Latest / Ancient Greece: Philosophy, Democracy, and Endless War — Fexingo History
The Plague of Athens: Pericles, Death, and Democracy
In the winter of 430 BCE, a mysterious illness swept through the besieged city of Athens, killing perhaps a third of the population and claiming the life of its greatest leader, Perikles. This episode explores the catastrophic impact of the Plague of Athens on Athenian society, military strategy, and political stability during the early Peloponnesian War. We examine Thucydides’ clinical yet harrowing firsthand account of the symptoms and social breakdown, the failure of traditional religion to provide comfort or explanation, and how the vacuum left by Perikles’ death led to the rise of…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.