History in the Making - podcast cover

History in the Making

HITM uses character focused storytelling to convey the ideas of the past that have shaped us today. We dive into wars and politics to see how the values of nations and their populations have reacted to the world around them. This is social evolution and biography wrapped in storytelling. This is History in the Making. HITM is currently in Season 1. Season 1 covers much of the classical age of Greece including the “invention” of democracy, the Persian Wars, politics of Pericles and Themistocles, the Golden Age, the Peloponnesian Wars, and much more.

Episodes

Thank You

Thank you all for listening over the years. The show will going dormant for a while but I hope we can continue our stories in the future. Feel free to stay in touch until then. website: www.hitmpodcast.com facebook/twitter: hitmpodcast

Jun 18, 20192 minEp 31Transcript available on Metacast

28: Epilogue with Dr. John Hale

Today we welcome Dr. John Hale to the show, author of the book Lords of the Sea. It is a compelling look at the history of Athens, largely from the seat of a rower’s bench behind an oar. The New York Times has called Dr. Hale an intellectually series historian who knows how to tell war stories, and I couldn’t agree more. Of course, we spend a good bit of time inside the wooden walls of a trireme and we also spend some time with the various leaders of Athens. He also provides some salient compari...

May 05, 201842 minEp 29Transcript available on Metacast

27: Epilogue with Dr. Melissa Lane

Today we welcome Dr. Melissa Lane to the show, author of the book The Birth of Politics. Her book was the final straw in convincing me to start the show and centers around eight political ideas, what they meant to the Greek and Romans, and why they matter today. She provides some clarity to different Athenian institutions and I take advantage of her expertise to have her critique some of the thoughts I had while doing the show. We wrap up with a few question on how the story of Greece can change...

Apr 26, 201837 minEp 28Transcript available on Metacast

26: Legacy

Athens leaves us their legacy in the Season 1 finale. https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1604.html

Apr 18, 20181 hr 20 minEp 27Transcript available on Metacast

25: A Splendid Rope

The Peloponnesian War comes to a sudden and unexpected end. The defeated will face the fate the victor thinks it deserves. We witness both timid and brutal approaches to war and are forced to ask: Is there a difference between acting cruelly out of desperation versus cruelty as a matter of course? This episode covers approximately 405 B.C. – 404 B.C.

Feb 27, 201847 minEp 26Transcript available on Metacast

24: Liquidation

More than twenty years into the Peloponnesian War Athens has given nearly everything to the fight, but more is required. Sparta requests peace but Athens refuses and looks for more resources to continue the war. While Athens scrounges for money, Sparta and Persia renew their alliance with Sparta leading the fight while Persia funds the war. Meanwhile, the weight of carrying the Athenian military is beginning to crack their society. This episode covers approximately 407 B.C. – 405 B.C.

Feb 06, 20181 hr 9 minEp 25Transcript available on Metacast

23: Resurgence

Athens is broke. The sole hope for retaining its empire rests in their fleet of triremes at Samos. To make matters worse a Spartan fleet, supported by a Persian army and Syracusian ships, has wedged itself into the Hellespont, the crucial route by which Athens receives most of its food. Alcibiades, though still refusing to return to Athens for fear of the death penalty on him, contributes to the fighting in any way he can. Some sort of miracle is needed for Athens to step back into security. Thi...

Jan 08, 201843 minEp 24Transcript available on Metacast

22: Traitor is Such an Ugly Word

After the disaster of the Sicilian Expedition, the largest defeat in the history of Athenian Democracy, the whole Mediterranean world expected Athens to fall. Refusing to surrender the Athenian assembly accepts previously unthinkable changes in order to continue to the fight against Sparta, the revolting cities across the Empire, and to keep the ever ambitious Persians in check. Amid this pressure the democracy in Athens is reexamined and some citizens desire a change, either through legal refor...

Dec 22, 201755 minEp 23Transcript available on Metacast

21: Echoes of Glory

Nicias and Alcibiades have both gained political power but can’t push past the other. The gridlock is broken when representatives from a Sicilian town show up asking for help and offering to foot the bill for Athenian assistance. In a rapid escalation, the Athenians agree not only to help but to send an armada to Sicily to bring down Syracuse. One step at a time the Athenians throw everything they have into the Sicilian expedition. This episode covers approximately 416 B.C – 413 B.C.

