centurion6246 - Eric Kruger: Recent Episodes
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NEW EPISODE: Underrated Overrated: The Gettysburg Address Part 2
In Part 2, I cover the speech itself, line by line, why it’s remarkable all by itself and why its legacy is even more so. It is hard to understate the impact of Lincoln himself and this speech in particular on how America still remembers the war and why it was fought.
Lincoln #civilwar #americanhistory
The post Ep. 32 Underrated Overrated: The Gettysburg Address Part 2 first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 32 Underrated Overrated: The Gettysburg Address Part 2 appeared first on Eric Kruger.
The 5th New York Infantry Regiment "Zouaves" were drawn, dressed, and drilled for success in the American Civil War. A volunteer company that drew as many college graduates and businessmen as it did dock and factory workers, it was destined to briefly show its greatness... and then disappear.
The post Ep. 31 Remembering the 5th New York Infantry Regiment: “Duryee’s Zouaves” first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 31 Remembering the 5th New York Infantry Regiment: “Duryee’s Zouaves” appeared first on Eric Kruger.
Many of us in America know a few phrases of it here and there because we all had to read it in
high school. We know it was a good speech, totally reaffirming freedom while honoring war dead, yadda
yadda. But lost in the cliches is how significant it was that Lincoln was able to make such a speech at
such a time, and make it stick. He had a LOT riding against people even taking the speech seriously, let
alone holding it up later as an example of everything America stands for. In part 1, I explain why.
Check out this episode!
- Lincoln delivering the speech at the newly-built (and still unfinished) cemetery
- A photograph of the bustle on speech day
- Gettysburg National Cemetery, Pennsylvania Support the Edge of History podcast!You can support the podcast by downloading on iTunes, subscribing, or making a donation. We love reviews and the Centurion reads every single one! Please share it on social media using the links at the bottom of this post. Thank You!
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Donate yearlyFor Further Awesome Reading…Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America
A definitive modern breakdown of the circumstances of the speech, the rhetorical history that inspired it, the location of the speech on the battlefield, and (of course) an analysis of the text.
The post Ep. 30 Underrated Overrated: The Gettysburg Address Part 1 first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 30 Underrated Overrated: The Gettysburg Address Part 1 appeared first on Eric Kruger.
All appeared well as the Romans had the “pacification” of modern-day Germany underway in A.D. 9. The early Principate Roman Army had driven the “barbarians” before it, as it had done many times before. Then revolt stirred and Rome relied on a charismatic German prince, raised as a hostage and then proven auxiliary commander in Roman civilization, to help reaffirm the Empire’s authority in his country…
Check out this episode!
- Monument to Arminius in Germany
- Rendering of an Early Principate Legion in defensive formation
- Soldier of the 19th Legion which fought at Teutoburg, as rendered by Peter Dennis
- Teutoburg Forest today.
- Inside the forest today.
- Germans emerging from the woods. Support the Edge of History podcast!You can support the podcast by downloading on iTunes, subscribing, or making a donation. We love reviews and the Centurion reads every single one! Please share it on social media using the links at the bottom of this post. Thank You!
Make a one-time donation to support the Edge of History podcast.Your contribution means a lot!
Donate
Make a monthly donation to support the Edge of History podcast.Your monthly contribution helps offset podcast hosting costs and enables the Centurion to dedicate more time to his craft.
Donate monthly
Make a yearly donation to support the Edge of History pocast!Your contribution enables the Centurion to plan ahead, purchase books and create new episodes. Thank you!
Donate yearlyFor Further Awesome Reading…Teutoburg Forest AD 9: The destruction of Varus and his legions
Military history professionally undertaken—with maps and excellent color illustrations
The Battle that stopped Rome: Emperor Augustus, Arminius, and the Slaughter of the Legions in the Teutoburg Forest
I hesitate to post this, because I have issues with this anthropologist’s description of the actual battle, but he offers a far more detailed explanation and look at German culture and motivations at that time. Read for the anthropology!
Complete Roman Army
I’ve recommended this book before and I’ll do it again! This is a large and definitive history of the Roman fighting machine, excellently illustrated.
