The Great Persian War: Marathon to Salamis

Ancient Greece: Philosophy, Democracy, and Endless War — Fexingo History · Oct 17, 2026 · 8m · transcript

We often think of Ancient Greece as a collection of city-states united by culture, but their history is defined by an existential threat from the East. This episode explores the Persian Wars, specifically the invasions of Xerxes I and the pivotal battles that saved Athenian democracy. We look at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE, where a tired Athenian army faced a massive Persian force, and then jump forward to 480 BCE, when Xerxes launched his second invasion with hundreds of thousands of soldiers. You will hear about the stand at Thermopylae, the naval strategy at Salamis, and how…