Nov 07, 20172 hr 34 minEp 22Transcript available on Metacast

20: That Leviathan

Nicias and Alcibiades struggle for control of Athens after a power vacuum appears. The back and forth leads to an Athens that pursues no grand strategy but plays a game of rapid, hectic tactics. All of Greece is swept up in political pinball as the traditional allies of Sparta reconsider their place in Greece and Sparta struggles to reclaim its political standing. As the stakes rise, Athens rebrands its role as the head of its empire and does whatever is necessary to keep control. This episode c...

Aug 13, 20171 hr 17 minEp 21Transcript available on Metacast

19: They Created A Desert

Bolstered by a recent victory, Athens follows Cleon further into war in hopes of achieving absolute victory. There are many areas where victory is needed. Once back on the streets of the city we meet Socrates who is busy asking everybody he can irritating questions. Questioning your assumptions may be the basis to a true understanding of yourself and society, although it can be very frightening. This episode covers approximately 425 B.C. – 422 B.C.

May 24, 20171 hr 22 minEp 20Transcript available on Metacast

18: The Hanging Shield

After many years of a brawler fight something has to give. A daring general in Athens considers new strategies while playwrights bring the full weight of the ancient press (the theatre) to bear in criticizing the war. Meanwhile, Greece watches as the impossible unfolds on the shores of the Peloponnese. This episode covers approximately 427 B.C. – 425 B.C.​​​​​​​

Apr 28, 201746 minEp 19Transcript available on Metacast

17: Fear, Fate and Power

Fear and anger can convince us to do terrible things. It is often only once we take time to collect ourselves that we see how outrageous our actions were. As the first few years of the Peloponnesian War preserve a violent stalemate some people in Athens decide that a more drastic strategy is necessary. This episode covers approximately 429 B.C. - 427 B.C.

Apr 19, 201739 minEp 18Transcript available on Metacast

16: Bonus - The Funeral Oration

Things get beautiful around minute 15. At a funeral, we discuss what makes a life worth living and, in doing so, we reveal the things we truly value. This is the bonus episode of Pericles’ Funeral Oration delivered in 431 BC after the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War.

Mar 30, 201724 minEp 17Transcript available on Metacast

16: The Olympian has Fallen

Athens and Corinth take the preemptive measure of fighting a battle to avoid a war. This works about as well as it sounds. A series of conferences afterwards determine the fate of Greece. Speeches are made, ships collide and the gods reconsider their relationship with Athens. This episode covers approximately 433 B.C. – 429 B.C.

Mar 25, 201758 minEp 16Transcript available on Metacast

15: The Shrinking World

The Greek world is getting smaller. Athens and Sparta are the sole dominating powers in Greece and cities are forced to consider what sides they will choose. The grandeur of Athens continues to allure as their wealth and power are demonstrated at the 4 year Panathenaic Festival while Sparta grapples for peace. It’s time to choose what side to join. This episode covers approximately 440 BC - 432 BC.

Mar 07, 201752 minEp 15Transcript available on Metacast

14: Helen of Athens

A lone woman comes to Athens. In a span of six years she somehow becomes a household name. Meanwhile, Athens tries to find some more permanent peace solution with Sparta as they face rebellions across their territory. The first existential threat that Athens has had to face in decades is beginning to show its face. This episode covers approximately 450 BC – 440 BC.

Feb 16, 201735 minEp 14Transcript available on Metacast

13: Ascension

Are you tired of being in Athens’ alliance? No one cares. Athens develops various carrots and sticks to make friends and keep rebellions in check. The return of Cimon means Athens once again begins to dominate the sea as only Cimon knows how to do. Athens must figure out how to continue to swell in power while convincing Sparta that they aren’t a threat. This episode covers approximately 454 BC – 446 BC.

Feb 02, 201742 minEp 13Transcript available on Metacast

12: Linchpins and Puppeteers

Democracy reaches its peak in Athens as the city reaches east to Egypt and war at last breaks out with Sparta. The power of Athens’ version of the Supreme Court is partially dissolved and returned to the people in the lower courts. Since we don’t have a lot of information on this court, we look to our own Supreme Court for help. This episode covers approximately 464 BC – 449 BC.

