean. As we continue forward in the series, we will continue to see Corinth involved in inter-city state diplomacy, where they would be embroiled in the spark that would ignite the Peloponnesian War.

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The polis of Corinth has remained in the background of events as we have travelled through the narrative of the series so far. Now though, we have reached a point, the years leading to the break out of the Peloponnesian War, where Corinth starts to feature in the ancient sources on a more regular basis. This would be through diplomatic dealings, both within the Peloponnesian league and on larger Greek matters involving Athens.

For this reason, we are going to take a short break in the narrative to properly acquaint ourselves with this city state that would become more important in affaires going on within Greece. We will look back to the earliest times where human activity was taking place on the Corinthian isthmus. This will see us look at developments through the Palaeolithic and into the Bronze Age.

The Bronze Age collapse would see population levels drop on the Isthmus like with other areas within Greece. However, the region in and around Corinth would recover as the Archaic age drew closer. A series of kings would govern the city before an aristocratic revolution took place which would see a powerful clan known as the Bacchiadae take control. The Bacchiadae would dominate Corinthian politics for the next 100 years. Though, their dominance would come to an end with the rise of a new political development.

The figure of the tyrant would first develop on the Greek mainland at the city of Corinth. The first tyrant Cypselus, who overthrow the Bacchiadae, would install the first tyranny with the support of the people of Corinth. There would be mixed feelings of his rule, depending which social class was being asked. The tyranny would continue with his son Periander, who would be included as amongst the seven sages of Greece. However, the tyranny would come to an end in the third generation through the assassination of Periander’s nephew. 

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Athens and Sparta had now entered into an agreement known as the 30 years’ peace, seeing the first Peloponnesian come to an end. This would see the creation of two spheres of influence within Greek lands that they would now turn their attention to. In Athens, Pericles would now also see a challenge to his influence within the Athenian political system. All accounts in the sources indicate that the rise of the conservative faction would be the toughest fight Pericles would have to endure to date.

Revolts within the Athenian Empire would continue through the 440’s, though we would not get any accounts of them. Our clue to these revolts would be in the form of the Athenian tribute list that would show a fluctuation of payments. However, as the 440’s came to a close we would once again hear of a major revolt in the historical sources. This revolt would begin as a war between two members of Athens Empire.

The island of Samos and Miletus on the Anatolian coast would engage in a war over disputed territory. Athens would find itself intervening in matters to bring the conflict under control, though they would take the side of Miletus. This would see Samos revolt against Athens and seek aide from their past enemies. Athens would face some setbacks during the conflict, though with more support they would eventually succeed in bringing the island back under control.

This Samian war would also test the agreements that Athens had made with both Sparta and Persia. Both had been approached by the Samians, with Persia giving indirect aide, while Sparta would stand by, supposedly sidelined by allies within the Peloponnesian league. For now, the terms made between Athens and Sparta would see conflict avoided. 

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So, it’s now mid-December and I am taking a break over the Christmas period and month of January. Though, before signing off for the holidays I wanted to leave you all with a different sort of episode to see out the year. I decided to contact my good friend Steve over at The Spartan History Podcast to see if he would be interested in coming on just to talk about Greek history. He has just entered into the Greek and Persian War period, so I thought it would provide lots for us to talk about. Plus, it gave me another reason to go back and chat about the Persian Wars, a period I always enjoy talking about. It had also been quite some time since we last did a collaboration so I thought it was about time to get on air and chat. I also felt we had reached a natural point to take a break in the series since we just wrapped up the First Peloponnesian War. But don’t worry we will be back to continue with the developments in the new year.

For those of you have not come across The Spartan History podcast, I would highly recommend you check out Steve’s show. He began around the same time I started this show and we have since then kept in touch and bounced ideas off one another. You can find the Spartan History podcast on the same platforms you listen to this show on.

So, for this episode, we decided not to worry about any sort of script or pre-planned direction for the chat, it just basically unfolded as if we were chatting together without any audience. We focus a great deal on the Greco-Persian Wars, jumping around the period a bit. While we also do touch on areas before and after the conflict. We did have a few connection issues through the talk with a dropout and some areas of buffering, though, I did try and smooth them out as best as I could but they are still there. 

Anyway, a huge thank you to everyone for listening and supporting the show, I have greatly appreciated it. Although, Im taking the rest of December and January off, I just want to let all Patreon members know that I will still be releasing the next bonus episode in the first week of January.

www.spartanhistorypodcast.com

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Athens and Sparta were now in a position to turn their attention to matters within their own spheres of influence, with the truce that existed between them. Sparta would look at eliminating the threats that they had faced on the Peloponnese, seeing Argos now at peace with Sparta, and Tegea brought back into the Peloponnesian league. While negotiations would appear to be taking place with other cities on the Corinthian isthmus.  

With Sparta now in a more secure position domestically, they would no look further afield once again. This would see them become involved in the second Sacred War around Delphi, with indirect connections to Athens. With the truce still in place Athens would react to these developments once Sparta had left the region. This seeing a reversal in the outcome Sparta had won for the Delphines.

However, not all was going well for Athens in Boeotia. The oligarchs who had been exiled with Athens take over were returning in great numbers. It appears they may have been emboldened by Sparta’s action. They would begin regaining control of the Boeotian cities and would end up defeating Athens in a decisive battle when the Athenians came to attempt to hold onto the region. Athens would also have to deal with other league members attempting to revolt in the wake of their loss of territory in Boeotia.

By this stage the 5 years true had just expired and Sparta would immediately make moves against Athens that appear to have been planned. A Spartan army would march into Attica laying waste to the areas before Athens. However, an Athenian army would respond, seeing the Spartans advance no further. All was set for another show down on the battlefield, however talks would be held between to two sides. This would lay the foundation for what is known as the 30 years peace and would bring the First Peloponnesian War to an end.

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After the battle of Tanagra, Athens was able to focus on pursuing its aims throughout Boeotia, the Gulf of Corinth and the Peloponnese. This saw Athens power and influence grow even more at the expense of Sparta and its allies. However, the disaster that would take place in Egypt for Athens would see them now needing to change their policies to better deal with the crisis that was brewing in the Aegean.

One of the first measures taken was to put in place a truce with Sparta, so as to reduce the threat of attack within Greece itself. This would then allow Athens to focus its now reduced resources to defending its control in the Aegean, this being the source of their power. The defeat in Egypt had seen some of the Delian league members view Athens in a weakened state. While, there was the fear Persia would once again campaign into Aegean.

Athens would first focus on tightening its grip on the league. They would campaign to force the revolting cities back in as tribute paying members. While then taking measures to ensure it would prove more difficult for future rebellions to take place. These would come in the form of coercion, building relations and economic dependency.

The other crisis Athens faced in the Aegean was the renewed threat of Persian actions into the Aegean. To deal with this they would arrange an expedition led by Cimon to the Persian controlled island of Cyprus. Although, the island would remain under Persian control the actions that took place would see what appear to be some sort of peace being made between Athens and Persia. Athens had now dealt with the crisis but matters on the Greek mainland had not been resolved and the truce with Sparta was soon due to expire.

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Sparta had defeated Athens at the battle of Tanagra in 457 BC, though both armies had taken heavy losses. Both would look to make a temporary truce so that they could regroup without the fear of being attacked while in a vulnerable position. This would see the forces of both Athens and Sparta return to their cities bringing a close to this campaign. However, this would not be the end of hostilities and campaigning for the first Peloponnesian war.

Just 62 days after Tanagra, Athens would launch a fresh attack into Boeotian lands where Sparta had been active, with a possible agreement with Thebes. Sparta would remain within their home territory which would see Athens facing Theban and other Boeotian troops during this new campaign. Athens would win a major victory while also taking many cities, which would see them gain much control and influence within Boeotia.

This would not be the only campaign launched. A naval campaign would also be arranged which would seem to further Athenian trade connections. There was also an element of gaining some revenge for Tanagra, where Athens would ravage a Spartan port. However, it would appear the main objective would be to establish and secure Athenian trade connections to the west through the Corinthian gulf, dominated by many Peloponnesian league members.

These campaigns that would unfold and continue through the next couple of years would see Athen’s influence within the Greek mainland increases to new heights. Though, news of the disastrous Egyptian campaign would arrive, seeing Athens having to direct its attention to defending its interests within the Delian league as well as counter the threat of possible hostile Persian moves within the Aegean.

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Athens was engaging in developing new alliances on the Greek mainland in response to the hostility with Sparta. This would also see a number of campaigns launched by the Athenians to establish their security, these being fought by Sparta’s allies. However, as these events on the mainland were unfolding, a plea for help from a rebel king in Egypt would arrive requesting Athenian assistance in fighting the Persians.

In 465 BC Xerxes would be assassinated bringing his 21-year rule to an end. This would see his son Artaxerxes come to the throne, though, under suspicious circumstances. The coming to the throne of a new king was usually a period that would see regions attempt to breakaway from the empire. Artaxerxes accession would be no exception, seeing Egypt breakout in revolt, led by a Libyan king named Inaros. It would be he who would request the Athenians come and assist them in their bid for freedom.

Athens would sail for Egypt and link up with the rebels in the Nile delta, while a Persian army was dispatched to put the revolt down. An initial battle would see the rebel forces rout the Persians, who would seek refuge at Memphis. A siege would now develop as the Athenians and Egyptians attempted to destroy the rest of the Persian forces. This would not be the end of the campaign, with Persia assembling a new army after Persian gold would not entice the Spartans in attacking the Athenians homeland.

