The Greek and Persian Wars

Spanning more than two centuries, the Greek and Persian wars forged a new world order, sparking developments in battle strategy, naval technology, world exploration, and art and culture that impact the world even today.

These 24 lectures are your opportunity to survey this globe-spanning conflict and see the human experience behind some of the most remarkable episodes in ancient history.

Look beyond the infamous story of King Leonidas and his famed "300" and uncover the people and the world of the ancient Greeks and Persians. The clash of these two great cultures helped spark some of the most important cultural events in the history of the world: the chronicles of Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon; the dramas of Aeschylus; and Greece's remarkable invention of democracy.

An expert on methods of ancient warfare, Professor Hale offers rare insights into how each skirmish was lost and won. You'll meet the great Greek and Persian leaders, and compare the war technologies they pioneered.

But Professor Hale offers more than just textbook descriptions. An accomplished archaeologist, he provides rare and valuable insights gleaned from years of fieldwork, including an analysis of the landscape of the battlefield of Marathon and modern archaeological surveys of the ground where Xerxes and his engineers dug an 80-foot-wide canal across an Aegean cape.

It's a perspective on history you'll find virtually nowhere else. Bringing together both sides of the story - Greek and Persian - Professor Hale creates a complex and informative account of this world-changing era.

Professor John R. Hale (Narrator)


Video Version here: The Greek and Persian Wars