Epic Greek History

The battle of Marathon was the first great confrontation between mainland Greeks and Persian forces. The Athenian victory over a numerically superior force gave the citizens a heightened confidence that carried them through the next Persian invasion and fueled their cultural achievements of the 5th century BCE. In this episode, host Scott Emmons guides you through the events leading up to this climactic battle. For maps an other visuals illustrating this topic, check out Episode 32 at www.e...

The Roman orator Cicero dubbed Herodotus the “father of history.” 19th-century skeptics called him the “father of lies.” Since antiquity, scholars have debated Herodotus’ reliability, his methods, and his sincerity. In this episode, host Scott Emmons examines the life and work of the author who, for better or for worse, is our chief literary source for early Greek history. For visuals supplementing this episode, check out Episode 31 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com. Suggested Read...

In 499 BCE, Aristagoras of Miletus led the Ionian Greek cities in a revolt against the Persian Empire. Athens sent a force of 20 ships to support her allies. As Herodotus puts it, “These ships were the beginning of evils for both the Greeks and the barbarians.” In this episode, host Scott Emmons guides you through the five-year revolt, which brought Persia and Greece closer to the great confrontations of the following two decades. For visuals illustrating aspects of this episode, ...

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After the death of Cyrus in 530 BCE, the Persian Empire continued to expand. His successor Cambyses II subdued Egypt and neighboring territories. Darius I, whose claim to the throne may have rested on a massive cover-up, reorganized the empire and introduced Persian coinage. His wars of conquest included the notorious Scythian expedition, which resulted in the annexation of Thracian territory in eastern Europe. That operation involved Ionian Greeks who would go on to play major roles in the s...

No historical event loomed larger in the minds of the ancient Greeks than their successful defense against the vast military might of the Persian Empire. Who were these Persians, and how did they come to dominate the Near East? Over the next two episodes, host Scott Emmons traces the growth of Persian power up to the years just preceding the invasions of mainland Greece. For visuals illustrating aspects of this episode, check out Episode 28 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com. Readin...

Cleomenes I of Sparta has been called the most powerful Greek of the 6th century BCE. His reign included a major military victory over Argos, repeated attempts to meddle in Athenian politics, and a legendary feud with his co-king Demaratus. In this episode, host Scott Emmons takes you through the life of this larger-than-life figure from Spartan history. Suggested Reading: Herodotus, Histories 5.39-42, 64-65, 70-75, 90-91; 6.49-51, 61-84 Paul Cartledge, Sparta and Lakonia Nigel M...

After the expulsion of the tyrant Hippias, two prominent citizens were foremost in the competition for power. Isagoras was a conservative aristocrat who favored a narrow oligarchy. Cleisthenes, although a member of the blue-blooded Alcmaeonid clan, drew support from the people by proposing radical democratic reforms. In this episode, host Scott Emmons narrates the birth of the Athenian democracy, which soon had to defend itself against threats from within Athens and from anti-democratic Spart...

The tyrant Polycrates of Samos impressed classical authors by building the first naval empire in the Aegean since the legendary king Minos of Crete. He dominated island cities, employed his navy for piracy, dedicated an island to Delian Apollo, and forged a strong alliance with the Egyptian pharaoh Amasis II in the face of growing Persian power. The unraveling of that alliance gives us one of the classic Greek cautionary tales on the fragility of human glory. In this episode, host Scott Emmon...

While Athens was transforming itself under the lawgiver Solon and the tyrant Pisistratus, Sparta was busy extending its influence in the Peloponnese. What began as an attempt to conquer and enslave the Arcadian city of Tegea evolved into a policy of expansion through alliances. The result was the Peloponnesian League, which would play a crucial role in the conflicts of the following century. In this episode, host Scott Emmons guides you through the military victories and a bold religious init...

The Athenian tyrant Pisistratus centralized the Attic worship of Dionysus with an elaborate new festival. The Great Dionysia went on to become the city’s main dramatic festival, where later giants like Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides would compete for top honors. In this episode, host Scott Emmons explores the obscure origins of tragedy and the role of the legendary Thespis in creating Greek drama. There are few if any confirmed depictions of Thespis in ancient Greek art, but supplem...