The appearance of this new Persian force in Egypt would now start to see Athens and the rebels fortune change. The siege of Memphis would be broken, the Persians defeating the besieges, this seeing Athens fallback into the Nile delta where they themselves would now be besieged. The majority of the Egyptian rebels would surrender to the Persians, while the Athenian force would be all but destroyed. This seeing the largest disaster suffered by Athens in generations. 

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With the insult received at the hands of the Spartans during the helot revolt, the Athenians began setting a course to deal with the new geopolitical realities. They would first sever their connection to Sparta by dissolving their membership in the Hellenic league. This would then be followed by securing alliances with enemies of Sparta and cities that would secure Athen’s position from any attack coming from the Peloponnese.

Athens would also enact building projects that would assist in protecting Attica and Athens itself. This would be seen in the construction of a defensive wall extending from the city of Magara on the Corinthian isthmus. Further defensive walls would also be built in Attica, turning Athens into an island on the mainland. These would be known as Athens long walls and would connect the city to its ports.

Enviably, with these shits in alliances and activities, regional conflicts would begin developing. Athens would be engaged with one of Sparta’s biggest allies, Corinth, where battles would break out on the Peloponnese, off the coast and on the isthmus itself. This period would see Athens stretched thin, as she would not only be engaged in Greece, but overseas campaigns would also continue during this period.

Finally, After Athens manoeuvrings on the mainland, Sparta would not stand by idle and would react. This would see a Spartan led campaign develop north of Attica in Boeotia, its motivations and objectives would be somewhat unclear in the sources. Though, this Spartan action would see Athens respond and march out to meet the Spartan force. This would see these past Hellenic league members face one another at the battle of Tanagra.

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Events during the 460’s would see the political sands in Athens begin to shift, with opposition to Cimon’s influence increasing in the sources. This would first come through charges of corruption at the conclusion of the Thasos campaign. While a more successful attempt would take place with Sparta’s rejection of Athenian assistance during the helot revolt, assistance Cimon had supported sending.

This would see the emergence on the pages of Athenian history, two new influential political figures. Ephialtes and Pericles would mount a similar opposition to Cimon’s policies as Themistocles some ten years earlier. Ephialtes would appear to head this opposition while Pericles, the son of Xanthippus would be his junior.

They would be successful in shifting public support away from Cimon, while also managing to have him ostracized. This would see Cimon removed from Athenian politics for the next 10 years, allowing the policies of Ephialtes, Pericles and their supporters to now dominate the political institutions within Athens.

The changes that would develop in Athens would open the way for a more direct form of democracy to develop. This would see the aristocratic institution of the Areopagus attacked and its powers severally reduced in favour of the council of 500 and the assembly. This would give more say over affairs in Athens to a broader range of classes. However not all would be pleased with these developments as Ephialtes would become a victim of political violence.     

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In 464 BC, Poseidon the earth shaker would rock the Peloponnese, seeing Sparta take the full force of the earthquake. A number of the ancient sources would record the terrible event and the scale of destruction and suffering experienced by the Spartans. Modern day studies would show that the what Sparta experienced was likely on the same scale as the earth quake that struck Haiti in 2021 of our time.

The impact to Sparta was great enough that their Helot class would view their masters as vulnerable. Areas would arrange themselves in a rebellion and revolt would breakout through the region of Messenia. The revolt would be organised on a scale that would see Sparta look to its allies in the Peloponnesian and Hellenic league for assistance.

A number of city states would answer their call, including that of Athens, the polis they had only a year earlier agreed to attack in a secret agreement with Thasos. Though, the shifting sands of Spartan politics would see them advise the Athenians once arriving that their assistance was no longer required. Only Athens was extended this disrespect of all who came to assist, with Sparta’s suspicions bubbling to the surface once again.

This would mark a point in Spartan – Athenian relations where open hostility would begin to be displayed. New alliances would be formed to match this reality, while back in Athens this event would see the political landscape change. New political figures were now emerging and an effective opposition along with recent events was now beginning to see Cimon’s popularity decrease.   

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After the Delian Leagues victory over the Persian forces at the Eurymedon River, campaigning would continue with it appearing other areas closer to the Greek mainland being the focus. Though, the Island of Thasos, an original Delian league member would now also revolt from the league, seeing Athens and the leagues attention being refocused to deal with this developing threat.

We are told that the revolt would come about due to economic reasons, with Athenian influence now also extending into areas Thasos had control in. This would see the full force of Athens navy and by extension the Delian league directed at the island in the Northern Aegean. Thasos would be laid siege to and would now attempt to seek assistance from outside of the Delian league.

Here we can perhaps see the path to conflict between Athens and Sparta, since Sparta would be the city Thasos would turn to. Sparta, with it seeming the war party had now gained more influence within Spartan politics, in turn would secretly agree to attack Athenian territory to try and relive the siege directed at the island. This being the first overtly hostile action we hear of being contemplated.

Though, Poseidon, the earth shaker would see to it that the attack would not take place. A great and terrible earthquake would rock the Peloponnese seeing many cities including Sparta devastated. This would create further issues for Sparta to deal with, while the path to conflict between Athens and Sparta would be further laid as the consequences from this event unfolded.   

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With the victory over the Persian invasions in 479 BC, the Greeks had continued operations in the Aegean against Persian controlled areas. Though, objectives and priorities of many of the city states had shifted with this common threat ejected from Greek lands. This would see yet another league formed, that of the Delian league, who would continue campaigning throughout the Aegean. 

While these campaigns continued on for the next 10 years, political developments within the Greek mainland would evolve with the new reality. The Persian threat had united the many Greek city states, putting their suspicions and interests in the background. Now though, what had united them had been defeated and these interests and suspicions would once again come to the forefront.

Both Athens and Sparta would now attempt to establish a policy that would suit their cities in the post war period. Though, both polies would have a number of paths open to them with different factions within their political systems competing for their preferred path. As events unfolded over the next decade both city states would eventually settle on a policy.

This period would see the hero of Salamis, Themistocles ostracised, freeing the way for his opponents in Athens. While Sparta would be contending with regions on the Peloponnese growing in influence with the rise of democratic factions within them. This forcing them to bring their focus back closer back to their home region. Though, these developments would be seen to be connected as the various factions manoeuvred for political advantage. 

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Dr Owen Rees is Associate Lecturer in Ancient History at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he specialises in the transition of soldiers from civilian life to the battlefield and back again. His books on the topic of ancient Greek warfare include Great Battles of the Classical Greek World (Pen & Sword, 2016); Great Naval Battles of the Ancient Greek World (Pen & Sword, 2018); and Military Departures, Homecomings, and Death in Classical Athens: Hoplite Transitions (Bloomsbury Academic, 2022).

He is also the founder and lead editor of the website BadAncient.com, which brings together a growing network of specialists to fact-check common claims made about the ancient world and expose the prevalent pseudohistory in the modern day.

In this episode I sit down with Dr Owen Rees to focus on his newest scholarly work, Military Departures, Homecomings and death in Classical Athens. Although we are looking at the Athenian experience of war in the Classical Age, the unfolding events of particular battles will not be our focus here. Rather we will be looking at the often overlooked elements surrounding the campaigns that would embarked on. We will be more concerned with the experiences around preparing to leave for war in what would form departure scenes, this looking different to the various parts of society. This will also see us turning to the aftermath of a war or campaign in how the homecoming was also experienced by these elements of society. With wars also comes death and Dr Rees will also take us through how the Athenian War dead were treated where they would receive their own form of homecoming. We also look to how the individual hoplites experience of war may affect them through trauma or more commonly known to us today as PTSD. We view this topic through the competing theories that ask whether ancient soldiers also suffered this disorder as spoilers to today. Though, to begin our talk today I spend a little time getting to know Dr Rees, his background and motivations before we then engage in a little general historical conversation. After this we then draw our focus to the main subject for our talk and spend well over an hour looking at the research behind Military Departures, Homecomings and death in Classical Athens.

Links for Dr Owen Rees:

Owen Rees Website 

Bad Ancient 

Twitter 

Books:

Great Naval Battles of the Ancient Greek World 

Great Battles of the Classical Greek World 

Military Departures, Homecomings and Death in Classical Athens 

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Bernie Taylor is an independent naturalist, thought leader and author whose research explores the mythological connections and biological knowledge among prehistoric, indigenous and ancient peoples. His works in these areas include Biological Time (2004) and Before Orion: Finding the Face of the Hero (2017). Before Orion is premised on Joseph’s Campbell’s hero's journey monomyth that is at the core of stories worldwide among indigenous peoples, the ancients, and our modern society. Before Orion explores a deeper root for this monomyth by looking at how hunter-gatherers viewed themselves within the natural and spiritual worlds through Palaeolithic cave art from 40,000 years ago. Taylor proposes that select cave paintings are fundamental pieces in the human journey to self-realization, the foundation of written language, and a record of biological knowledge that irrevocably impacted some of the artistic styles, religious practices, and stories that are still with us. Taylor addresses a profound archaeological elephant in the room by opening up an uncharted place in our history, which points to the cultural ancestors of mankind in western North Africa. Before Orion will change the idea of who you think you are.

