Best Themistocles Podcasts (2025)

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Announcements: Next Tour, Seeking Video Editor, Connect on Social Media, Patreon update 3:52

6d ago3:52

3:52

Some announcements for those of you who care about what's happening at AGD behind the scenes...

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61 Who is Lantern Jack? (Doug Interviews Me) 1:04:24

9d ago1:04:24

1:04:24

I chat with friend and fellow podcaster Doug Metzger about how I first became fascinated with the ancient world and share some of the adventures I had on the way to getting a PhD in Classical Philosophy. ------------------ Support AGD on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast ------------------ Timestamps [01:25] Why I started AGD [05:15] Why Stoicism …

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The Siege of Khartoum, 1885. Muslim Religious Zeal Cracks the British Empire. British-Muslim Policy Established. 22:48

16d ago22:48

22:48

Gordon’s fall shattered what remained of Egyptian authority in Sudan. The region, once claimed in maps and ledgers, slipped into the hands of the Mahdist state. But in Britain, the loss reverberated beyond strategy. It struck the national psyche... a public accustomed to victory saw one of its most revered officers abandoned and butchered. The out…

1
The Siege of Bilbao, 1937. Basque Culture Systematically Erased. Hitler Helps Spain in a Preview of WWII Atrocities and Experiments. 27:37

17d ago27:37

27:37

The fall of Vizcaya’s capital was both a tactical defeat and the moment the spine of Basque resistance snapped. With it went the last coordinated defense of autonomy in the north. From that point forward, there would be no organized Basque military stand, no political bargaining power, and no seat at the table in the war that continued to rage acro…

1
The Siege of The Alamo, 1836. The Violent Slaughter that made modern America. Heroic Last Stand. 21:00

1M ago21:00

21:00

The fall of the Alamo ignited a fierce, unrelenting resistance to Santa Anna’s advance, forging the resolve that would drive his army into the dirt and wrest from him the independence of Texas. The Alamo. February 23 - March 6, 1836. Texian Forces: ~ 189 Texans. Mexican Forces: 4,000 - 6,000 Soldiers. Additional Reading and Episode Research: Hardi…

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The Siege of Sevastopol, WWII 1941-42. The Largest Military Invasion in Recorded History. 21:55

1M ago21:55

21:55

The battle for Sevastopol, and the wider fight for Crimea, siphoned off critical German divisions from the southern push toward the Caucasus, delaying the drive for oil and momentum. At the same time, it gutted Soviet naval power in the Black Sea, silencing it for nearly two years and leaving the coastline exposed and vulnerable. Sevastopol. Octobe…

1
The Siege of Khe Sanh, 1968. The Killing Stroke of Communist Vietnam's Final Major Offensive. 20:12

1M ago20:12

20:12

The North Vietnamese defeat marked the terminal collapse of their ambitious 1968 campaign: an orchestrated “General Offensive” designed to fracture American resolve and ignite a nationwide uprising, brought to its knees by the very forces it sought to outmaneuver. Khe Sanh. January 21 - April 5, 1968. American and South Vietnamese Forces: ~ 6,000…

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The Siege of Fort Stanwix, American Revolution. 1777. Where an Insurrection Turn into a Revolution. 20:19

2M ago20:19

20:19

Britain’s failure to seize Fort Stanwix played a critical role in the collapse of their strategy to divide the colonies. Without control of the fort, they were unable to secure the Hudson River corridor or dominate central New York, objectives that had been essential to cutting the American rebellion in half. That one position, held against the odd…

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60 The Rise of Athens (Themistocles and the Persian Wars, Part 3) 1:06:40

2M ago1:06:40

1:06:40

During the Persian Wars, the city of Athens was completely razed to the ground by the Persian army. And yet, from its ashes, a new Athens was born, more powerful and magnificent than any other city in the Mediterranean. How did the Athenians pull that off? In this finale to our Persian Wars saga, we explore the final battles of the conflict and the…

1
The Viking Siege of Paris, 886 AD. Just 200 Parisian Men Held Paris Against 30,000 Vikings. 21:00

2M ago21:00

21:00

The siege didn’t just test the walls of Paris, it revealed its worth to all of France. In holding the city, the defenders exposed the spine of the realm. And when Charles the Fat chose appeasement over action, he sealed his fate. The dynasty of Charlemagne ended not with a charge, but with a negotiation. The Carolingians fell... because Paris refus…

1
The Siege of Plataea, 429-427 BC. First Recorded Use of Chemical Warfare. Executions. Collapse of Hellenistic Honor. 23:48

2M ago23:48

23:48

Plataea represented the first large-scale deployment of siege technology and engineered tactics in Greek warfare: an evolution that redefined how cities were attacked and defended. But its legacy reached further. It signaled the beginning of a deeper collapse: the unraveling of the social fabric and psychological cohesion that had once bound the He…

1
The Siege of Stalingrad, 1943. Hitler's Critical Error. 17:35

2M ago17:35

17:35

Germany’s failure to take Stalingrad did more than cost them a city, it collapsed the entire southern campaign. With the 6th Army destroyed and the line of advance broken, the push toward the Caucasus oil fields disintegrated. Those fields were the key to strangling the Soviet war effort, cut them off, and the Red Army’s engines would fall silent. …

1
The Siege of Boulogne, 1544. The Collapse of a Throne Built on Defiance. 19:07

2M ago19:07

19:07

King Henry, having taken Boulogne through sheer force of will, stood at the height of his final campaign, but he could not convert occupation into dominance. The victory, though real, yielded no strategic transformation. Faced with financial strain, dwindling supplies, and an unreliable ally in Emperor Charles, he abandoned further escalation. The …