Despite the best efforts of the lawgiver Solon, political upheaval continued in Athens. A strongman named Pisistratus, after twice seizing power and losing it, ultimately established an autocratic regime that lasted over 35 years. During that time, he and his successors improved city infrastructure, strengthened Athenian control over Attica, created lasting cultural institutions, and introduced policies that paved the way for a more democratic system. In this episode, host Scott Emmons guides...

While the Athenians were setting up a new constitution under Solon, the Milesians across the Aegean were busy inventing philosophy. Perhaps not philosophy as we usually think of it, but a search for rational principles to explain the natural world. In this episode, host Scott Emmons guides you through the bold — and sometimes bizarre — theories advanced by three philosophical pioneers: Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes. For a few visuals to illustrate this episode, check out Episode 2...

At the start of the 6th century BCE, Athens had only recently escaped a tyranny. Draco's published law code made the law accessible to more people but did nothing to alleviate the crushing debt that afflicted the poor. As Aristotle puts it, the poor were slaves of the rich. To forestall the rise of a tyranny, the Athenians gave an exceptionally adept nobleman named Solon full powers to solve the economic crisis and reorganize the state. In this episode, host Scott Emmons examines the causes o...

Modern labels like “straight” and “gay” don’t map neatly onto ancient Greek culture. While same-sex relationships were considered normal and even expected, there were still taboos and rules of proper behavior. In this episode, host Scott Emmons explores the courtship rituals and sexual practices that characterized the most accepted forms of Greek homosexuality. Attention: This episode contains explicit descriptions of sex acts. Listener discretion is advised. For visuals illustrating aspects ...

Imagine a state where no citizen works for a living; where children are kept hungry to encourage them to steal; where the most powerful military force in the known world is reluctant to fight far from the city for fear of a slave revolt at home. Such a place was ancient Sparta. In this episode, host Scott Emmons traces the legendary origins of the Spartan state, the wars that shaped its military tradition, the educational system that trained its citizen soldiers, and the unique “mixed” consti...

No one was writing history in Greece during the 7th and 6th centuries BCE. But that doesn't mean we have no voices speaking to us from that time. Fragments of works by early Greek poets can provide real-time commentary on the social and political upheaval of their times. In this episode, host Scott Emmons observes the struggles of the early polis through the eyes of two aristocratic poets, Theognis of Megara and Alcaeus of Mytilene. For maps and images, check out Episode 17 at epicgreekhistor...

In modern English, a “tyrant” is someone who rules oppressively. To the ancient Greeks, the word tyrannoscould just refer to a king, but more specifically it meant an autocrat who had come to power by overthrowing an existing regime. The 7th and 6th centuries BCE saw the rise of many Greek tyrants who capitalized on class tensions and other forces to gain absolute power. In this episode, host Scott Emmons explores this important phase of Greek history, focusing on powerful tyrannies in Argos,...

The hoplite infantry was the backbone of a Greek city-state's land army. But hoplites weren't the only ones who served. Those who couldn't afford hoplite armor served as light infantry, hurling javelins, shooting arrows, or even throwing rocks if that was all they had. Those who were wealthy enough to keep horses could serve in the cavalry. In this episode, host Scott Emmons explores the contributions of non-hoplite warriors as well as mercenaries, who could reinforce any army division. ...

The polis was the defining sociopolitical system of ancient Greece. It was the environment where Greek drama, architecture, philosophy, and other cultural developments reached their peak. In this episode, host Scott Emmons explores the beginnings of the polis, military developments that helped shape it, and the values that it espoused, even if it didn't always uphold them. For images associated with this episode, check out Episode 14 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com Reading Suggestions:...

In Greek myth, Delphi was the literal center of the world. In real-world religious practice, it lived up to its reputation. People came from all over the Greek world — and even outside it — to seek Apollo’s guidance in matters both personal and political. In this episode, host Scott Emmons discusses the mythical origins of the Delphic oracle, the mystery of the Pythia’s inspiration, the riddling nature of oracular responses, and the importance of Delphi in the power struggles between Greek st...

Ancient Greece was defined by its culture, not by its borders. Starting in the 8th century BCE, Greeks planted settlements in southern Italy and Sicily — so many that the area came to be known as Magna Graecia, "Great Greece." Hellenic settlements soon spread to other parts of the Mediterranean and also to the northeast, even surrounding the Black Sea. This episode takes you on a whirlwind tour of Greek settlements, then focuses in on Cyrene, a thoroughly Greek city located in North Africa. F...

