Greeks

Book Club

Book Club | February 2021: Plutarch Parallel Lives

"...it appears, first of all, that Theseus, of his own choice,...of his own accord reached out after great achievements; whereas Romulus, to escape present servitude and impending punishment ... proceeded to perform great exploits under compulsion." Back in February 2019, we read Plutarch's account of practices at Delphi. Now, our next Book Club selection is from Plutarch's Parallel Lives, perhaps his most famous work. Discussion will start and continue in… Read more

History

The Battle of Mykale

In the spring of 479 BCE, although defeated at Salamis, the Persians were still in control in most of the Ionian cities. Their citizens revolted against this and asked Athens for support. In response, 40 triremes of the remaining Athenian fleet, under command of Xanthippus, sailed from to Delos where… Read more

History

The Classic Ship | Part 2: The Battle of Artemision

The Greeks had prepared themselves for the Persian invasion by forming the Hellenic League. Sparta and Athens took a leading role in joining together 70 of the 700 city-states, many of which were still technically at war with each other. They were planning to stop the Persians that came by land at the narrow pass of Thermopylae. To prevent the Persians bypassing Thermopylae by sea, the Athenian and Allied navies… Read more