The post Ep. 29 Arminius and the Triumph of the Teutoburg Forest first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 29 Arminius and the Triumph of the Teutoburg Forest appeared first on Eric Kruger.
The image of the samurai is almost synonymous with Japanese history for many people: the honor-bound, bow and sword wielding individual warrior on horseback. It could have been very different. When the early Japanese Court was trying hard to adopt the massed infantry tactics of China, a series of defeats to an impressive “barbarian” guerrilla warrior from the north changed the military culture of the country.
Check out this episode!
- Monument to the legendary “Emishi” warrior Aterui in Hirakata, Japan.
- Map of 8th century Japan. Territory dominated by the imperial Japanese is in red. “Silla” is the kingdom in Southern Korea Japan attempted to invade late in the previous century.
- Medieval Japan as it looked later. Provinces 2 and 3 here are Mutsu and Dewa, the large sections of “frontier” country that was wrested from the Emishi and loosely organized even centuries later.
- The famous general Sakanoue Tamuramaro—the first successful man to wear the title sei-tai-shogun, or “great general who subdues the barbarians,” later shortened in popular history to “Shogun.” This is a fanciful depiction of him from centuries later.
- Wooden model of Aterui’s head from a Japanese shrine. This isn’t notable for how Aterui looked (there are no contemporary depictions of him that survive.) This is significant for how the Japanese people wanted to remember him: the embodiment of fierce defiance. Support the Edge of History podcast!You can support the podcast by downloading on iTunes, subscribing, or making a donation. We love reviews and the Centurion reads every single one! Please share it on social media using the links at the bottom of this post. Thank You!
Make a one-time donation to support the Edge of History podcast.Your contribution means a lot!
Donate
Make a monthly donation to support the Edge of History podcast.Your monthly contribution helps offset podcast hosting costs and enables the Centurion to dedicate more time to his craft.
Donate monthly
Make a yearly donation to support the Edge of History pocast!Your contribution enables the Centurion to plan ahead, purchase books and create new episodes. Thank you!
Donate yearlyFor Further Awesome Reading…A History of Japan to 1334
The OG—Sansom wrote a comprehensive history of Japan that is readable and scholarly at the same time, while still respected many decades later. Volume 2 is even better, although it covers events centuries later than those of this podcast.
Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan’s Military, 500–1300
When my own history professor assigned this way back when, she made clear it was a “counter” narrative to a lot of how Japanese history had been interpreted for many decades. It’s a great companion source to something like Sansom.
The post Ep. 28 The Guerrilla Who Helped Create the Samurai first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 28 The Guerrilla Who Helped Create the Samurai appeared first on Eric Kruger.
Part 3 of a series on historical events that are widely overrated in aspects of their impact and yet actually underrated and deeply misunderstood. The decisive victory Hannibal Barca won over the Roman Republic at Cannae in 216 BC was the crown jewel of his many achievements, and has been studied so often that perhaps it’s now cliché. I retell the story to focus on why it was so significant in that war and why it still has lessons for us, despite what modern scholars might think.
Check out this episode!
- Bust of Hannibal Barca
- Battle starting positions and progress to double envelopment.
- Celtiberian warriors
- Carthaginian infantryman with war elephant in the background.
- Spanish cavalry– underrated key players for Hannibal.
- Model rendering of the famous Numidian cavalryman. Support the Edge of History podcast!You can support our podcast by downloading on iTunes, subscribing, or making a donation at the bottom of the page. We love reviews and the Centurion reads every single one! Please share it on social media using the links at the bottom of this post. Thank You!
Make a one-time donation to support the Edge of History podcast.Your contribution means a lot!
Donate
Make a monthly donation to support the Edge of History podcast.Your monthly contribution helps offset podcast hosting costs and enables the Centurion to dedicate more time to his craft.
Donate monthly
Make a yearly donation to support the Edge of History pocast!Your contribution enables the Centurion to plan ahead, purchase books and create new episodes. Thank you!
