Thermopylae. The title is synonymous with a bygone age of glory, bravery and defiance. It is an event entirely pivotal to the Spartan story and indeed, of this podcast as well. The events at the hot gates were one of the few natural places a chronological history of the Spartans would assuredly cover. It would be fair to say I dragged it out for as long as possible, well we are here now. I'm joined by Professor Paul Cartledge who is without a doubt the greatest living expert on Sparta, there could be no one more fitting to discuss this topic with. With his customary eloquence, breathtaking kn ..read more

In the third installment of my Greco-Persian war series we take a look at the Interbellum. The years between Marathon and Thermopylae.  A pivotal decade for both Greek and Persian alike. Alliances were an incredibly shaky proposition in ancient Greece but they would need something rock solid if they were to resist the coming enemy. We look at the Athenian naval build up during the period, the result of the visionary called Themistocles. Fortunately for the allies, Sparta had at her command the Peloponnesian League but the city of Lycurgus had two very new kings, with unstable thrones, i ..read more

Welcome back to Spartan History Podcast, in this episode we set out to describe the predominant bronze age, Greek civilisation. According to modern scholarship Agamemnon was a Mycenaean, or as Homer would put it an Achaean and we take a look at this culture in detail. Special attention being paid to their architecture, religious and burial practices. Finishing with the doomed return of King Agamemnon from Troy this episode is designed to round off my differentiation of bronze and classical Greece ..read more

In this special interest episode I'm exploring some of the ways Homer and his peers remembered and transmitted epic oral works. At nearly 16000 lines of poetry memorising the Iliad would have been an impossible task if it wasn't supported by the ancient foundation of oral traditions, some of the tricks employed are fascinating and in some ways, still used today in the body of bedtime stories and folk tales we tell. So join me around the bronze age campfire and we'll break down the art into it's fundamentals ..read more

In this, the first official episode, we delve into our chief literary source for the bronze age, Homer. Briefly having a look at the two works of his that have come down to us, largely complete, from antiquity. Taking a heavily paraphrased look into the Iliad and the Odyssey to establish the traditions of the Trojan heroes.  ..read more

Continuing the story of Helen, this months episode delves into the tale behind her abduction by Paris from Sparta. We carry the story forward from that fateful event and find our subject languishing behind the walls of Troy, we'll conclude this section in the same way that the Iliad finishes, with her oration at the funeral of mighty Hector.  For the first time we get to hear the voice of Helen and learn some of the complexities of her character. Part 2 of my 3 part biographical look at the classical Spartans most famous ancestor ..read more

Welcome back to Spartan History Podcast, in this months episode we'll be taking a look at a few of my favourite myths. ​ First, the story of Perseus and Andromeda. From a difficult beginning the hero would rise above his apparently low birth to become one of the premier monster hunters of the age. ​Next it will be the story of Bellerophon and Pegasus that will be our focus. He conquered all but would finish his days in misery, a tale of mans reach exceeding his grasp.​ Lastly the tragedy of Oedipus will round out the trilogy of myths. A tale of despair and woe, the devastating story of fate's ..read more

The conclusion to my biographical look into the bronze age's most famous daughter, Helen of Sparta. This time we take her story from the death of Hector through to her eventual trip home over the ashes of Troy. We see the major role Helen played in that cities climactic destruction along with the fate of the Trojan women she had spent a decade with. Finishing with her emotional return to Sparta and reunion with Hermione, the daughter who was a babe when last they were together. What would life after the war hold in store for Helen, happy home or embitterment? *New (free) members section on ..read more

Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. Her image has resonated down the generations and she has become the archetypal model of feminine beauty and refinement. With a name meaning bright, or shining, this mythical woman's story is rather a dark one punctuated by male transgression.  From her conception on the banks of the Eurotas river, through to her marriage to Menelaus, join me as we take a look into her formative years. We'll discover the curse that comes with great beauty and the extreme lengths people will go to in order to possess it. Part 1 of my 3 part biographical look a ..read more

EPISODE 28 THE BRONZE LIE WITH MYKE COLE I had the honour, pride and privilege of sitting down with author Myke Cole for this instalment of the Spartan History Podcast. His recently released book, the Bronze Lie: Shattering the myth of Spartan warrior supremacy, tackles the often ill conceived appropriation of the Lacedaemonian story in it's most mythical and fantastical form.  Often being used to promote ultra nationalist movements, fallacies surrounding the Spartan legend can be particularly pernicious in the current polarised political climate.  Myke crystallises the Spartan mi ..read more