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No one was writing history in Greece during the 7th and 6th centuries BCE. But that doesn't mean we have no voices speaking to us from that time. Fragments of works by early Greek poets can provide real-time commentary on the social and political upheaval of their times. In this episode, host Scott Emmons observes the struggles of the early polis through the eyes of two aristocratic poets, Theognis of Megara and Alcaeus of Mytilene.

For maps and images, check out Episode 17 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Reading Suggestions:

A History of Greek Literature by Albin Lesky (chapters on Theognis and Alcaeus)

Greek Lyrics, translated by Richmond Lattimore

Greek Lyric, Vol. 1: Sappho and Alcaeus, translated by David A. Campbell (Loeb Classical Library)

Greek Elegiac Poetry, translated by Douglas E. Gerber (Loeb Classical Library)

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In modern English, a “tyrant” is someone who rules oppressively. To the ancient Greeks, the word tyrannoscould just refer to a king, but more specifically it meant an autocrat who had come to power by overthrowing an existing regime. The 7th and 6th centuries BCE saw the rise of many Greek tyrants who capitalized on class tensions and other forces to gain absolute power. In this episode, host Scott Emmons explores this important phase of Greek history, focusing on powerful tyrannies in Argos, Corinth, and Sicyon.

For images illustrating this episode, visit Episode 16 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com

Reading Suggestions:

The Greek Tyrants by Antony Andrewes (70 years old, but still an excellent introduction to the subject of Archaic Period tyrants)

Archaic Greece: The Age of Experiment by Anthony Snodgrass

Early Greece by Oswyn Murray

A History of the Archaic Greek World by Jonathan M. Hall

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The hoplite infantry was the backbone of a Greek city-state's land army. But hoplites weren't the only ones who served. Those who couldn't afford hoplite armor served as light infantry, hurling javelins, shooting arrows, or even throwing rocks if that was all they had. Those who were wealthy enough to keep horses could serve in the cavalry. In this episode, host Scott Emmons explores the contributions of non-hoplite warriors as well as mercenaries, who could reinforce any army division.

For visuals to accompany this episode, check out Episode 15 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Reading Suggestions:

Greek Warfare: Myth and Realities by Hans van Wees

The Greek and Macedonia Art of War by Frank Adcock

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The polis was the defining sociopolitical system of ancient Greece. It was the environment where Greek drama, architecture, philosophy, and other cultural developments reached their peak. In this episode, host Scott Emmons explores the beginnings of the polis, military developments that helped shape it, and the values that it espoused, even if it didn't always uphold them.

For images associated with this episode, check out Episode 14 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com

Reading Suggestions:

Greece in the Making 1200-479 BC by Robin Osborne

Archaic Greece: The Age of Experiment by Anthony Snodgrass

Men of Bronze: Hoplite Warfare in Ancient Greece edited by Donald Kagan and Gregory Viggiano (This collection of essays by different authors is a good introduction to the academic debates over the development of the hoplite phalanx.)

The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece by Victor Davis Hanson

The Other Greeks: The Family Farm and the Agrarian Roots of Western Civilization by Victor Davis Hanson

Greek Warfare: Myths and Realities by Hans van Wees

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In Greek myth, Delphi was the literal center of the world. In real-world religious practice, it lived up to its reputation. People came from all over the Greek world — and even outside it — to seek Apollo’s guidance in matters both personal and political. In this episode, host Scott Emmons discusses the mythical origins of the Delphic oracle, the mystery of the Pythia’s inspiration, the riddling nature of oracular responses, and the importance of Delphi in the power struggles between Greek states.

For images related to this episode, check out Episode 13 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Suggested Reading:

The Delphic Oracle by H.W. Parke and D.E.W. Wormell (A seminal work in two volumes, published in 1956. Available at the Internet Archive)

Delphi: A History of the Center of the Ancient World by Michael Scott

Oracle: Ancient Delphi and the Science Behind its Lost Secrets by William J. Broad

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Ancient Greece was defined by its culture, not by its borders. Starting in the 8th century BCE, Greeks planted settlements in southern Italy and Sicily — so many that the area came to be known as Magna Graecia, "Great Greece." Hellenic settlements soon spread to other parts of the Mediterranean and also to the northeast, even surrounding the Black Sea. This episode takes you on a whirlwind tour of Greek settlements, then focuses in on Cyrene, a thoroughly Greek city located in North Africa.

For maps and photos accompanying this episode, check out Episode 12 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com.

Reading Suggestions:

The Greeks Overseas by John Boardman

Wandering Greeks by Robert Garland

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

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The Lelantine War between Khalkis and Eretria was the first major historical conflict that drew in combatants from around the Greek world. And yet, we know next to nothing about it. Ancient historians and other authors mention it in passing, but they don’t tell us exactly when it happened, how long it lasted, or even who won. While it’s possible to reconstruct a rough outline from ancient sources, some scholars maintain that the war may never have taken place at all. The Lelantine War can give us a glimpse of an aristocratic approach to warfare in the early polis. But it also provides a lesson in the difficulty distinguishing between history and legend in the early Archaic Period.

For views of Euboea and the Lelantine Plain, see Episode 11 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com

Reading Suggestions:

A History of the Archaic Greek World by Jonathan M. Hall

Early Greece by Oswyn Murray

“The Lelantine War: A Conflict Lost in Time” by Josh Brouwers in Ancient World Magazine

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In ancient Greece, freedom was something to be cherished — in part because its opposite was an ever-present part of Greek life. Slaves worked as farmhands, domestic servants, skilled craftsmen, miners, prostitutes, and more. While some lived almost as independently as free wage workers and could even aspire to purchase their freedom, others were condemned to a life of hard labor under the harshest conditions. In this episode, host Scott Emmons provides and introduction to Greek slavery and the highly diverse forms it could take.

For images related to slavery in ancient Greece, check out Episode 10 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com

Reading Suggestions:

Slaves and Slavery in Ancient Greece by Sara Forsdyke (2021)

Slavery in Classical Greece by N.R.E. Fisher (1993)

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