For this episode we are moving away a little from the narrative approach to history that we usually follow. For this episode we will be turning to the realm of myth that we have only really covered in passing throughout the series. Though we will not be running through the usual stories of Greek Mythology, we will be instead looking to the deeper past where Greek civilisation has yet to appear. This will see us looking back some 10’s of thousands of years before the rise of Greek culture where stories that we find familiar in Greek mythology were also present. Bernie Taylor will take us back these tens of thousands of years to a cave site on the Iberian Peninsula, or modern-day Spain. In our talk, Bernie took me on a fascinating journey of his research and the ideas he has developed. I found this then turned into a great discussion and I hope you all enjoy this episode as much as I did engaging with Bernie. A lot of what we talk about is very visual and so I have provided a number of pictures on the episode page over at the Casting Through Ancient Greece website, while I have also provided Bernie Taylors links where you will be able to find even more resources. Any I hope you enjoy the next couple of hours.

Bernie Taylor Twitter @BernieTaylorOr 

Before Orion Twitter @BeforeOrion 

Before Orion website  

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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.

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The Delian league had now been established with the majority of its members coming from regions throughout the Aegean. In its inception they had all turned to a Greek city state on the mainland, that of Athens who headed the league. In 477 BC the league would now find itself in a position to begin campaigning for the first time, they would set out under the leadership of a relative new comer to the scene of Athenian politics, Cimon.

Thucydides would give us a picture of how the league would evolve over its first decade in operation, as well as highlighting how Athens’s power would grow. The league would first direct itself against Persian controlled regions on the Thracian coast, aligned with the objectives it had been created under. 

Though, it wouldn’t be only the Persians that the Delian league would focus its attentions against. Other Greeks would find themselves becoming the target of the league’s activities in the Aegean. These actions would be justified for a number of reasons, from eliminating piracy in the Aegean, to protecting the common strategic security through cohesion.

As the years passed new challenges within the league would arise. With very little Persian activity in the Aegean league members would have been starting to wonder if the finical costs of supporting the league were in their interests anymore. One member Naxos would act on this and attempt to leave, but this risked seeing the league fall apart. Athens would see that they would remain a member through force. This was an ominous sign of the direction the league was heading in, though the Persian threat had not disappeared just yet. 

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I wanted to do an episode that focused on Rome in the same sort of format I had done with my past Greek Periphery episodes. Though, my knowledge on Roman history is quite rusty at best, so I wanted to enlist some help to present this episode. For this I turned to Dr Fiona Radford and Dr Peta Greenfield from the Partial Historians podcast. Unfortunately, the timing didn’t line up with the series of Periphery episodes I had done, but never the less I still wanted to present this look at Rome. So, I decided to present this episode as part of the interview series where we will take a quick break from our narrative.

Like I said this episode is done with a similar idea as the past Greek Periphery episodes where we look back to some of the earliest times in the region we are focusing on. We then move forward exploring the tales and myths surrounding the foundations before then turning to what more tangible lines of evidence tells us. This will then see discussion move into areas where we then have literary accounts that help provide an idea of what was developing. I thought it would be interesting to focus on the city of Rome, rather than the larger regions we had done before, since Rome is such a well-known city of the ancient world. Though, I also wanted to compare its developments to what was taking place in Greece around the same periods.  

In this episode with Dr Greenfield and Dr Radford from the Partial Historians we follow this same formula where we then look at parallels and compare to what was taking place in Greece to help provide some context to the developments in Rome. Instead of looking at Rome over a series of episodes like with the previous periphery episodes we followed the foundations all the way through to the beginning of the republic in this talk stretching for just over an hour and a half. This also coincides with roughly the same period we brought all our other looks at the wider Greek world up to.  

Dr Fiona Radford is an expert on Rome on film and wrote her thesis on Kubrick’s Spartacus. Her research interest in film makes her an exponent of not only Ancient History, but also Reception Studies. Dr Radford’s work has taken her across the globe and into rarely viewed archives.

Dr Peta Greenfield is an expert on the Vestal Virgins, a collective of six priestesses whose aedes (temple) was located at the edge of the Roman forum. Her research interests include: the intersection between religion and politics in Rome, the Late Republic (c. 150 BC – 31 BC) and Augustan Period (c. 31 BC – AD 14), and the role of women.

Together both Dr Greenfield and Dr Radford produce and present the Partial historians podcast were they discuss, spar, and laugh their way through different aspects of the Roman world.

They would love to have you along for the ride! And you can find them where ever you get your podcasts.

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Please sit back and enjoy this extended podcast recommendation, an Introduction to the History of Egypt Podcast where Dominic will share a short tale with you. If you haven't yet come across the History of Egypt Podcast you can find Dominic's show at the below links:

The History of Egypt Podcast website

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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 

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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.

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I find it very fitting that with this 50th episode we are now transitioning into a new phase of Greek history. A point that is often officially seen where the Archaic Age ends and the Classical Age starts, its also where we say goodbye to Herodotus as our main foundational source and welcome in Thucydides. While it is also a major transitional event in the Greek world coming away from the Persian invasions, with all of the political and diplomatic developments that would occur leading to conflict from within the Greek world. Though, before picking back up the narrative, I wanted to provide an introduction to this period we will be spending quite some time with. To do this I have invited Prof. James Romm on the show to help give us an introduction to Thucydides and the subject of his history, the Peloponnesian War. I had decided to reach out to Prof. Romm as I had recently come across a book he was involved in titled “The Greek Histories” with came out this year. This work is focused on providing an introduction to a number of Ancient Greek writers, of who Thucydides was one. So, I felt this was perfect timing given where we were currently in the series.   

James Romm is an author, reviewer, and the James H. Ottaway Jr. Professor of Classics at Bard College in Annandale, NY. He specializes in ancient Greek and Roman culture and civilization. His reviews and essays have appeared in the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, the London Review of Books, the Daily Beast, and other venues. He has held the Guggenheim Fellowship (1999-2000), the Birkelund Fellowship at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Writers and Scholars at the New York Public Library (2010-11), and a Biography Fellowship at the Leon Levy Center of the City University of New York (2014-15). Prof. Romm is also the author and editor of a number of books including but not limited to, The Sacred Band, Ghost on the Throne, The Greek Histories, the how to, an ancient guide series of books and the landmark Arrian, the Campaigns of Alexander the Great.

James Romm's Links:

Website

Twitter

James Romm's Books:

The Greek Histories 

The Sacred Band 

How to Give: An Ancient Guide to Giving and Receiving 

How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide to Anger Management 

How to Die: An Ancient Guide to the End of Life 

Dying Every Day: SENECA AT THE COURT OF NERO 

Ghost on the Throne 

Herodotus 

The Edges of the Earth in Ancient Thought:The Edges of the

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The Greek city of Miletos in western Anatolia would be described by Herodotus as being the ornament of Ionia. This referring to the affluence of the city during the Archaic period and its position amongst the many other Greek cities in Ionia. In this episode I am joined by Prof. Vanessa Gorman who takes us through the history of this wealthy and influential city. We begin by covering the earliest periods of history around the site of Miletus, which leads us into the Bronze Age and the various connections the city had. We then look at the period of the Bronze Age collapse in the region and the period afterward that would see the arrival of the Greeks from mainland Greece. We then look at a city that would become one of the most affluent within the Greek world during the Archaic period. Before we then turn to the decline of Miletus on the backdrop of the subjugation to the Lydian and then the Persian Empire. We then finish off with a bit of an overview of the city after the Greek and Persian Wars before then ending with a look at an open-source language course developed by Prof. Gorman.  

Prof. Vanessa Gorman received her PhD in Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in May 1993. Since then, she has held various position as associate professor and associate dean, where in 2015 she became Professor of the Department of History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a position she currently still holds. In 2021 she also took on a position in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Prof. Gorman’s areas of expertise lay within the areas of Greek History and Historiography; Greek Language Pedagogy; Philology and Dependency Syntax and Digital Humanities. While she also focuses on Republican and Augustan Roman History and Roman Historiography.

For Prof. Gorman, language was a huge part of her journey into understanding the ancient world to where she would become proficient in reading Ancient Greek, Latin, German, Italian and French. Her realisation of the importance of language also saw Prof. Gorman create an open-source course available to all called Reading Ancient Greek in the Digital Age.

Links to Prof. Gorman’s work:

Greek Lanuage Site:

https://vgorman1.github.io/Greek-Language-Class/ 

Digital Publications:

Greek Dependency Treebanks:

https://github.com/vgorman1/Greek-Dependency-Trees 

 https://perseids-publications.github.io/gorman-trees/

 Books:

https://www.amazon.com/Miletos-Ornament-Ionia-History-B-C/dp/0472037773/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1648058469&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Corrupting-Luxury-Ancient-Greek-Literature/dp/0472052292/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1648058524&sr=8-3

Edited Volumes:

https://www.amazon.com/Oikistes-Constitutions-J-Bibliotheca-Supplementum/dp/9004125795/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?crid=1BCPSW0TOAWFZ&keywords=o+Oikistes%3A+Studies+in+Constitutions&qid=1648058666&sprefix=o+oikistes+studies+in+constitutions%2Caps%2C1169&sr=8-

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The Ionian Greeks along with their allies from Athens and Eretria had entered and burn Sardis, though they failed to take the Acropolis. They withdrew back to the coast where the Persian would catch up to them and fight the battle of Ephesus. The Greeks would be defeated with the survivors making for their cities, the Athenians and Eritreans sailing home to take no more part in the revolt.

With no more aid coming from Greek lands, the Ionians would now take measures that would see the revolt spread throughout other parts of Anatolia. By 497, Much of Aeolia, the Hellespont, Caria and even as far south as Cyprus would be in open revolt. Though, with the revolt spreading, the Persians would be arranging a response to punish those responsible and bring these lands back under their control.

