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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

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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

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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)

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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 you through the rise and fall of the fascinating period known as the Pisistratid tyranny.

For images illustrating aspects of this episode, check out Episode 22 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Reading Suggestions

Herodotus, Histories 1.59-64, 5.62-65

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.20, 3.104, 6.54

Aristotle, Constitution of Athens, chapters 14-19

A. Andrewes, The Greek Tyrants

Victor Ehrenberg, From Solon to Socrates

Robin Osborne, Greece in the Making: 1200-479 BC

Anthony Snodgrass, Archaic Greece: The Age of Experiment

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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 22 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Suggested Readings:

G.S. Kirk and J.E. Raven, The Presocratic Philosophers: A Critical History with a Selection of Texts

Jonathan Barnes, Early Greek Philosophy (Penguin Classics)

James Warren, Presocratics: Natural Philosophers Before Socrates

Edward Hussey, The Presocratics

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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 of the crisis and the policies intended to address it, often in Solon's own words.

For a few accompanying visuals, check out Episode 20 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Reading Suggestions:

Aristotle, The Constitution of Athens, chapters 1-13

Plutarch, Life of Solon

Victor Ehrenberg, From Solon to Socrates

Robin Osborne, Greece in the Making, 1200-470 BC

Anthony Snodgrass, Archaic Greece: The Age of Experiment

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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 of this episode, check out Episode 19 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Reading Suggestions:

Greek Homosexuality by K.J. Dover

The Greeks and Greek Love by James Davidson

One Hundred Years of Homosexuality by David M. Halperin (collection of essays)

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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” constitution that drew the admiration of historians and philosophers.

For maps and visuals to supplement this episode, check out Episode 18 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Reading Suggestions

Xenophon, Constitution of the Spartans

Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus, Spartan Customs, and Sayings of Spartan Women

Aristotle, Politics (relevant passages)

Paul Cartledge, Sparta and Laconia

Nigel M. Kennel, Spartans: A New History

Sara B. Pomeroy, Spartan Women

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