Ancient Greece Declassified

Latest Episodes:

57 The Life of Plato w/ Robin Waterfield Dec 31, 2024

Show notes

Even after thousands of years of supposed progress in philosophy, there are still some who maintain that the entire history of western philosophy consists of footnotes to Plato. But who was Plato the man? If there is anyone who can answer that question, it's our guest in this episode. Robin Waterfield is a renowned scholar of antiquity who has written the first ever full biography of the ancient philosopher in English. Check out the book here.

Contents of the episode, with timestamps:

[04:10] Plato's early life

[06:46] Relationship to Socrates

[12:27] Philosophical method

[14:53] Theory of Forms

[18:27] How Plato became famous

[23:42] Sophists VS Philosophers

[31:55] Founding the Academy

[35:25] Relationship to Aristotle

[47:07] Political intrigues in Sicily

[48:51] Disilusionment and later works

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Or make a one-time donation: paypal.me/greecepodcast

56 The Man Who Defeated the Persian Empire (Themistocles and the Persian Wars, Part 2) Nov 26, 2024

Show notes

In 480BC the Persian Empire invaded Greece with the largest military force the world had ever seen. Meanwhile in Athens, a man named Themistocles had spent the last ten years preparing for this moment. He had come up with a plan to defeat Persia, but it would require a mix of strategy, intrigue, deception, and plain old good luck...

Contents of the episode, with timestamps:

[05:45] How to Win Friends and Influence People

[13:10] The Mines of Laurion

[19:30] Athens VS Aegina

[25:10] Battle of Thermopylae

[32:00] Battle of Artemisium

[40:10] The Wooden Wall

[49:55] The Battle of Salamis

[53:30] Conclusion

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Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast

Or make a one-time donation: paypal.me/greecepodcast

55 Fire in the Cradle of Democracy (The Persian Wars, Part 1) Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

The three decades from 508-478BC were possibly the most consequential in all of ancient history. In this episode and the next, we tell the story of the Greco-Persian Wars through the eyes of Themistocles, the Athenian mastermind who guided the Greeks to victory.

Contents of the episode, with timestamps:

[04:50] Themistocles' Childhood and the Athenian Revolution

[10:40] Democracy's Early Challenges

[16:10] The Demagogue

[26:35] The Ionian Revolt

[31:25] Marathon

[43:05] "Rejoice! We Are Victorious!"

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Find out more about the upcoming AGD "Persian Wars" Tour in Greece: greecepodcast.com/tour4

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Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast

Or make a one-time donation: paypal.me/greecepodcast

AGD "Persian Wars" Tour in Greece! Jan. 3-11, 2025 Sep 07, 2024

Show notes

AGD is going back to Greece this January 3-11 for another epic adventure! This time we'll be exploring the Persian Wars and the profound effect they had on Greek civilization. We will visit all the major focal points of the Greco-Persian showdown (Marathon, the Acropolis, Eretria, Salamis, Thermopylae, Plataea, and Delphi) as well as a wide variety of other fascinating historical sites.

Check out our highlight reel from the first tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g-w7u6aQz0

To reserve your spot, email us at greecepodcast@gmail.com

For the itinerary visit https://greecepodcast.com/tour4

54 Were the Spartans Proto-Fascist Losers? w/ Bret Devereaux Jan 01, 2024

Show notes

Bret Devereux is a military historian at North Carolina State University and author of the recent viral article "Spartans Were Losers: The US Military's Admiration of a Proto-Fascist City-State is Based on Bad History." He joins us to explain why he thinks that the traditional image of Sparta as an egalitarian society of warrior badasses is a lie. You can find his blog, where he writes extensively on Sparta, here: https://acoup.blog/2019/08/16/collections-this-isnt-sparta-part-i-spartan-school/

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This episode is available in video format on the Lantern Jack YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/VngbinpNGIE

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Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast

Or make a one-time donation: paypal.me/greecepodcast

53 Why Platonism and Stoicism Are Going Viral w/ John Vervaeke Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

As our world becomes increasingly hi-tech, more and more people have been turning to ancient wisdom traditions in search of meaning. There are two schools of ancient philosophy in particular that have seen a meteoric revival in recent years: Platonism and Stoicism. Cognitive scientist John Vervaeke joins us to explore why this is happening.

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Join the upcoming AGD Tour in Greece: greecepodcast.com/tour

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Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast

Or make a one-time donation: paypal.me/greecepodcast

"Enemies of Athens" Tour Announcement Oct. 11-19, 2023 Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

AGD is going back to Greece this fall (Oct. 11-19) for another epic adventure! This time we'll be exploring areas that in ancient times lay in the shadow of – or in direct conflict with – the Athenian hegemony.

Check out our video from the first tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g-w7u6aQz0

To reserve your spot, email us at greecepodcast@gmail.com

For the itinerary visit https://greecepodcast.com/tour

52 A New Theory of Democracy's Origins (It Wasn't Greece) w/ David Stasavage Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

This time we're taking a little break from Greece to explore the broader history of democracy. Was democracy really a Greek invention? Historian David Stasavage, author of The Decline and Rise of Democracy, thinks it was not. And in today's episode he explains why.

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Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast

Or make a one-time donation: paypal.me/greecepodcast

51 Anacyclosis – Polybius' Grand Unified Theory of History Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

Polybius' theory of anacyclosis is the most sophisticated theory of political (r)evolution to have emerged from ancient Greek and Roman political thought.

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To watch the highlight real from the last AGD tour in Greece, click here.

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To read the passage in Polybius where he discusses anacyclosis click here.

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If you'd like to read more about the theory of anacyclosis, I've written a few blogs on the subject:

Anacyclosis, Act 1: From Monarchy to Tyranny

Anacyclosis, Act 2: The Rise of Republics

Anacyclosis, Act 3: The Rise and Fall of Democracy

Announcing the "Mountains and Oracles" Tour in Greece! Jan. 3-11 Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

AGD is going back to Greece this winter (Jan. 3-11) for an epic tour of Greece's northern regions, focusing on mountains and oracles. For more information or to reserve your spot, email us at greecepodcast@gmail.com

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