Multiple Persian armies would operate throughout the western parts of the empire seeing that Cyprus would once again become a Persian possession. Further operations would also see the trade rich areas of the Hellespont coming back under Persian control. Caria and Ionia would prove slightly more of a challenge. Caria would see hard fighting and would see the Persians having to deal with partisan operations. While In Ionia, a major set piece battle would be fought before the Persians could begin reducing the Ionian cities one by one. Eventually, western Anatolia would be back in Persian hands.

Persia’s attention would then shift west to Greek lands, where the Ionians, now Persian subjects once again would be part of the forces marching west. They would make up a sizable portion of the Persian navy during both the first and second Persian invasions. With the Greek victory over Persia during the invasions, the war would enter Persian lands in Ionia. The Ionians would now be encouraged to revolt for the second time, with the spark being lit during the battle of Mycale. The region would become important during future operations, with events and decisions leading to unintended consequences for a new generation of Greeks.

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The words of the Delphic oracle had rung true, the rising empire founded by Cyrus the great, the Persians had just destroyed a mighty empire, in that of king Croesus and his Lydians. The Greeks of Ionia had stood by idle only having been subjected to the Lydians a generation earlier. Cyrus had tried to incite the Greeks to rebel, though they would wait to see which way the winds would blow.

With the Persian victory the Greeks now sought to arrange favourable terms with the new power in the region. Though, their fence sitting would find their attempts met with anger and distain from Cyrus. With Sardis captured and only mopping up operations left in the west, Cyrus departed back into the empire leaving his commanders to finish the job.

As the Persians absorbed the Lydian system into their own, resistance would develop with one last effort of the Lydians attempting to regain control. Cyrus would learn of the Lydian revolt and detach an army to head back to stamp it out as quickly as possible. With the revolt under control measures were now taken to punish those regions involved. This would see all of the Greek cities along the Anatolian coast now fully integrated into the Persian Empire.

 After a generation living under Persian control, dissatisfaction in the Ionian Greek cities would begin to make itself known. The Greeks were living under tyrannies acting in the interests of the Persians, though they had not been particularly popular before this time also. A combination of tyrannical rule, Persian tribute pressures as well as personal ambitions would all end up seeing a revolt develop in Ionia. The Ionians would take the initiative and launch an attack on Sardis, though it would fail and the revolt would drag on for a number of years. 

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With the collapse of the Bronze Age the Hittite Empire which had dominated Anatolian lands would vanish from the world stage. Its presence and legacy would only be rediscovered in our modern times showing the influence it once held. With its destruction the region of Anatolia would fragment into many small kingdoms and principalities looking to exert control in their immediate areas.

With the passage of time, recovery would take hold seeing conditions arise for the establishment of another empire to spread its influence into Anatolia. Though, internal problems would see that outside pressure would lead to the decline of the Neo-Assyrians, thanks to the Medes and Babylonians. But they would not be the next great empire to emerge. The Persians would rise up out of obscurity and incorporate the Medes into their newly created empire, before then expanding to include much of Asia Minor.

Meanwhile over on the West coast of Anatolia, the Greeks had been arriving on the shores, from across the Aegean. Perhaps the collapse of Mycenaean civilisation seen the first influx of Greeks, but the migrations would continue. This would end up seeing a great many Greek cities dot the Anatolian coast line and see such areas as Ionia form. Though, they had not settled in lands that were empty, with hostile and friendly interactions taking place.

One of the largest powers to have developed in the western part of Anatolia during the period the Greeks were settling, was the Lydian kingdom. They would be seen to have roots stretching back into the Bronze Age, though it would be their third and final dynasty that would enter the pages of history. By the time of the last Lydian king, Croesus, all the Greek cities of Ionia would no longer be free but under the Lydian Empire, well that was until ever expanding Persia arrived on the eastern Lydian boarder. Cyrus the Great of Persian would defeat the Lydians and absorb them into his empire, the largest yet seen. The Greeks, would not gain their freedom, but would now answer to a new master.

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45: The Greek Periphery, Anatolia

We now arrive to the east of Greek lands in what would become one of the most influential regions to Greek history on its periphery. Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor would have a history of human habitation stretching back over 1 million years, with other sites dotted throughout the region pointing to its continued habitation for the hundreds of thousands of years following.

As the world was coming out of the Ice Age some 12000 years ago, it would enter the Neolithic Age. Hunter-gatherers were seen to have been the only groups to have occupied all the inhabited areas of the world. Though, recent discoveries in Anatolia would start to question the long-held views of hunter-gather societies. The Sites of Çatalhöyük and Göbekli Tepe would suggest these groups were able to organise themselves on a far grander scale than previously thought.

As the Millennia passed distinct cultures would start to form with most settling into a sedentary way of life. This would see civilisations form around powerful centres ushering in the Bronze Age and the rise of empires. One of the greatest to emerge in Anatolia would be the Hittites, also developing through Indo-European migrations from the north. Much around the Hittites remains mysterious, though in more recent years, steady progress on translating the many Hittites text found at its capitol Hattusa is starting to give us a glimpse into the empire’s workings.

Though, Anatolia would also feel the effects of the Bronze Age collapse with the Hittite Empire vanishing from history, with only traces of its culture found amounts some of the fragmented kingdoms that would scatter the region. With the collapse would see a number of new comers to the region, one of these would be the Greeks, decedents of the Mycenaeans, who would dot the western coast with many of their cities.

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The eve of the Greek and Persian wars would see a point in Macedonian history where the transition of power from one king to another would take place. This would see Amyntas after his rule since the mid 6th century pass power to his son Alexander the first at the opening of the 5th. This would take place on the backdrop of Persian advances into Thrace before Macedon would then begin engaging diplomatically.

It becomes difficult to tell at what point Macedon would offer earth and water to the Persian empire, with colourful stories entering into the historical record. Though, by the time of the first invasion it seems Macedon had submitted in some form. The marriage of Alexanders sister to a Persian governor, also a relative of Xerxes would seem to indicate this.

Alexander and his Macedonians would appear in Herodotus’ narrative a number of times as Xerxes invasion unfolded. They would be shown to provide assistance as the Persians marched through their lands, while also providing advice to the Greeks as they prepared to defend their lands, before and during battles. 

Alexanders position during the invasions was a difficult one. He was a benefactor and friend of the Athenians, though he had also submitted to the Persians and expected to assist their campaign against the Greeks. This would see Alexander to play a delicate balancing game as the war unfolded, being careful to maintain his relationship with the Greeks, though also ensuring not to anger Xerxes and his obligations, or risk the ruin of his lands.

This episodes book recommendation: Herodotus, The Histories (Translated by Tom Holland)

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Many tribes existed throughout the Balkan region in the Neolithic to the Bronze Age where we would see defined cultures develop with the onset of the Iron Age. We hear origin stories and hints at the early Macedonians in Myth through Homer and Hesiod. We even get through Herodotus, the hint of a tribe called the Makednoi during the Bronze Age in the mountains north of Greece.

The culture of the Macedonians that emerge in the Archaic Age and into the Classical Age, would seem to be the result of many migrations that had been filtering south into Greek lands as well as other locations. These migrations would be seen to have peoples with Indo-European roots consistently moving through much of the Balkans through many generations, help spread a common root language and ideas.

It wouldn’t be until Herodotus that we start to hear about the origins of the Macedonian dynasty, the Argead, develop. Although this was some 250 years after the foundation of the kingdom of Macedon, it appears to be the official account coming from the Macedonia court. This traditional telling would see the Argeads being descendants of Heracles and coming from the city of Argos down on the Peloponnese.

The kingdom established, rule in Macedon appears to be somewhat stable with dates of the various kings being very respectable lengths. During these generations the territory of the Macedonians would expand out of the Pierian Mountains, north of Mount Olympus. By the opening of the Greek and Persian Wars and under the 7th King Alexander I, they would control lands along the coast of the Pierian Mountains, the coastal plains around the Thermaic Gulf and north across the Haliacmon River. 

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Greek and Roman writers would highlight the Thracians as some of the best mercenaries fielded in foreign armies from the mid-5th century and beyond. They would excel at hit and run tactics, harassing heavier troops and being able to defend difficult ground. This reputation would appear to be born out of their tradition of Homeric style warfare practiced in their own lands. Though we get no detailed accounts of how they fought against one another in their home territories. 

Our knowledge of the Thracians in war during the 6th and early 5th centuries comes to us thanks to account revolving around the Greek and Persian wars found in the Histories written by Herodotus. This would see their history during this period told through the context of various Persian campaigns through their lands, therefore lacking the details of how they fought, though we can get an idea from their reputation as warriors in later histories.

Thracian lands would become a crossroads for Persian campaigns during the close of the 6th and opening of the 5th centuries BC. Initially Persia would attempt to expand north into Scythian lands, where a path through Thracian lands would need to be secured. Though the hold in Thrace during this period would only stay intact as long as a sizable occupying force was present. After the Scythian campaign continued attempts would be made to secure the regions close to the Persian Empires frontiers with mixed results.

The most successful period of Persian control would come during the lead up to and during the Greek and Persian Wars. A sizable Persian force would secure lands in Thrace and Macedonian paving a way forward to Greece. The Persians held enough control in Thracian coastal regions to construct their monumental engineering feats to prepare for Xerxes invasion. Though, with the ultimate Persian defeat in Greece, Thrace would once again become very inhospitable to Persians within their lands.   

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North East of Greece would be a land seen as wild and untamed stretching from the modern-day nation of Hungary to the Ukraine, and then to the Black Sea and Aegean. The Greeks would view the people that inhabited these lands as barbarians, much the same way they did to other cultures that differed from theirs. Though these people that they would call the Thracians, seemed that much more uncivilised compared to the other barbarians they had encountered.

