In a warring world of thousands of city-states, where honour, prestige, and survival were constantly at stake, two names would rise above the rest – Athens and Sparta. Though once allied together against the Persians, the powers would end up locked in a rivalry, the Peloponnesian War.

In this episode of the podcast, ⁠Adrian Goldsworthy⁠ joins ⁠⁠Zeb Baker-Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Editor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aspects of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, to discuss his latest book, ⁠⁠Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry that Shaped Ancient Greece⁠⁠. His stimulating account runs from its mythic origins to the Peloponnesian War, exploring their contrasting identities and ideologies – militaristic Sparta as a conquering elite and democratic Athens as an autochthonous society – and quite how these shaped their politics and ambitions. Our conversation also considers the challenges of sources like Herodotus and Thucydides, the fragile alliances of the Persian Wars, and what descent into this enduring conflict reveals about power, warfare, and strategy.

Episode Links

⁠⁠Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry that Shaped Ancient Greece⁠

Adrian Goldsworthy Links

Website: http://adriangoldsworthy.com/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/aohistoryeditor

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdrianGoldsworthytheAuthor

Zeb Baker-Smith Links:

X/Twitter: https://x.com/aohistoryeditor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zebbakersmith/

Substack: https://substack.com/@zebbakersmith

Aspects of History Links:

Website: www.aspectsofhistory.com

Email: history@aspectsofhistory.com

⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aspectsofhistory/