Donate yearlyShow Notes* Carthage was the natural rival to Rome’s power. Carthage was a maritime empire centered in modern day Tunisia and covering North Africa. * Carthage had an excellent navy. Rome was the major power in Italy after driving out the Celtic Gauls. * 1st Punic War: Rome defeated Carthage under general Hamilcar and this established Rome as the front runner over Carthage. Both were in competition to colonize Spain. * Hannibal is Hamilcar’s son. * Rome had every advantage over Carthage: more troops, maniple legion. * Carthage had more money, but that was it. * Hannibal came as close to defeating Rome as anyone did in the first 1000 years of Roman history. * Hannibal is known as the dude who could win battles, not the war. Also known for war elephants that he brought across 2 major mountain ranges. * History sidenote: there’s a movement to tell the peoples’ history, but that often includes devaluing and degrading the rulers and great men who were major players in history. * Anachronism: you have to try to put your bias aside and not judge people of the past according to everything civilization has come to develop inbetween. * SPQR by Mary Beard – one of the prominent modern Roman history scholars, guilty of anachronism. * Cannae was Hannibal’s greatest victory and part of a great test to Roman civilization. * Hannibal crosses the Pyrenes and Alps to take the Romans by surprise. * He picked up the Gauls and fought the first battle of Trebbia – where/after which most of the elephants die. * Hannibal’s strategy was to pry away Rome’s allies, but he misread the situation; the allies never lost their faith in Rome. * In Rome, 2 consuls raise biggest Roman army ever assembled: 8 legions + allies (85,000 guys). * Hannibal had 50,000 guys: Celts, Spaniards, African levies. * Hannibal was outnumbered and Roman troops were superior. * However, Hannibal had the better cavalry and he drew up a clever battle plan. * During the Battle of Cannae, the sun was in the Roman army’s eyes and dust was blowing too. * Hannibal had set up his army with the Celts + Spaniards in the center, they were the worst men in the group and historically, you would put your best guys in the center. * While the Celts were very brave, they were unreliable and not trained as well. * He put the veteran Carthaginians on the flanks with the best troops on the very outside. * Rome went straight for the center and put themselves into a double envelopment. As the Celts gave way, the Carthaginian flanks push in from the sides. The Roman legions were surrounded on three sides, with many of the troops stuck in a crush. Their cavalry was driven off and then they were completely surrounded. * 70,000 Roman soldiers were killed in one day: the greatest loss of life in a single battle in a single day in the history of the world. * In 27 months, Rome lost 120,000 of their best young men. * After this loss, Rome changed a lot of laws to allow more men to join the military: freeing slaves, giving amnesty to criminals, getting rid of property owner requirement. * Fabius Maximus: Rome’s own unconventional leader. Desperate times promote people with different solutions. * Fabian tactics: delaying, harassing, not directly fighting. The anti-Roman approach, but it worked. * Scipio defeated Hannibal. * Carthaginians lost 2nd Punic War but they make a traumatic impact on Romans. * Cato the Elder: Carthage must be destroyed. * Rome became world power after knocking off Carthage. * Singular ability of Hannibal: How do I turn my greatest weakness into a strength?
For Further Awesome Reading…Hannibal
Complete Roman Army
In The Complete Roman Army, Goldsworthy writes an accessible and detailed account of the evolution of Roman arms, with plenty of visuals to help the general audience understand how things looked. In Roman Warfare, the Roman ethos over the development of their civilization is also effectively captured.
Roman Warfare
Livy: The Early History of Rome
Polybius: The Histories
Both Polybius and Livy were historians under the Roman thumb, who were expected to write accounts that reflected well on Roman development. Their bias has to be taken into account, but they remain invaluable sources for the rise of Rome. Polybius in particular had a great influence on the subject of history and the idea that it should be a rational discussion of causes and effects. I can remember my first time reading him, while on a plane in 2002—excellent history, even translated and read out of context over 2000 years later!
The post Ep. 27 Underrated Overrated: Hannibal and the Battle of Cannae first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 27 Underrated Overrated: Hannibal and the Battle of Cannae appeared first on Eric Kruger.