Although the Greeks would call them Thracian, a united people they were not. these people would be a lose collection of tribes with a shared common culture. Herodotus would say of the Thracians; “If they could all be united under one ruler and think the same way, they would, in my opinion, be the most invincible and strongest of all nations. But that is impossible; it will never happen, since their weakness I that they are incapable of uniting and agreeing.”

The Thracians would be a result of earlier Neolithic cultures that had formed in the Balkans thousands of years earlier. The Thracian identity that would come to describe their shared culture would be a result of these indigenous Balkan cultures interacting with the numerous Indo-European migrations that would take place as the Bronze Age developed.

Thrace would enter into the Greeks memory as far back as the Trojan War through Homers epic poem the Iliad. Though it wouldn’t be until the 7th and 6th centuries where Thrace would truly enter the Greek periphery. Greek colonies would begin to dot the Thracian coast lines, where trade of goods and ideas would take place in both times of peace and times of tension. 

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As the 6th century BC on Sicily was coming to a close expansion would continue to take place. Tyrannies were now becoming the common governing system in a lot of the Sicilian Greek cities, appearing to follow the lead of their Metropolises back in Greece. This time though expansion would see Greeks focus on exerting their influence over other Greek cities.

This period would also see the rise of one of the most powerful Tyrants to yet emerge on Sicily, his name would be Gelon. His rise would be born out of a series of Tyrannies, to where his service to them would see him almost seamlessly take power thanks to the influence and reputation he had built up over the years.

Gelon would end up controlling almost the entire east cost of Sicily with campaigns that he would engage in during the early 5th century. His biggest prize would be that of Syracuse the largest and wealthiest city on the island. Though, Gelon’s campaigns would not go unnoticed with Carthage now preparing to launch an invasion of Sicily, sparking what is known as the first Sicilian War.

Carthage would land a force of unprecedented size on the north of the island indicating the threat their influence was under. They would march to the city Himera and establish camps outside the city. Gelon would be alerted to the Carthaginian army and would march his own army to defend the city. With both forces camped across from one another it wouldn’t be long until the Battle of Himera would erupt.

This episodes book recommendation is The Tyrants of Syracuse Vol 1, by Ian Champion

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**Give Away details**

To coincide with this episode release I will be running a giveaway where I will be offering up 2 copies of Eric Cline’s Book, 1177 BC the Year Civilisation Collapsed, where winners will be drawn on the 1st of November 2021. 1 copy I will be offering as a general giveaway, where all you need to do to go into the draw is to promote Casting Through Ancient Greece in some way on Twitter or Facebook, this could be retweeting or sharing the episode with a comment or posting about the show in general in some other way, get creative. Just make sure to tag casting through ancient Greece into the post so I don’t miss it. For the second copy I will be giving this away to one of my Patreon members, all you need to do to be eligible for this draw is to be a member of Casting Through Ancient Greece on Patreon before names are drawn on the 1st of November. So good luck everyone and the winners will be contacted and posted up on social media once drawn.

Bronze Age Collapse with Prof. Eric Cline:

The Bronze Age Collapse would see a number of Great civilisations disappear from the Aegean and Near east. For thousands of years the events around this period have remained somewhat mysterious. We would hear echoes of this period in the myths and poems told by the Greeks, as well as accounts in biblical texts.

With the onset of archaeological discoveries in the 19th century of our time some of the mystery began to be lifted, seeing these tales having some historical context to them. As the discipline of Archaeology developed more evidence of the late Bronze Age has come to light, helping historians paint more credible theories.

In this episode I talk to Prof. Eric Cline about the discipline of archaeology and his book 1177 BC where he talks about the late Bronze Age world and the Collapse it would suffer. He details the various evidence that has shown itself in the historical record to help us understand what was happing during this world changing period of time.  

Eric H. Cline is Professor of Classics, History, and Anthropology, the former Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and the current Director of the Capitol Archaeological Institute at George Washington University, in Washington DC. A National Geographic Explorer, NEH Public Scholar, Getty Scholar, and Fulbright Scholar with degrees from Dartmouth, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania, he is an active field archaeologist with more than 30 seasons of excavation and survey experience in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Crete, and the United States, including ten seasons at Megiddo (1994-2014), where he served as co-director before retiring from the project in 2014, and another ten seasons at Tel Kabri, where he currently serves as Co-Director. He is the author or editor of 20 books and nearly 100 articles; translations of his books have appeared in nineteen different languages.

Links:

Twitter @digkabri

Author Page on Amazon

Books:

1177 BC: The Year Civilisation Collapsed

Three Ston

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39: Sicily, Conflict & Tyrants

The wave of Greek colonisation taking place in the 8th and 7th centuries wouldn’t be the end of the Greeks seeking to establish new cities. More expeditions would be sent out from the Greek mainland, while the original Greek colonies of Sicily would also start establishing their own colonies. The eastern, southern and northern coasts would be the target for many of these expeditions, with the east seeing the largest concentration of Greeks.

As the colonies on Sicily began to mature and grow, political developments would follow a familiar path as to many of the mother cities. The political figure of the tyrant would emerge, not surprisingly, since most colonies would adopt a similar form of government to what had been in place from their metropolis’.

This ever-increasing growth of Greek colonies would also start to see conflict develop in and around Sicily. The Phoenicians had been present in the region for as long as the Greeks and had been engaging in trade. One of their colonies, Carthage was also now developing into a power in its own right and would take the lead in opposing the Greeks expansions.

By the end of the 6th century Carthage had secured much of its trade interests in the region with them at the head of an alliance including many of the Phoenician colonies of Africa, Sicily and Iberia. Though, the Greeks were firmly established on Sicily and in the region. Political developments would continue to evolve, as well as expansion, and with it, the inevitable conflict as the 6th century turned into the 5th century. 

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Todays book recommendation is, Carthage's Other Wars by Dexter Hoyos

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"Shattering the Myth of Spartan Warrior Supremacy"

The Spartans are one of the most recognisable ancient Greek societies in our modern day. Though, just about no writing from the Spartans themselves survives, everything we know about them comes from outsiders looking in. This has resulted in many Myths and stereotypes to develop over the ages. In this episode, Myke Cole sits down and talks about his latest book, The Bronze Lie, Shattering the myth of Spartan Warrior supremacy, where he peals back the myth and gives the Spartans and their society a human face and story.

Myke Cole has had a colourful and varied career, with service in war and crisis response. Myke’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Daily Beast, The New Republic, and Foreign Policy. He is the author of Legion versus Phalanx: The Epic Struggle for Infantry Supremacy in the Ancient World. Myke is also a popular fantasy and science fiction novelist with several major imprints. He appeared on CBS’ hit TV show Hunted, where he joined a team of elite investigators pursuing fugitives across the southeastern United States, and later starred on Discovery Channel’s Contact alongside fellow Osprey author Dr Michael Livingston. And now Myke has written his second work on history, the Bronze Lie, Shattering the myth of Spartan warrior supremacy.

Links for Myke Cole:

Twitter – @MykeCole

Facebook – Myke Cole

Website – www.mykecole.com

Find Myke’s book here on Amazon

The Bronze Lie

Legion Versus Phalanx

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38: The Greek Periphery, Sicily

The prehistory of Sicily, well before the Greeks arrived is still to this day shrouded in some mystery. We are left with a written tradition from a number of Greek writer but they were writing about a past some thousand years before their time. Modern attempts at understanding this period are even debated, which leaves us with our best guesses based off of what is found in modern research and what the ancients say.

The Island of Sicily west of Greek lands would come into the Greek periphery as the Mediterranean was emerging out of the Dark Ages. Trade would once again begin to flow from the west as it had done during the Bronze Age to the Mycenaeans. Though, with the collapse of the Bronze Age much of this trade would be disrupted as various civilisations went into decline or disappeared completely.

Though, as trade began increasing, more Greek cities would have been setting up their own trading connections at Sicily. Eventually, the various Greek city states would send out expeditions to found colonies on the island. This would provide relief with the over population problem that was beginning to occur in some of the larger cities, while also opening up more markets to the Greek mainland.

The Greeks were not the only people present on Sicily, with it home to three separate indigenous cultures according to the written tradition. Also present was that of the Phoenicians, a civilisation originating in the Levant and the founders of the famous city of Carthage. They were also engaging in trade and establishing their own colonies. All these different peoples would for the most past during the 8th century BC, co-exist peacefully, but as time went on and more colonies emerged, interests would start to be encroached upon.

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Todays book recommendation is, Sicily, A short History from the ancient Greeks to Cosa Nostra

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Herodotus; The Father of Lies.

“Because it is simple and lacking in effort and easily runs over events, has thoroughly deceived many people” (Plutarch, on the Malice of Herodotus)

Plutarch would be but one historian to level criticisms at Herodotus from the ancient past all the way through to our times. Often, we see the common title given to Herodotus, the Father of History turned on its head to, Herodotus, the Father of Lies, due to his willingness to include strange and wonderful tales. 

We will look at a number of aspects that have been used to criticise Herodotus over the ages, with us beginning with the sources he used, were they to be trusted in themselves. As we will discover there is no easy answer to this since Herodotus’ sources would be wide ranging.

Next, we will then turn to the reliability of Herodotus’ reporting of his sources and other various means of collecting information. Once again, we will explore some examples and see the challenge before him with such a diverse range of sources to make sense of subjects.  

Herodotus would also be the target of click bait articles and online forums in our time. Though, we will see often these arguments misrepresent him and miss what Herodotus even tells us in his accounts. We will look at examples involving gold digging ants, Cyclopes’ stealing gold from griffins and the millions of Persians at Thermopylae. 

