seangabb
Published 16 Feb 2026Greece: A Brief History, c.700 BC – 500 AD
In this lecture we begin the Persian Wars not with battle, but with misunderstanding. The Greeks did not set out to fight a civilisation-defining struggle against Asia, and the Persians were not driven by irrational hatred of freedom. This episode explores the structural collision between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-state system. We examine the rise of Persian power under Cyrus and Darius, the nature of imperial governance, and the early cultural encounter between Greek and Persian military worlds. Along the way, we meet Herodotus, the first true historian, and consider how his narrative shapes our understanding of East and West.
This is the beginning of a story that ends at Marathon — but whose consequences reach much further.
July 6, 2026
The Ancient Greeks: 03 – Enter the Persians 1 – When Empire Meets the Polis
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