Part 2 of a series on historical events that are widely overrated in aspects of their impact and yet actually underrated and deeply misunderstood. The Roman civilization is famous all over the world, but few people know just how unlikely and unique their rise to power was. Through an uncommon combination of ruthlessness and humility, Rome built a culture and a war machine that learned from mistakes, adapted to circumstances, and relentlessly pursued total victory.
Check out this episode!
- Deployed Roman Maniple
- Left to right: members of the hastati, velites, triarii, and principes
- Enemies: the Macedonian phalanx
- “Under the yoke” after the Battle of the Caudine Forks
- Bust of Scipio Africanus Show Notes* Roman rise included overthrowing kings, becoming a republic, elected consuls and even a Senate.
- One of the incredible things about Romans was their ability to absorb defeat and learn from it.
- They maintained a culture-wide focus on how to win.
- They began their rise to power in Italy in the 400s and 300s BC.
- Battle of Allia
- The Celtic sack refines Roman warfare.
- Ancient warfare used the Phalanx military formation and the goal was not to utterly annihilate opponents, just to get them to do what you wanted.
- For more details on the original Phalanx warfare, check out my This is Sparta! episode
- While the Phalanx was the custom in warfare, it was vulnerable from the sides and rear.
- Alexander the Great and Philip the Second improved upon the Phalanx by making the spears longer and the formation deeper, as well as adding companion cavalry.
- Samnites were a rival Italian group, from a hilly rocky land that made it hard keep the Phalanx together
- Battle of the Caudine Forks 321 BC, a big defeat that figured deeply into the Roman sense of self.
- “Under the Yolk”
- Romans innovated warfare, creating Triplex Acies, three lines of soldiers: the Hastati, Principes, and Triarii
- Romans got rid of the Phalanx pikes and invented the Gladius (short heavy sword) and pila (javelins)
- This all eventually came to be called the Manipular Legion.
For Further Awesome Reading…Complete Roman Army
In The Complete Roman Army, Goldsworthy writes an accessible and detailed account of the evolution of Roman arms, with plenty of visuals to help the general audience understand how things looked. In Roman Warfare, the Roman ethos over the development of their civilization is also effectively captured.
Roman Warfare
Livy: The Early History of Rome
Polybius: The Histories
Both Polybius and Livy were historians under the Roman thumb, who were expected to write accounts that reflected well on Roman development. Their bias has to be taken into account, but they remain invaluable sources for the rise of Rome. Polybius in particular had a great influence on the subject of history and the idea that it should be a rational discussion of causes and effects. I can remember my first time reading him, while on a plane in 2002—excellent history, even translated and read out of context over 2000 years later!
Support the Edge of History podcast!You can support our podcast by downloading on iTunes, subscribing, or making a donation at the bottom of the page. We love reviews and the Centurion reads every single one! Please share it on social media using the links at the bottom of this post. Thank You!
Make a one-time donation to support the Edge of History podcast.Your contribution means a lot!
Donate
Make a monthly donation to support the Edge of History podcast.Your monthly contribution helps offset podcast hosting costs and enables the Centurion to dedicate more time to his craft.
Donate monthly
Make a yearly donation to support the Edge of History pocast!Your contribution enables the Centurion to plan ahead, purchase books and create new episodes. Thank you!
Donate yearlyThe post Ep. 26 Underrated Overrated: The Roman Legion and the Will to Win first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 26 Underrated Overrated: The Roman Legion and the Will to Win appeared first on Eric Kruger.
Episode 25 Underrated Overrated: The Legacy of the Emancipation Proclamation
Part 1 of a series on historical events that are widely overrated in aspects of their impact and yet actually underrated and deeply misunderstood. President Abraham Lincoln 's landmark Emancipation Proclamation is known popularly as what "freed the slaves," but its story is far more complex. Skeptics correctly point out that it did very little to change the legal and actual status of slaves anywhere in America at that time, but I break it down here for the brilliant practical strike at the institution of slavery that it was.