One thing I tell people to keep in mind when reading Herodotus, Herodotus wasn’t attempting to invent history. This was a title later ascribed to him because of the novel way he was presenting information in his time. Herodotus may well be the father of history, but like a child history would grow and mature over time, becoming what it is today. 

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Todays book recommendation is A Commentary on Herodotus: Vol 1 & Vol 2

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“Herodotus of Halicarnassus here presents his research so that human events do not fade with time. May the great and wonderful deeds – some brought forth by the Hellenes, others by the barbarians – not go unsung; as well as the causes that led them to make war on each other.”

Herodotus, Proem

These are the opening lines from the oldest surviving work of history in the western world and would open so much more than just an account of the Greek and Persian wars.

In this first episode on Herodotus, we will look at who Herodotus was, as much as the known information lets us. We will also turn to looking at what his ambitious work, the Histories would cover. There is so much more than just a historical account, with geography, anthropology, ethnography, folklore and even hints of Philosophy.

His work would be broken up into nine books into the medieval period, each book denoting a scroll that the Histories was originally written on. Within these books would be many digressions that Herodotus would become well known for and where we see many of the elements that would make this so much more than a history come into play.

We also look at the potential sources Herodotus would have used, from written accounts, his enquires and his own observations. We take for granted the process of gathering sources today, but back 2500 years ago there would have been a number of hurdles for someone seeking reason for events in the past.   

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Todays book recommendation is Landmark Herodotus 

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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.

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Todays book recommendation is Persian Fire by Tom Holland 

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In this interview Episode I sit down and chat with the author Mark Adams about his book, "Meet me in Atlantis". We talk about his experiences and what he learnt about Plato's tale of the lost city of Atlantis. He also talks about the many people he met during his research for the book and where he also tells their stories.

MARK ADAMS is the author of the acclaimed history Mr. America, which The Washington Post named a Best Book of 2009, and the bestsellers Tip of the Iceberg, Meet Me in Atlantis and Turn Right at Machu Picchu, which has been named one of the fifty greatest adventure books of all time. His work has appeared in many national publications, including GQ, the New York Times, and Rolling Stone. He has appeared as a guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Howard Stern Show, NPR Weekend Edition and other programs. Recently, two of his articles for Men's Journal were selected by the editors for their list of the magazine's ten best stories of the 2010s. He is currently working on a new book about the Catholic monk Thomas Merton's historic 1968 pilgrimage to study Buddhism in the Himalayas.

www.markadamsbooks.com 

Find Mark Adams' books on Amazon 

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We have now reached the end of the Greco-Persian Wars, but with most of our sources focusing on the Greek experience and perhaps not giving us a completely accurate picture of the Persians. In this episode we are going to delve deeper into Persia’s experience in the Wars, look at their motivations and what led them to, ultimately being unsuccessful. 

To do this I have invited Trevor Culley from the History of Persia Podcast to come on and share his knowledge about the Persians with us, and help us look at the Persian perspective during the Wars.

 Trevor’s personal experience with both Persian history and podcasts began with a college extra credit assignment to listen to the first Hardcore History episode on the Achaemenids. He was instantly enthralled with the stories of the Kings of Kings and coming a little late to the party, started listening to podcasts. On one hand, He started heading down the road toward PhD that will let him study ancient Persia for a living. On the other, as he binged his way through both the History of Rome and early episodes of the History of Byzantium he was always excited for the episodes dealing with the Parthians and Sassanids. Trevor was surprised and disappointed to discover that there was not a similarly dedicated podcast dealing with the great empires east of Rome. This would inspire and motivate him to create the History of Persia Podcast back at the start of 2019.

History of Persia Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Spotify

iTunes

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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. 

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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.   

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Jeff Murray is a pen and ink artist that creates intricate works on canvas inspired by exploration and travel. He resides and has setup a studio in a rural setting in the UK where he can peruse his passion in a peaceful environment.

Many of Jeff's works explore the various cities and continents of the world from a very unique perspective. While he has also been inspired by the natural world, either incorporating these elements into his works or taking them as the subject for the piece.

Recently Jeff has been exploring the ancient world and making this the subject of some of his most recent works. He has been absorbed in the stories of ancient times through works of history, art, myths, podcasts and even video games. From this he has taken what he has learnt and reimagined these times and stories and translated them onto canvas.

In this interview I sit down with Jeff and explore his journey as an artist and then we move onto looking at his Greek and ancient world inspired pieces.

For 10% off Jeff's latest creation, Seven, head to www.jeffmurray.co.uk and apply the coupon code "SEVEN10" when checking out (Valid until the 8th June 2021)

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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.

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For this episode I take a break from our narrative to bring you a collaboration that I had teamed up with Steve from Spartan History Podcast to record. We went into this conversation without any scripts and just a rough plan of what we wanted to cover. 

Steve’s series, Spartan History Podcast, takes a deep dive into the history of the Spartans, beginning back in Mythological times. He is currently in the stages of how the institutions and practices that would define the Spartans were developing. I would encourage everyone to check out his series as I am sure you will learn some elements about the Spartans that I bet you didn’t know about before.

For this episode we begin by talking about ourselves and how we got into the podcasting world. We also look at what drew up towards Ancient Greek history. The conversation then evolved of many different tangents around Greek history, but we would come to focus on three many areas. I would look at the founding of Democracy in Athens with the early stages of its development. Steve then takes us for a closer look at Lycurgus and the question of if he was a historical figure. We then turn to the Greek and Persian War looking at who out of Athens and Sparta had been the most influential in their victory of Persia.

The collaboration has been split over two parts, with this episode being part 1. Part two is hosted on Steve’s show over at Spartan History Podcast. Below are a number of links to help you find his show and his social media pages, though he is easily found on all good podcast platforms.

www.spartanhistorypodcast.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2oYdMfzDbVzJUrddjpFF6e

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/spartan-history-podcast/id1489152895

Twitter: @Spartan_History

Facebook: Spartan History Podcast

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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.   

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The Hellenic league had now arrived in the foothills of the Citheron Mountains, with still more contingents continually arriving throughout the hours and days to come. Pausanias, hastily deployed what forces were currently available down in the foothills where they would be protected to some degree. His mind was focused on forming a strong defensive line, as this had been the advice revealed by the omens.

The Persians had seen an opportunity for a cavalry action with it seeming part of the Greek line was exposed. The first action in the lead up to the battle now took place with the Persian cavalry harassing part of the Greek line. The Athenians would advance to support this part of the line and in the process, they would kill the Persian commander and repulse the cavalry. 

This victory over the Persian cavalry would see the Greeks confidence grow and Pausanias now deployed the line further forward. This, though would open up more opportunities for Mardonius to exploit. Over the coming days without a general battle developing, the Greeks would lose their only feasible supply of fresh waster and to make matters worse their supply lines had been disrupted by the Persian Cavalry. 

With the Greek army now in a precarious position, Pausanias ordered for the line to retreat back to more defensible terrain. Here they would also gain access to fresh water and they would be able to secure their supply lines coming out of the Citheron Mountains. Though, when the retreat began at night things did not go as planned and would put the Greek line in a very vulnerable position as the sun rose.

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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.    

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The Greeks had just won the battle at Salamis but it wasn’t immediately clear the extent of their victory. The Persian fleet had been mauled and now had some breathing room to withdraw back across the Aegean unhindered. The Greeks expecting the Persians to resume the attack the next day, eventually gave chase but to no avail.

Xerxes and his commanders discussed the best way forward, he still had an intact and undefeated army on Greek soil. Though, political considerations and possible trouble brewing back in the Empire would see him withdraw back home. 

The Persians would still continue the campaign without Xerxes present. His most trusted general Mardonius had been left in command of a picked fore to attempt to subjugate the rest of Hellas. The Persians would fall back into Thessaly for the winter and attempt you break Athens away from the Hellenic alliance.

Athens was now concerned at the inaction by the Peloponnesians who had returned to the Peloponnese behind the now near completed wall across the Isthmus. Though, Athens would reject the terms given which would see their city occupied for a second time in a year. They were once again taking refuge on Salamis and now desperate to get the Peloponnesians to march north. 

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An update about what has been happening at Casting Through Ancient Greece. 
Talking about what I have been doing over the last month or two while also discussing the direction of the series.
Big announcements regarding featuring ads into the episodes while also setting up a Patreon page. Supports of Patreon will have access to bonus episodes and more.
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In 2014 the sequel to the movie 300 was release, 300: Rise of an Empire. This time around the film would move away from the Spartans as its primary focus and put the spot light on Athens. Rise of an Empire would all have at the centre of its story the battles of Artemisium and Salamis which were both fought at sea and Artemisium occurring on the days as the battle of Thermopylae. Though how much of what is depicted in the movie is based on historical examples?

I will once again explore the main story line and themes that the film puts across while comparing what the ancient sources tell us about the events taking place over the period. This way we can see what the film has put across with fairly accurate historical context. While also seeing where its creators have stretched the historical record to fit their version of events. And of course, where they have basically written their own version of history.

By the end of the episode, hopefully you should have a pretty good understanding of what in the movie has a good grounding in history according to our ancient sources. Hopefully you have also been following the rest of the series where we have covered much of the events depicted from a historical point of view, helping further understanding the film historicity. So sit back and relax as we cast our way through 300: Rise of an Empire.   

