Latest / The History of Greece: Philosophy, Empire, and Endless Reinvention — Fexingo History
The Ostracism of Themistocles: Athens Turns on Its Hero
After the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE, Themistocles was the most famous man in Greece. Yet within a decade, Athens ostracized him, and he ended his days as a fugitive in the service of the Persian king Artaxerxes I. This episode explores the politics of ostracism — the democratic institution that let Athenians exile a citizen for ten years by popular vote. Lucas and Luna trace Themistocles' meteoric rise, his cunning use of the silver mines of Lavrion to fund the fleet that saved Greece, and his bitter rivalry with Aristides the Just. They unpack how ostracism worked in practice: the…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.