The post Ep. 25 Underrated Overrated: The Legacy of the Emancipation Proclamation first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 25 Underrated Overrated: The Legacy of the Emancipation Proclamation appeared first on Eric Kruger.
Episode 24: Why Chechnya Should Matter to You is here!
This episode is a reflection on how small events can have a huge ripple effect on the modern world and how we ALL have a role to play in that, either through silent consent, ignorance, or informed action.
The post Ep. 24: Why Chechnya Should Matter to You first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 24: Why Chechnya Should Matter to You appeared first on Eric Kruger.
The last of the rebel “old guard” are hunted down, killed, or driven into exile. Chechen traitor/Russian puppet Ramzan Kadyrov rules Chechnya through fear. A generation of traumatized and/or radicalized children remain. Some depart for the bloodbaths of Ukraine or Syria in a tragic epilogue. What’s next? How do we evaluate the legacy of the […]
The post Ep. 23: Chechen Wars Part 9: End of the line and End of an Era first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 23: Chechen Wars Part 9: End of the line and End of an Era appeared first on Eric Kruger.
After years of attrition taking their toll, a desperate Shamil Basayev turns once more to terrorism. Things are very different in 2004 than they were in 1995, however. The 9/11 attacks and state control of Russian media ensure that instead of helping the rebels, horrific events like the Beslan School Siege further cut off the […]
The post Ep. 22: Chechen Wars Part 8: Desperation and Terror first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 22: Chechen Wars Part 8: Desperation and Terror appeared first on Eric Kruger.
The brutality and incompetence of the Russian Army is on full display in opening months of the war. Their overwhelming force and the assistance of Chechen turncoats begin to turn the tide in their favor, however. Supplies choked off and numbers dwindling, the rebels disperse for guerrilla war. Check out this episode! For Further Awesome […]
The post Ep. 21: Chechen Wars Part 7: Meat Grinder: The “Second Chechen War” first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 21: Chechen Wars Part 7: Meat Grinder: The “Second Chechen War” appeared first on Eric Kruger.
The overreach of the Chechen warlords and the rise of Vladimir Putin combine to precipitate the re-invasion of Chechnya in 1999. Grozny is besieged once again and destroyed in urban combat. Both sideshave learned from ’94-‘96 but this time Russia is committing far more. Staged “terrorist” attacks helpPutin rally support, even as he kills his […]
The post Ep. 20: Chechen Wars Part 6: Rise of the Dark Lord first appeared on Eric Kruger.
The post Ep. 20: Chechen Wars Part 6: Rise of the Dark Lord appeared first on Eric Kruger.
After their improbable victory in the war for independence, the Chechens quickly discovered that as hard as winning the war was, winning the peace was even more difficult. A ravaged country, shattered infrastructure, and difficulty enforcing law meant that the challenges facing the new government were ultimately insurmountable. Check out this episode! For Further Awesome […]
After the Russian Army finally wrests the capital of Grozny from the rebels, its momentum stalls and it resorts to indiscriminate carpet bombing and massacring civilians. In an ominous turn for the future, the desperate rebels engage in mass hostage-takings that stall the war further. With able guerrilla commanders exploiting low Russian morale and poor […]
Why History Matters is now available! This episode is all about the real reasons to study history, how to approach it, and how it might be one of the great hopes to save humanity.