Jan 12, 201752 minEp 12Transcript available on Metacast

11: The Groundwork of an Empire

Athens swells into an economic powerhouse and plays with the idea of trying on an empire. Many of the most powerful men in Greece are reshuffled during the growing pains as rumors of corruption begin to circulate. Finally, we drop down into Athens to meet the different classes of people and take a look at what life was like for them. This episode covers approximately 474 BC – 464 BC.

Dec 22, 201642 minEp 11Transcript available on Metacast

10: The Leagues and an Extraordinary Gentleman

Before there was the Roman Empire there was the Roman Republic. Before the Athenian Empire, there was the Delian League. Greece is split down the middle and as Athens grow more and more powerful they start a starting contest with Sparta. This episode covers approximately 478 BC – 472 BC.

Dec 16, 201635 minEp 10Transcript available on Metacast

9: Plataea

This special, full-length episode frames the Battle of Plataea with voting practices of the ancient world. As it turns out, voting in Sparta was quite similar to going to a football match. Things get violent in the climax of the Persian Wars. This episode takes place in 478 BC.

Dec 08, 201636 minEp 9Transcript available on Metacast

8: No Half Measures

We all have that friend who is over the top reckless, but they have nothing on Themistocles. Themistocles gambles it all in the culmination of his genius, the Battle of Salamis. He then makes sure nobody can forget about it. We touch on Greek religion and how an omen could shape major decisions. After all, how would you act if you knew the future? This episode covers approximately 480 BC – 478 BC.

Dec 01, 201643 minEp 8Transcript available on Metacast

7: Shattered Timbers, Shattered Spears

The full force of Persia is directed against Greece. A fragile Greek alliance attempts to withstand the blow at the Battle of Thermopylae. Meanwhile, Themistocles maneuvers the resulting political fallout while making allies, old and new. We also examine the Spartan embrace of death and gain an appreciation for the floating demolition derby that was the Greek navy. This episode covers approximately 481 BC – 480 BC.

Nov 17, 201644 minEp 7Transcript available on Metacast

6: The World Reshuffled

The gloves come off. Themistocles and Aristides face off in the Assembly. Distant scuffles between Athens and Persia flame up into full scale war. The Persian wave crashes on the beaches of Marathon while Athens, with the small town of Plataea, brace to endure it. The world is beginning to be reordered. This episode covers approximately 494 BC – 481 BC.

Nov 03, 201641 minEp 6Transcript available on Metacast

5: Persia Stirs

An emboldened Athens sails across the Aegean to support revolts against Persia. In doing so they eventually gain the undivided attention of the world’s superpower. The international troubles drive a cunning and battle-hardened leader back to Athens, Miltiades. We see the divisions that are inherent to democracy and the brutal tactics of Cleomenes, one of the kings of Sparta. This episode covers approximately 500 BC – 490 BC.

Jul 14, 201624 minEp 5Transcript available on Metacast

4: Entanglement

International politics suck a willing Athens into tangling with Persia while Sparta considers converting the Athenian government by force. With all this at stake, the political juggernauts of Athens come to the front as Themistocles and Aristides face off in the Assembly. The stage is now set through internal and external strife for Athens to burst, or trip, onto the world stage. Rivalries begin to intensify both within Athens and internationally. This episode covers approximately 508 BC – 499 B...

Jun 30, 201631 minEp 4Transcript available on Metacast

3: The Spartan Legacy

Sparta is more than spears, although there are also plenty of spears. We wade through the murky history of Sparta while watching their migration into Greece. As much as we think of Spartans as Greek, they claim their heritage from the north… and from Hercules. This episode covers approximately 1,200 BC – 500 BC. As a side note, I have a cold so this episode sounds partially underwater at times. Learn more about your ad choices.

Jun 16, 201631 minEp 3Transcript available on Metacast

2: Demes and Demagogues

Democracy emerges in clear view from the shadows of history but not everybody welcomes it. The various political sides of Athens try to find a governing balance while threats of civil war force reform though rumors, coups, and occasional theatrics worthy of Greek play. This episode covers approximately 594 BC – 500 BC.

Jun 02, 201638 minEp 2Transcript available on Metacast

1: The Athenian Shield

Greece, as we recognize it, begins where the Dark Age ends. We meet some of the earliest known reformers that drop the first hints of democracy in reaction to the stresses of coming out of the Dark Age. This episode covers approximately 1200 BC – 594 BC.

May 19, 201633 minEp 1Transcript available on Metacast