The Lelantine War between Khalkis and Eretria was the first major historical conflict that drew in combatants from around the Greek world. And yet, we know next to nothing about it. Ancient historians and other authors mention it in passing, but they don’t tell us exactly when it happened, how long it lasted, or even who won. While it’s possible to reconstruct a rough outline from ancient sources, some scholars maintain that the war may never have taken place at all. The Lelantine War can giv...

In ancient Greece, freedom was something to be cherished — in part because its opposite was an ever-present part of Greek life. Slaves worked as farmhands, domestic servants, skilled craftsmen, miners, prostitutes, and more. While some lived almost as independently as free wage workers and could even aspire to purchase their freedom, others were condemned to a life of hard labor under the harshest conditions. In this episode, host Scott Emmons provides and introduction to Greek slavery and th...

The 8th century BCE brought big changes to Greece, including an increase in population and a dramatic upswing in economic activity. Many of the defining features of Greek civilization began to take shape. Monumental temples appeared. The Olympic Games began, inspiring a sense of a common Greek identity. Perhaps most importantly, the Greeks adapted a Phoenician alphabet and produced the writing system through which we can experience all of ancient Greek literature, history, philosophy, and sci...

Any student of Greek history will occasionally come across a Greek word or name that's hard to pronounce. In this episode, host Scott Emmons offers a few pointers — but only after exploring the more interesting question of how we know what classical Greek sounded like. We know a lot more about it than you might think! For a few accompanying visuals, check out Episode 8 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com Reading suggestion: Vox Graeca by W. Sidney Allen Support the show

The Early Iron Age in Greece has traditionally been called a dark age, both because of the economic decline after the fall of the Mycenaean palaces and because the archaeological evidence is less abundant for this period. The picture is still far from clear, but archaeology continues to turn up more information. In this episode, host Scott Emmons draws on ancient legends, archaeological evidence, and the Homeric epics to shine some light on this puzzling yet fascinating early phase in Greek h...

If you were asked to name a book that was foundational to your nation’s literature and culture, what would it be? For the ancient Greeks, there would have been no question — Homer was the king. In this short episode, host Scott Emmons explores Homer's enormous and long-lasting influence on both Greek and Roman culture. For accompanying photos, check out Episode 6 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com Support the show

The discoveries of Troy and Mycenaean Greece in the 19th century led to a shift in attitudes toward Ancient Greek legends. If archaeology showed that Troy had existed, was it possible that the Trojan War saga had its basis in historical fact? In this episode, Scott Emmons sifts through clues from the Homeric epics, excavations at Troy, and ancient Hittite documents to explore a question that has fascinated both scholars and amateurs for generations. For photos and other commentary, check out ...

The decipherment of the Linear B tablets from Knossos and Pylos revolutionized our understanding of the Mycenaean world. But how did a small group of dedicated Greek scholars arrive at the solution? This episode recounts the painstaking process that ultimately led to the paradigm-shifting conclusion that Linear B was an early form of Greek. For samples of the writing system and a link to an interactive site where you can try your hand at constructing words in Linear B characters, check out Ep...

Centuries before the Parthenon, Greek drama, and the Olympic Games, a highly developed Bronze Age culture evolved in Greece. This was the Mycenaean civilization, where warrior kings ruled from great palaces that dominated the surrounding territories. But the Mycenaeans drew heavily from the early Minoan culture on the island of Crete. In this episode you'll learn about the legendary excavation of the Minoan palace at Knossos, the powerful influence of Minoan culture in the Aegean, and how the...

Every now and then, the story of a discovery is as compelling as the thing discovered. One such story is the discovery of Bronze Age Troy and Mycenae by an eccentric German businessman turned archaeologist named Heinrich Schliemann. At a time when most scholars thought the Homeric epics were nothing more than myth and legend, Schliemann proved that they looked back on an age of great palaces and powerful warrior kings. This episode follows Schliemann from his humble beginnings to his fame as ...

Welcome to the first episode of Epic Greek History! In this introduction, amateur historian Scott Emmons lays out his vision for this podcast. Taking inspiration from two of his favorite history podcasts, he'll focus on the human experience in a way that he hopes will bring ancient Greece to life. His guiding principle will be a short quote by historian Neville Morley: "History is a kind of story." See the Substack companion to this podcast at epicgreekhistory.substack.com Support the show