Featured Art is “Face of War” by Ukrainian artist Daria Marchenko and Daniel D Green I normally avoid a podcast on current events: there is so much even the best cannot know or understand until years have passed. I have been asked about this many times over the last two weeks from those who know […]
As Chechens (led by many who grew up in the deportation) declare independence in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union, Boris Yeltsin’s Russia does nothing for three years. Embarrassment at the new state’s defiance eventually drives an attempt to topple the Chechen government through far superior arms. Spoiler Alert: Russia, thought to […]
There have never been more than one million Chechens in the world at any given time, and their homeland is no bigger than Connecticut, yet the trials and tragedy of the Chechen people have an underestimated but important legacy in the horrific guerrilla wars and terrorism of the twenty-first century. At the heart of the […]
Jon Stewart darkly joked that for most people, Chechnya might as well be Narnia. He was right, and it’s a shame. The Chechens are a distinct and proud mountain people, steeped in long traditions of bravery, daring, and generosity. On the other hand, they also possess a cultural dark side of ruthless banditry, gangsterism, and […]
Apocalyptic: I find that’s the best word to describe the year 1099 in the lives of those who undertook the First Crusade. Anyone who’d survived this long (3 years of continuous marching and war—crazy in and of itself) still had several more months before the attainment of the final goal: the city of Jerusalem. Along […]
The (double) Siege of Antioch in 1098 has all the stuff a Hollywood movie is made of: two different cultures (and their military approaches) clashing in the style of your favorite old school tournament fighting game, starvation, giant ancient fortresses, disease, hardship, miracles real and imagined, betrayal, sword fights, massacre, and a final, heroic charge […]
I see such a metaphor for human forces here: how whatever Pope Urban II and Emperor Alexius had in mind for this holy war/armed pilgrimage, things quickly escalated out of their control and the message and mission as it came to actually be almost swept both men right off their feet. Never underestimate the power […]
“Crusade” is a loaded word, and often code for the “bad” history in the cultural heritage of Western Europe. In this episode, I set the stage for some of the real characters in this widely misunderstood period, discussing the brutal realities of medieval Europe and the basis for anybody would be so “crazy” as to declare holy war.
Check out this episode!
Slideshow: Click to view slideshow.
Pictured: * Alexius I of the Byzantine Empire * Map of Europe and the Near East at the time of the First Crusade. Sorry for the French: it was the only quality free map for the time period I could find! * 11th Century French knight. Note the difference in helmet style from what you might have imagined, and the armor that looks like fish scale rather than linked plates. The “classic” image of the knight comes from a later period. * Pope Urban II * Norman knights and archers, 1066
For Further Awesome Reading… The Crusades 2nd Edition, by Hans Eberhard Mayer (translated by John Gillingham)
Part of my introduction to the Crusades, through my studies at Cornell University and progress to a specialty in this period. Mayer does an excellent job detailing the many different forces at work. It’s dense for the average reader and probably not for someone unwilling to come to grips with college-level writing, but the depth and quality of the analysis can’t be ignored.
The Crusades: A History, by Jonathan Riley-Smith
And/or… you could tackle this one. Riley-Smith is another premier historian of the period, and while less in-depth than Mayer, he’s a little more “readable.” He’s also valuable as companion to Mayer for the contrast in analysis and in the decisions of what to emphasize and what to downplay. How the two men each describe the fateful sack of Jerusalem in 1099 is an illuminating look into the biases of both.
Chronicles of the First Crusade (Penguin Classics), edited by Christopher Tyerman
It can be very hard to find well-edited and readable compilations of first-hand accounts from events in the medieval period. For that, this book is solid gold. Tyerman has done an excellent job assembling the best of the accounts from the people who lived through this extraordinary event in history.
Support the Edge of History podcast! You can support our podcast by downloading on iTunes, subscribing and leaving a review. The Centurion reads every single one!
Please share it on social media using the links at the bottom of this post.
Thank You!
The story of “How the West Was Won” (ie. how native people were pushed into tiny corners of the North American continent or exterminated) has many unexpected elements as well as true clichés. We’ll explore one small but symbolic episode of that history in this episode, drawing (in part) on a very unusual source: the autobiography of a native woman that learned to read and write English, survived war, and became a famous speaker for her people.
Check out this episode!
For Further Awesome Reading… Sand in A Whirlwind, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Paiute Indian War Of 1860, by Ferol Egan
This is truly “history as story” and a great place to start for people who want to get deeper into the characters and events of this episode before exploring primary sources.
Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims by Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins
Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins has a controversial legacy. On the one hand, she mastered American language and culture enough to become a famous vocal advocate for her people, despite losing loved ones in war with the United States. On the other, she assisted the US Army in its war and advocated the assimilation of her people into modern American life, abandoning many of their cultural traditions in the process. Either way, this writing is a sort of Holy Grail in the history of the American West: the primary source written purely from the perspective of a native woman. If you want to know something important about this period in American history, this is essential reading.
