History with Cy

In this episode, we’ll explore the critical decade between the Greek victory at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC and Xerxes’ invasion of Greece in 480 BC—a period that shaped the course of the Greco-Persian Wars. Following their defeat at Marathon, the Persians, under King Darius I, began preparing for a renewed campaign, but internal challenges, including rebellions and Darius’ death in 486 BC, delayed their plans. With the ascension of Xerxes I, the Persian Empire moved decisively. Xerxes crushed revolts in Egypt and Babylonia and set his sights on Greece, organizing one of the largest invasion forces in ancient history to fulfill his father’s uncompleted ambitions of conquest. Meanwhile, growing awareness of the Persian threat pushed some Greek city-states toward greater unity. Despite internal rivalries, alliances began to form, with Athens and Sparta taking the lead in preparing for the storm to come. But would this fledgling cooperation be enough to stand against Xerxes’ colossal forces? Let's find out. Contents: 00:00  Recap and Introduction 01:07 Darius' Legacy 04:07 Xerxes becomes King 06:38 The Great Debate: Mardonius 15:47 The Great Debate: Artabanus 19:45 On to War! 27:15 The Grand Army of Xerxes  35:07 Gelon of Sicily and the Search for Allies 45:52 Thank You and Patrons Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/historywithcy]

In the last episode of this series, we covered the rise of the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great and its expansion into Anatolia and the eastern Aegean, including the predominantly Greek-speaking region of Ionia.  Though much of Ionia prospered under their new overlords, in 499 BC, the Ionians revolted with their help of their allies, including the city-states of Athens and Eritrea.  By 493 BC, what become known as the Ionian Revolt had been crushed, and order restored to the western fringes of the Persian Empire.  However, the empire’s king, Darius I, vowed to punish Athens and Eretria for their involvement in the uprising. The Great King of Persia sent several of his most trusted commanders to subdue both city-states and any others who opposed him, resulting in the first major armed encounter in Europe between the Greeks and Persians on the plains of Marathon. 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 leading up to this epic encounter and its aftermath.  Contents: 00:00  Recap and Introduction 01:45 The Northern Aegean Campaigns of Mardonius 05:10 Looking to the West 08:18 Athens and Eretria 09:49 How many Men and Ships? 14:30 Island Hopping Around the Aegean 16:33 Euboea and Eretria  19:23 Onward to Athens 22:21 Decisions 27:07 War it is!  29:33 The Battle of Marathon 35:44 Counting the Dead 38:57 If not by Land, then by Sea! 40:00 Aftermath of Marathon 44:41 Thank You and Patrons Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/historywithcy]

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" Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/historywithcy]

This is the episode that several of you have requested – a one stop shop on the history of ancient Canaan and its people, the Canaanites.  In this program we’ll look at the history of this region and how it developed from the Bronze Age, Canaan’s relationship with Egypt and other parts of the world, and various Canaanite kingdoms such Moab, Edom, Ammon, Israel and Judah, as well as the Phoenician cities of Sidon, Tyre and Byblos.  If you want a general history of ancient Canaan and the Canaanite people, then this program is for you.  Contents: 00:00 Introduction to Canaan 01:45 Early Bronze Age History of Canaan 06:40 Canaan, Egypt, Mitanni and the Hittites 22:23 Life in Canaan during the Bronze Age 25:53 Canaan and the Bronze Age Collapse 32:39 Canaanite Religion 34:51 Moab 37:15 Edom 39:27 Ammon 41:05 Israel and Judah 49:21 Sidon 1:00:36 Tyre 1:14:30 Byblos 1:26:49 Thank You and Patrons Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/historywithcy]

In this video we'll take a look at the pivotal period of Greek history known as the Archaic Period. It's this time frame that gave rise to the polis, hoplite warfare, increased colonization around the coasts of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, oligarchies, tyrannies and lot of other really interesting aspects of life in the Greek-speaking world from 750-500 BC.  Contents: 00:00 Introduction and Context 02:07 A Hard Life for Many  07:27 The Polis 11:00 Oligarchies 16:35 Hoplite Warfare 20:57 Greek Society during the Archaic Period 24:55 Greek Colonization of the Mediterranean and Black Seas 30:38 Tyrants 33:58 A New Threat 35:12 Thank You and Patrons Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/historywithcy]