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The Greek fleet had assembled at the island of Salamis, but an agreement on strategy was far from united. To make matters worse, Xerxes had arranged for a show of force outside the straits which saw a few contingents panic and set sail at once. For the rest who remained a decision was made that the fleet would withdraw back to the Peloponnese the next morning.

This would see Athens lost for good and the rest of Greece more vulnerable than ever. Themistocles, though had other ideas and now arranged a ruse, bordering on treason, to try and unite the Greeks to fight at Salamis. He would send a messenger to Xerxes to try and entice him into action before the Greeks had a chance to depart.     

Xerxes would act on the information that Themistocles had sent him, mobilising his entire fleet to try and defeat the Greek navy once and for all. The movements become a little confused but appears that both openings of the striates would be blocked in in one way or another. The Greeks would learn of their dire position, which would now see only one option open to them now, to fight.

The battle of Salamis would see the Greek fleet far outnumbered, but the vast number of the Persians would see this inhibit their movement within the striates. With Xerxes looking on, the commanders aboard the Persian ships would foul themselves on one another as they attempted to get into action to impress their king.

The Greeks would suffer many losses in the long days fighting, but the Persians had suffered far worse and were in full retreat out of the striates. As they fell back yet more carnage would follow as Greek ambushes were launched. The Persian fleet was now a spent force and the Greeks had won the battle of Salamis. Though, the level of their victory was not immediately apparent, also the Persian land forces were yet undefeated and the campaign would continue on.  

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This Episodes recommended podcast is Battlefield command History podcast. Check out Ramsey's series here: https://battlefieldcommandpodcast.com/

The defenders of the last stand at Thermopylae and the Spartan king lay dead, the Persians now in control of the pass. At Artemisium, the Greeks had decided to withdraw from their position due to not being able to sustain the losses they were taking and news of the fall of Thermopylae. The path into central Greece was now open to Xerxes and his forces.

The Persian army would march throughout central Greece adding more cities to their list of subjected peoples. Those cities and villages that continued to resit in the face of the Persian forces were raised to the ground with their people fleeing, killed or captured. Though, some divine intervention would see the Persians being unable to add Delphi to it subjected peoples.

With the news of the Persian advance, Athens had been evacuating its people across to the Island of Salamis. Xerxes would arrive to a mostly deserted Acropolis, laying siege to the few defenders and then capturing the city. He was now in control of the ultimate prize and would now take revenge for the destruction at Sardis the Athenians had been involved in some 20 years earlier. 

Athens now lay in ruins but the Athenians were still a powerful Polis. They still possessed one of the largest fleets in all of Greece. The other members of the Hellenic league were also on Salamis, but much debate was taking place on whether they should depart and make their way to the Peloponnese. The fate of Athens now rested on if the Greeks at Salamis could unite and challenge the Persians there. Themistocles, the Athenian leader would try all he could to make this a reality.   

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The Initial defence plan the Hellenic league put into action saw a land force attempting to block the Persian army’s march into Greece. Though, this was part of a larger plan which also saw a Greek fleet take up a position at Artemisium to block the advance of the Persian navy. Their position was located some 40 miles north east of Thermopylae and would help protect the hoplites in the pass being outflanked by Xerxes armada.

The Greek fleet was commanded by the Spartan, Euryrbiades although they supplied one of the smallest contingents. The majority of the fleet was made up of Athenian vessels, with them being commanded by their cunning leader, Themistocles. Themistocles also comes down through history as a driving force in the fleet’s strategy and would influence the decisions made in the Greek camp. 

Tradition has it that while the fighting was raging in the pass at Thermopylae, the naval action at Artemisium was also unfolding over the same 3 days. The Greeks would use the position at Artemisium to their advantage and look to nullify the Persian’s superiority in numbers. They would also employ cleaver tactics to avoid a decisive action, while the “gods” would also provide some assistance.

The final day at Artemisium would see the Persians attempt to force a full-scale engagement. Both sides would suffer in the action with the Persian fleet receiving the worst of it. The Greeks though, decided they would need to withdraw as they could ill afford the losses taken, the Persians could sustain a battle of attrition. News had also arrived that the Greek position at Thermopylae had fallen. The position had also now become irrelevant, the march into central Greece was now open. 

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In 2006 the movie 300 hit the screens of cinemas across the world depicting a battle that took place nearly 2500 years ago. Though, more accurately it depicts a group of 300 warrior’s involvement in that battle. For most, this would be their first and only exposure to Greek history, leaving them to either take on face value what they saw as basically fact, as it was based on actual events after all. Or, they would assume this was a fictional story with a historical theme, this is Hollywood.  

I explore the main storyline with all of the themes present, where the smaller details can be brought up with more context behind them. I want to be able to show what the film manages to present fairly accurately historically. Or alternatively has presented in its own interpretation with examples in the historical record that can be pointed to. I will also point out some of the fanciful elements and what appears to be inserted for dramatic purposes, but not based on anything from the historical record.

Ultimately, I hope after this episode people can walk away with a better understand of what has been presented and that can be connected to the ancient sources, therefore in line with the historical record. While also recognising what liberties have been made and perhaps why these things are presented or told the way they are. We are not looking to much at what was historical fact but what exists in the historical record that could be drawn upon which will also let us see how the Greeks saw their own history.

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The Greeks had now arrived at the pass of Thermopylae, in all there were some seven thousand Greeks present. They were led by the Spartan King Leonidas at the head of his three hundred strong Spartan force. Their position would be further supported by the combined Greek fleet some 40km away at Artemisium.

Defensive arrangements in the pass were undertaken as Xerxes forces drew closer outside the pass. It was also learnt that a small track in the mountains posed a threat to the Greek position down below in the pass. A sizable force would be detached from the main force and sent up into the mountains to guard this route.

Xerxes would attempt to convince the Greeks to surrender their position, but after four days sitting by idle he would launch the beginning of the battle of Thermopylae. No matter the quality of the troops Xerxes sent against the Greek position they failed to dislodge them from the pass. Even his most vaunted Immortals fared no better than those who went in before them.

Finally the nightmare, Ephalities would inform Xerxes of the existence of the trail in the mountains, betraying the Greek position. Now instead of having to meet the Greeks head on in the narrow pass, his troops could now surround them. Knowing their fate the remaining Greeks fought till the end with a shower of arrows finishing off the resistance in the pass. The final act of the battle seeing the Spartan solider Dienekes’ response realised, “Good, we shall fight in the shade then”

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With Xerxes arranging the full resources of the Persian empire in an invasion against Greece, word would have filtered back to Greece of the preparations. The Greeks would not sit by idle but would now attempt to take measures to see a halt be put to the Persian advance. This time around it wouldn’t just be Athens and Plataeans meeting the Persians on the field of battle.

In the years between Marathon and Xerxes invasion, politics had been continuing in Athens. The new public figure to have risen, Themistocles would see that a policy shifting Athens to a naval power would emerge. This would have huge impact on the coming war and also well into the future.

To have any hope against the force assembled by Xerxes, the Greeks would need to unite in a common cause. This would prove to be a difficult task in a land dominated by fiercely independent city states with their own interests. 

A league would be formed, though with only a fraction of the thousands of city states that dotted the Greek main land and Aegean. This would become to known as the Hellenic league and cooperation within it would rest upon a razors edge. Finally, the league would meet the second Persian invasion for the first time at the pass of Thermopylae and the straights of Artemisium.

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The Athenians and their Plataean allies had effectively put an end to the first Persian invasion at the Bay of Marathon in 490 BC. Athens would continue to emerge as a powerful city state with their confidence after their victory. The Hero of Marathon, Miltiades would fall from favour with a new figure coming to dominate the political landscape for a number of years to come.

Back in the Persian Empire the defeat at Marathon would not be a disaster but would still be an annoyance to Darius. Though, before further action could be taken against the Greeks Persia had problems within their own Empire that had to be resolved, with two important regions attempting to revolt, Egypt and Babylon.  

Once the empire had been stabilised preparations began to attempt a second invasion of Greece. A new king would lead this invasion as Darius had died of an illness before he could see the plans through. Xerxes was Darius’ son and would lead the forces against Greece unlike his father who had remained in Persia during the first invasion.

The army Xerxes assembled was larger than anything that had come before it in the ancient world. This time around there would be no doubt that the conquest of Greece was the main objective. Great feats of engineering would also be undertaken to assist in the march of this colossal force. To put a stop to the invasion this time around the fiercely independent Greek city states would need to unite against this common enemy. 

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The Persian forces had landed at Marathon Bay unopposed and had set up camp. The Athenians and Plataeans had now arrived at Marathon to challenge the Persians invasion. A stand off had ensured with both sides not taking the initiative, the Athenians debating wether to even fight at the Bay.

Eventually, Miltiades would convince his fellow Athenian commanders to give battle. With a rousing speech that would bring Callimachus round to the merits in his arguments. The Greeks were outnumbered and made arrangement to match the Persian line. This though, would provide a weak point for the Persians to exploit.

The Greek phalanxes crashed all along the Persian line, engaging in a manner, we are told, like never before, cover the distance at a run. It is still debated today what caused the Greeks to all of a sudden to act this day. The Persians would exploit the weak point in the Greek line but this early success would turn out to be a disaster. The Persians now were in a panic making their way back to their ships with the Greeks in toe, the carnage on the shore line would have been horrific.

Tradition would have it that news of the Persian rout would make its back to Athens by the first Marathon run by Pheidippides. The Persian were able to embark the survivors of the battle and now made their way to attempt a direct attack on Athens. Though as they came into view, they could see the Athenian force prepared to give battle once again. They had travelled back to Athens from Marathon bay well aware the acropolis had been left undefended. This would effectively see the end of the first Persian Invasion, but the Persians would be back.    