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The Spartans have a legendary name in military history, only partly earned. I discuss that legend and the time when a motley group of lightly-armed patriots, led by an unlikely general, popped that legend’s over-inflated bubble.
Check out this episode!
Glossary: Hoplite: Heavy infantryman in the ancient Greek style. He was expected to furnish his own weapons and armor, which would be of varying amount and quality. Essential equipment included a long wooden shield with embossed metal, a helmet, a spear, sword, and sometimes a dagger. The sword and dagger were basically side-arms, because the spear was the star of the show: anywhere from 6 to 9 feet long, it was the prime mover in the “phalanx” warfare of the day, where hoplites marched in tight order, shields partially covering themselves and the guy next to them, the spear (almost certainly) stabbed in an over-arm motion. Phalanx combat being straightforward, each line of hoplites would push forward, attempting to disrupt the enemy line and push it backwards. Downed opponents could be finished off by a spike mounted on the bottom of the spear as the line moved forward.
Sparta: Prominent Greek city state. Greece at the time consisted of many independent city-states, each with distinct governments and often at odds with the others. Greeks had a natural affinity for each other over “foreigners,” but this affinity did nothing to diminish their fierce rivalries. Sparta was famous for the quality of its warriors and for creating a system specifically to make them professional. Moat other Greek hoplites had other occupations and only trained and fought when their city was at war; Spartans had a state system to support their full-time training. This was in part supported by their enslavement of the Messenian people, creating a class known as ‘helots’ that did the work otherwise neglected by the Spartan professional warriors.
Athens: Prominent Greek city state. The Athenians pioneered a form of limited direct democracy, building a successful empire around it in the fifth century BC. While fielding classic hoplite armies (and using them to famously defeat much larger Persian ones), Athens became known for her trade network, supported by her innovative, high-quality navy. Athenian sailors were easily the best in the region, being as they were professional free men, as opposed to the slaves who frequently worked the boats of other city-states. This in turn allowed for tactically superior assault boats, used to great effect against her enemies. By the time of the Peloponnesian War, Athens was easily the wealthiest and most powerful Greek city state.
Thespiae and Plateaea: small Greek city states. Thespiae bears mentioning in the context of this episode chiefly because the Spartans historically get all the credit for the heroic “last stand,” at Thermopylae, but 700 hoplites fell alongside them after the final Persian encirclement, when it was known to be suicide to continue fighting. Plataea was a staunch ally of Athens for generations, defying both massive Persian armies and threatening Spartans.
Peloponnesian War: Three-part conflict between Athens and Sparta for domination of the Aegean Sea (and, by extension, ancient Europe), that occurred from about 431 BC to 404 BC. Despite vast wealth, and an innovative mindset fostered by its proto-democratic society, Athens bungled its way to total defeat. Much of Greek dominance of the ancient world evaporated with the widespread destruction and impoverishment that resulted from the conflict. While Sparta was the “winner,” her prosperity did not last long.
Persian Empire: Massive domain covering most of the Middle and Near East, ruled by the “King of Kings” seated in modern-day Iran. They had displaced the Babylonians and were famously wealthy and powerful, even by ancient imperial standards. They were capable of fielding gargantuan (for the time) armies of over 100,000 men from all over their dominion. Their numerous defeats and struggles at the hands of much smaller Greek armies in the early fifth century BC (Marathon in 490 BC, Salamis in 480 BC, Plataea in 480 BC, and Eurymedon 469 BC) form the basis of many ‘David and Goliath’ stories that have captured the popular imagination of Western Civilization for thousands of years.
Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC): the foundation of the Spartan legend. Faced with a massive Persian invasion, King Leonidas of Sparta quickly moved with a small force of Spartans, Plataeans, and Thespians to block their advance in the mountain pass of Thermopylae. The naturally defensible position and the far superior quality and bravery of the Greek hoplites enabled them to hold off the Persian army for a few days, despite being outnumbered by (debatable) figures of 30+ to 1. Betrayed in the end by a traitor who showed the Persians a path around the Greeks, who were then encircled, the Spartan-led hoplites were killed to the last man. Their actions, however, bought the rival Athenians time to prepare their fleet: a development that would save Greece from Persian domination.
