Athens

Thinking about booking a big historical trip in 2026? In this bonus episode of History’s Greatest Cities, travel writer and history buff Paul Bloomfield is joined by Tom Hall, vice president at Lonely Planet, to explore the best locations for history lovers. Which destinations ar ...  Show more

As celebrations for the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth unfold, we're exploring one of the places she called home: Bath. In this special episode, travel writer and history buff Paul Bloomfield is joined by Bath-based historian and writer Kirsten Elliott to explore the lo ...  Show more

While the Roman Republic was still in its infancy, the Greek city-state of Athens rose from the ruins of war with the Persians to become the most beautiful and powerful in the region. During this Golden Age, many Athenian citizens enjoyed unprecedented freedoms in the world’s fir ...  Show more

In this episode, we discuss the construction, the history, and the significance of the buildings on the Athenian Akropolis (including the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and a few others); together, these buildings mark the high point of the ...  Show more

When we think of democracy in the ancient Greek world, our minds often go straight to Athens, the purported birthplace of democracy. But was Athens truly the home of democracy? And if so, who's responsible for giving a voice to the people?

In this episode, T ...

The Peloponnesian War, the epic 30-year conflict between Athens and Sparta for control of Classical Greece, was a long time in coming. In fact, its roots went back to the Persian Wars, when Athens seized the opportunity to create an empire in the aftermath.

Pa ...