Here it is — the 2nd installment of CJ’s already-epic mini-series, ‘The Mad Dream of Conquest,’ set in the Peloponnesian War in 5th-century BC Greece.
Join CJ as he shares an overview of some of the events of the first half of the Peloponnesian War, including:
- Spartan-led Peloponnesian invasions of Attica (the countryside around Athens), which used the traditional Greek tactic of ‘ravaging’ farms in order to try to provoke the Athenians to confront them in a decisive hoplite battle
- Athens’ refusal to do so, as they followed Pericles’ strategy of being purely defensive on land while waging naval & amphibious warfare against the coastal strongholds of the Peloponnesian League
- The horrific plague that afflicted Athens for the first few years of the war, which likely killed 20-30% of Athens, including, eventually, Pericles himself
- The leadership void left by Pericles, which was filled by men of much less competence, none of whom ever enjoyed the supermajority support that Pericles had
- The ‘Peace of Nicias,’ concluded in 421 BC, which was never fully adhered to & wouldn’t last long
- The growing political feud between Nicias & the Athenian doves vs. Alcibiades & the Athenian hawks
- The appeal for Athenian assistance from a few Sicilian poleis against Syracuse, the most powerful polis on that island, & the Athenian debates over the wisdom of intervening there, dominated by debates between Nicias & Alcibiades
- The decision of a majority of the Athenian Assembly to intervene on a massive scale
- Religious/political scandals that created serious potential problems for the Athenian expedition to Sicily on the eve of its departure
- The departure, to great fanfare, of a massive Athenian & allied force to Sicily
Like this episode?
You can also throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VUYSYQ4EU6L
Throw CJ a $ tip via Venmo here:
https://www.venmo.com/u/dangerousmedia
Or throw CJ a BTC tip here:
bc1qfrz9erz7dqazh9rhz3j7nv696nl52ux8unw79z
Other ways to support the show (including CJ’s PO Box)
Amazon Affiliate Links (buy ANYTHING from Amazon using any of these links & CJ gets a small commission at no cost to you!)
Links
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