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With the region of Ionian in the Persian Empire back under control, Darius could now turn to other business. He had reportedly, after learning of the Athenian involvement in the revolt, had one of his servants repeat to him three times “Master, remember the Athenians” whenever he sat down to a meal. Remember the Athenians, and the others who had also dared assist the Ionians, he would.

An initial campaign was sent north into Thrace which also had a navy shadowing the land forces as they marched following the coast line. This campaign would ultimately run into disastrous problems causing the commander to return into the empire. The naval force would be destroyed, not by the Greeks but by a storm that whipped up as the fleet rounded the notorious Mt Athos. While, the land forces would encounter unexpected resistance from the Thracians who would also wound the Persian commander, Mardonious.

The second campaign would see a fleet assembled which would transport the Persian land forces across the Aegean in what would amount to an Island-hopping campaign. Along the way Persian policy towards those willing to submit and those who would resist were on full display, acting as an example to those yet to encounter the armada.

Accompanying the Persian fleet was the old exiled Tyrant of Athens, Hippias with the expectation that he would be re-established as the leader in Athens, answerable to Darius of course. Before landing in Attica the Persians first laid waste to another polis who had accompanied Athens during the revolt, Eretria. Once revenge had been taken against them the fleet now made its way to a bay along the Attic coast known as Marathon Bay. 

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We now arrive on the eve of the Greek and Persian wars. The Greek colonies of Ionian had traded one ruler for another and were now part of the Persian Empire. Their lack of freedom and rising taxes would see discontent grow. With some help from ambitious leaders, Ionia and surrounding regions would rise up in revolt.

The Ionians would seek help from their cousins back on the Greek mainland to assist in their plight. Only two city states, Athens and Eretria would answer the call with limited help, but it was enough for Darius to shift his gaze west.  

The ultimate goal of the rebels was to march onto Susa, one of the Persian capitals. But the campaign would be short lived with the Greek force being foiled at the first major city. Sardis. The Persian forces were able to force the battle of Ephesus and the Greeks were routed, with the Athenians and Eritreans returning home and taking no more part in the revolt.

The Persians now began systematically re subjugating the various regions along the Anatolian coast line in a series of campaigns lasting another 4 years. Eventually the revolt would be effectively defeated at the naval battle of Lade. Now though, with the prelude to the Greek and Persian wars over the Persian Empire would now begin preparations to move against the lands of Greece.

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The Casting Through Ancient Greece podcast is now moving into the Greek and Persian war period. We have spent the past 13 episodes looking at how things were developing in Greece that will help give us a better understanding of the periods moving forward.

This episode I talk about my experiences since starting the podcast, as well as the support I have received from other podcasts out there.

We spend the first part of the show going back and summarising the topics and themes we have spoken about over the past 13 episodes. Going all the way back to the first signs of human habitation in the Greece, all the way through to the last series of episodes where we looked at the development of 3 of our major players moving forward. Hopefully this helps with refreshing everyone’s memory of everything covered so far.

The last part of the episode I spend answering questions sent in by listeners ranging from topical questions to general show questions.

Stay tuned as we now move into the Greek and Persian wars.  

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With the founder, Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire now dead, power transitioned to his son Cambyses. The transition was relatively smooth and the empire remained stable and it was business as usual. Cambyses would lead a campaign and conquer Egypt but this is where his rule took a turn for the worse and the crisis shook the Persian court.

Cambyses reputation in the historical record suffered at the hands of the Egyptian priestly cast, who he was not popular with. Reports of an attempted coup from his brother or a conspiracy from the Magi, the Persian Priests, work their way into the account. Though, Cambyses would die on his way home when attempting to deal with the crisis.

Power now lay with a pretender and would so for the next seven months. Another conspiracy now developed with a band of nobles who sought to bring the Empire back under the rightful ruling line. The nobles would over throw the Magi controlling power leaving the job of ruling the empire coming down to one of them. Darius would be successful in being elevated to the title of King of Persia and was at pains to show his connection to the old ruling line.

Stability would return to the Empire after Darius dealt with the revoting regions of the empire. Once having full control of power Darius continue with the business of empire and expanded the territories even more. It would be in his rule that the Greek and Persian worlds would directly collide with the onset of the Greo-Persian wars, the Ionian revolt lighting the spark.   

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Now that we have seen the development of Sparta and Athens, two of our main players for the upcoming Greco-Persian Wars period, we need to look at a third. This time it is not a Greek city state, but an empire east across the Aegean Sea. This was the Persian Empire and would come to influence Greek affairs for centuries to come.

The main empire the Greeks had contact with in the Near East during the Achcahic period was that of the Lydian Empire who controlled most of Anatolia. In the late 6th century, the Lydian’s had brought the Ionian Greek cities dotted all along the Anatolian coast into their control. Though, as powerful and wealthy as the Lydians were a great threat appeared on their eastern boarder.

This threat was in the shape of the new power of Persia, who only a handful of years earlier was one of a number of Iranian groups occupying the Zagros Mountains. Events around them would see this relatively small group of peoples coming to dominate their region, before then expanding and creating the Persian Empire, which Lydia would become apart of.   

The founder of the Persian empire would become to be known as Cyrus the Great and like most founders there were traditional tales to explain his background and rise to greatness. In just his life time Cyrus would go onto create the largest empire the world had yet known, bringing the Greek world into direct contact with them. 

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Reforms had been but in place now from some important figures such as Draco and Solon. Though, they would not be enough to see democracy emerge and take hold just yet. The political front in Athens at this stage was looking very unstable with periods of anarchy, almost leading to civil war breaking out. This would see the type of leader emerge that had threatened to earlier, the tyrant. 

Factions were now forming around the geographical areas of Attica which fell roughly in line with the different demographics of the regions. From one of these factions emerged a leader who would become the first successful tyrant to take power in Athens. Though, it would take three attempts to successfully remain in power. Peisistratus would be Athens’ first tyrant, but not in a despotic sense, his rule would be seen move favourable than the previous leaders.

Once Peisistratus’ rule came to a natural end, his sons would take control seamlessly continuing the tyranny. After a long period of stability in Athens, assassination would see the tyranny take on a darker side. The surviving son, Hippias would become the despotic ruler we all now associate with the word tyrant today. Eventually Hippias would be removed with some outside help from Sparta.

Faction fighting would continue to plague Athens, though another leader, Cleisthenes would emerge. Under his leadership Athens would see many institutions and ideas further evolve and develop that would at the heart of a democratic system. Democracy as a political system was now rising in Athens.

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What started out as a small settlement atop a rocky outcrop over 5000 years ago would develop into the most recognisable symbol of democracy and culture. Athens would Survive relatively intact after the Bronze Age collapse, events during the Dark and Archaic Age setting them on a trajectory towards democracy. Some early figures such as Draco and Solon would be looked back to as founding many of the changes leading to this new innovation of politics in Athens.  

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The Institutions that would develop in Sparta are what made this Greek city state standout, even in modern times. Their interactions with their neighbours would help drive how these systems would take shape. Leading to one of the most militarised cities within Greece, the ancients not only fascinated by them but some even admiring them. 

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Developing and coming out of the Dark Ages, would be one of the most recognisable city states. Sparta would come into existence from the union of surrounding villages and the conquering of nearby regions. What would develop there, would be a unique social and political system, far different to the rest of the Greek world.

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The Greek world now emerges out of the shadows of the dark ages, with the region experiencing a re-birth. What comes into being will be different to the ages that came before, although their memory would not be forgotten. Society will develop with new advances that will continue to be refined for centuries to come.

** Episode correction **
I give the foundation of the Olympics as 778 BC, though the traditional date given is 776 BC (This is what I had my script, so not sure where the 778 came from)

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The collapse of the Bronze Age world saw darkness descend onto the Greek world. The great palaces of the Mycenaeans lay in ruins. A period of regression and depopulation makes itself known in the Archaeological record. Though, over time progress can also be seen, which would lead the Greek world out of this period and back into the light.

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This time around the Myceneans would disappear into history with the rest of the Bronze Age world. This collapse would not only affect the Myceneans but also the rest of the Bronze Age world around the Mediterranean. Many reasons can be found to try an explain this sudden fall of civilisations but none can explain why this collapse took place on their own. 

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In this episode we will look at our second Bronze Age Civilisation, the Mycenaeans. They would supplant the Minoans in the Aegean to become the dominant civilisation, there and on the Greek mainland. Many of the Greek stories in Mythology and epic poetry can be seen to look back into the period of time the Mycenaeans occupied.

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This episode deals with our first Bronze Age civilisation, the Minoans, who are recognised as one of the earliest to develop in the Aegean and Europe. Centred on Crete they would endure and recover from a number of natural disasters before fading into history as another civilisation was rising. 

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In this episode we will be looking at the beginning of the Bronze age in Greece, as well as the rediscovery of two civilisations from this time. Bronze, as well as other developments would see communities develop into more complex societies. Two great civilisations would rise and occupy this period in the Aegean which would be re-discovered only in modern times allowing us to link the past with the tales told by the ancient poets.

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This is where we set the stage for our story of Ancient Greece. We look at the land of Greece and what seems to have been taking place there in the pre-history. We look at migrations of humans and the ideas and technology that that developed over time. We then finish off looking at one of the most common ways items were dated when looking this far back.

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An Introduction to the series, Casting through Ancient Greece, looking at my motivations, the topic of Ancient Greece and the structure of the series. We also look at the different types of sources and go into a little more detail on some of the ancient authors. 

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