Send us Fan Mail

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 Emmons guides you through Polycrates’ rise to power, his accomplishments as tyrant, and his inevitable downfall.

For images illustrating parts of this podcast, check out Episode 25 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Reading Suggestions:

Herodotus, Histories 3.39-47; 3.122-125
Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 1.13.6
Oswyn Murray, Early Greece
Anthony Snodgrass, Archaic Greece: The Age of Experiment
Robin Osborne, Greece in the Making 1200-479 BC

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

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 initiative that contributed to Sparta’s growing power.

For maps and other helpful visuals, check out Episode 25 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Reading Suggestions

Herodotus, Histories 1.66-68; 1.82

Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.47

Paul Cartledge, Sparta and Laconia

Nigel M. Kennell, Spartans: A New History

Robin Osborne, Greece in the Making 1200-479 BC

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

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 supplemental visuals for this episode are available at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Reading Suggestions:

Aristotle, Poetics 1449a

Albin Lesky, A History of Greek Literature pp. 223-229

John J. Winkler and Froma I. Zeitlin, eds., Nothing to Do with Dionysos? Athenian Drama in its Social Context

Carnes Lord, “Aristotle’s History of Poetry,” Transactions of the American Philological Association vol. 104 (1974) pp. 195-229 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2936090)

Support the show