Battle of Marathon (490 BC): the first great victory of Greek hoplites against a much larger Persian invading force. Through a quick strike, the better-trained, better-equipped, and much more highly-motivated Athenian soldiers decisively defeated the Persians in an “upset” victory. The battle passed into legend, not only for its identity-saving quality (protecting Greece from foreign influence, a mark of great pride among Greeks everywhere), but for the invention of the Marathon—the imagined distance sprinted by an Athenian runner to give news of the victory before the city of Athens could submit to the blockading Persian fleet.
Prominent episode characters Athenians: Pericles, Cleon, Demosthenes
Spartans: Leonidas, Agis
Thucydides: primary historian of the Peloponnesian War. He lived through the events, first serving as a soldier and general in the Athenian army before being wrongly exiled on trumped-up charges.
For Further Awesome Reading… The Landmark Thucydides
Thucydides is, quite simply, the man. It’s so hard to find anything close to what we call ‘objectivity’ in ancient historians. It was taken for granted that telling a good story, imparting a moral, or showing your people in the best possible light was as much a part of history as the facts. Thucydides stood out for his stated attempt to focus on facts when we wrote about the Peloponnesian War. What also helps us in reading him were the circumstances of his life: as an important Athenian who was essentially screwed by the system he was trying to defend, he makes for an ideal witness, as what we can assume would have been his natural Athenian bias was balanced by his experience.
Donald Kagan’s work: Kagan wrote THE definitive history of the Peloponnesian War in four parts, called by one critic the foremost work of history by an American in the 20th century—pretty mind-boggling praise. Aside from this, Kagan was a highly-acclaimed professor at Cornell and Yale and brilliant mind. The four parts of his history are:
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The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War
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The Archidamian War
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The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition
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The Fall of the Athenian Empire
He’s also got a condensed version called “The Peloponnesian War” for those desiring a less comprehensive look at the conflict.
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Before you listen… By the late second century BC, the Roman Republic had persevered and conquered through many disasters: so many, in fact, that conquest and eventual victory were taken for granted. In response to a barbaric tribal threat, a small group of selfish and complacent Roman aristocrats would bungle Rome into a catastrophe that cost hundreds of thousands of lives. The price for eventual victory would be freedom itself, as events were set in motion that would destroy the Republic and replace it with the autocratic Empire.
Check out this episode!
For Further Awesome Reading… Fall of the Roman Republic by Plutarch
Plutarch wrote 150 years after the events of this book, but had quite a flair for biography. The story of the fall of the Republic is told through the “lives” of six several very important Romans, and the reforms of Gaius Marius kick off the list. Want to know how a civilization can crumble through the ambitions of its great aristocrats? Prepare to be educated.
The History of Rome: An account of events and persons from the conquest of Carthage to the end of the Republic Hardcover – 1958 by Theodor Mommsen (Author), John H. Collins (Editor), Dero A. Saunders (Editor)
Mommsen was (Like Gibbon before him) an absolute legend. His five-volume, massive “History of Rome” is the only work of history every to be honored with the Nobel Prize for literature. This abridgement perfectly covers the period with which Episode 6 is concerned, and with its blend of all the best primary sources and Mommsen’s superior analysis, will make you an expert if you’re paying attention.
Support the Edge of History podcast! You can support our podcast by downloading on iTunes, subscribing and leaving a review. The Centurion reads every single one!
Please share it on social media using the links at the bottom of this post. Also, use our Amazon links on the book title or picture to check out and purchase a book or finish your other shopping on Amazon. When you click the link, all of your other shopping supports the podcast whether you buy a book or not.
You can also purchase an Edge of History t-shirt! We have them for sale for $13 and $16 and you can pick one up over on our Support page. All proceeds help us to pay our hosting fees and create more content.
Thank You!
Edge of History podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
