The great conflict that we know today as the Greco-Persian Wars between a few independent city-states of ancient Greece and mighty Achaemenid Persian Empire is, in my opinion, one of the most fascinating and consequential in all of history. More than just battles for territory and glory - they were clashes of culture, ideology, and power between East and West. The war saw legendary figures such as Leonides, The Great King Xerxes, Themistocles, Darius the Great, Miltiades, Mardonius, Artemisia, Kleomenes, and countless others in action. Since most accounts of the conflict available to us come from Greek and Roman historians and writers of antiquity such as Herodotus, Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus, Aeschylus, the traveler Pausanias, Justin and others, our modern perspective is often shaped by their portrayal of a struggle between the freedom-loving Greeks and the tyrannical rulers of Achaemenid Persia—a narrative further popularized by films like 300. However, as we will explore, the reality was far more complex.

Drawing on historical sources and the latest archaeological research, this series will explore everything from the causes of the conflict to its key figures, the various phases of the war, and its aftermath.

This is the first of a series of 5 or 6 podcasts that will be released over the next few months. Stay tuned for future episodes.

Contents:

00:00 Rise of Cyrus the Great and the Persian Achaemenid Empire
05:27 Ionians and Greeks in the Persian Empire
14:29 A bit about Herodotus
16:49 Trouble in Athens
23:52 Earth and Water
28:04 Sparta (almost) Attacks!
36:25 Aristagoras' Plan
44:21 The Ionian Revolt
49:10 The Battle of Lade
50:09 Aftermath
57:10 Thank You and Patrons

Special thanks to Farya Faraji for the following musical compositions featured throughout the program:

"Spantodhata's Warning"
"To Phrygia"
"In Pythagoras' Mind"
"The Apadana's Shadows"
"Immortals"
"Mater"
"In Sappho's Mind"
"Spring in Persepolis"
"Aíma"
"Apranik's Charge"
"March of Achaemenes"
"Hyrcanian Lullaby"

Check out more of his work that spans across many countries, cultures and time periods:
https://www.youtube.com/@faryafaraji

You can also find them on the albums:

*Songs of Old Iran Vols. I & II*
*Voices of the Ancients Vols. I & II*

Additional Music:

Epidemic Sound

"Genie's Bane"
"Interstate 895"
"One with the Tribe"
"Pepper Seeds"
"Keeping up with the Tarahumaras"
"Blood in Water"
"The Golden Spiral"
"The Sewers"
"Deer Hunt"
"Zero Remorse"

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