1
The Siege of Basra, 1982-87. Chemical Warfare. Nerve Gas. A Million Casualties. 25:26

2M ago25:26

25:26

The fighting around Basra was the bloodiest of the Iran-Iraq War, grinding through thousands of lives as both sides hurled everything they had into the struggle. It was here that Iraq unleashed chemical weapons on a massive scale, forcing the world to take notice... not out of moral outrage, but out of the cold realization that modern warfare had c…

1
The Siege of Badajoz, 1812. Total Carnage, Absolute Gore. Napoleon's Spanish Divisions Decimated by Wellington. 23:27

2M ago23:27

23:27

When the guns fell silent and the blood-soaked ruins of Badahose lay under British control, the last obstacle between Wellington and Spain was gone. The fortress had been the key, the final lock on the door that led into Napoleon’s empire. Now, the British held that key, and there would be no turning back. The invasion of Spain had begun: not as a …

1
The Siege of Gibraltar, 1779- 1783. The Longest Siege in British History. Key to WWII Centuries Later. 26:16

2M ago26:16

26:16

The last great effort to reclaim Gibraltar ended in defeat, sealing Britain’s hold over the gateway to the Mediterranean. The Rock remained under the Union Jack, and with it, Britain maintained the power to dictate the movement of fleets, the flow of commerce, and the balance of influence in one of the world’s most contested waterways. Every empire…

1
The Siege of Carthage, 146 BC. Rome Annihilates an Entire Civilization. A General Shames Himself Before his Wife. 27:08

2M ago27:08

27:08

Carthage... was annihilated. Its streets, once filled with merchants and soldiers, became killing grounds. Its walls, once impenetrable, were torn apart stone by stone. Its people, once masters of the sea, were either slaughtered in the ruins of their homes or marched away in chains. The war was over, but this was not a victory. It was an executio…

1
The Siege of Vicksburg, 1863. The Death Knell Moment of the Rebellion. The South Reduced to Eating Rats. 35:04

3M ago35:04

35:04

With the fall of Vicksburg, the Union seized the entire length of the Mississippi River, cleaving the Confederacy in half. The South’s western states... Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas... were now isolated, their soldiers and resources cut off from the Eastern war effort. What had once been a united rebellion was now a fractured resistance, fighting…

1
The Siege of Port Arthur, 1905. Russia Humiliated. Mechanized Slaughtering Ushered in as New War Standard. 23:22

3M ago23:22

23:22

Japan’s triumph sent a shockwave through Russia... a psychological wound as devastating as the battlefield losses. Defeat at the hands of an Asian power shattered the empire’s confidence and exposed the weaknesses of its military. Meanwhile, Japan now held a strategic gateway, a fortified port that would fuel its next offensives. From here, men, we…

1
The Siege of Malta, 1565. Ottoman Power Halted in its Tracks. Muslim Invasion of the Central and Western Mediterranean Sea Ends, Forever. 29:09

3M ago29:09

29:09

The triumph of the Knights of Malta shattered the momentum of Sultan Suleiman’s ambitions, halting the Ottoman drive for total dominance over the Mediterranean. Though his empire still loomed over the region, the siege had exposed its vulnerabilities. That dream of turning the sea into an Ottoman stronghold lingered for a few more years, only to be…

1
The Siege of Rhodes, 1522. One Small Order of Knights Stops Islam from an Open Door to Europe. 20:48

3M ago20:48

20:48

With the fall of the city and the island, Suleiman secured uncontested Ottoman dominance over the eastern Mediterranean. No Christian stronghold remained to challenge his fleets, no force lingered to disrupt his empire’s control over these waters. The sea, once a battleground, was now an Ottoman domain, its trade routes and strategic ports firmly i…

1
The Siege of Imphal, 1944. Japanese Army Left to Rot. British and Indian Refusal to Surrender Alters History. 25:57

3M ago25:57

25:57

The road to India was within the Japanese Imperial Army's grasp, but at Imphal and Kohima, the Japanese advance was not just halted, it was broken. Their columns had fought, bled, and died to reach the gates of British India, but when the final shots were fired, they had nothing left. Their supply lines had collapsed. Their men were starving. Their…

1
The Siege of Grozny, 1994-95. Total Russian Military Command Failure. Grozny's Apocalyptic Destruction Breeds Insurgency. 16:28

3M ago16:28

16:28

Russia’s failure to impose enduring control over Chechnya exposed a fundamental erosion of its military strength and the brittle resolve of its leadership. What should have been a swift and decisive campaign instead unraveled into a prolonged disaster, revealing an army plagued by disorganization, low morale, and tactical ineptitude. The war laid b…

1
The Siege of Baghdad, 1258. Islam Nearly Wiped from the Earth. Mongol Expansion. Wholesale Slaughter. 23:37

3M ago23:37

23:37

When the Mongols tore through Baghdad, they did not merely sack a city for its plunder or to claim power, this time they dismantled a civilization. The once-great capital of the Islamic world, a center of power, knowledge, and commerce for half a millennium, was left a husk of its former self. Its libraries, once holding the accumulated wisdom of c…

1
59 The Ancient Novels w/ Doug Metzger (Apuleius, Lucian, Chariton, Heliodorus, Petronius, Achilles Tatius) 59:03

3M ago59:03

59:03

Unveiling the wild world of ancient Greek and Roman novels with Doug Metzger, host of the "Literature and History Podcast." ------------------ Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast ------------------ Contents of the episode, with timestamps: 04:22 When did novels first arise? 09:12 The four genres of ancient nove…

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The Siege of Magdeburg, 1631. Wholesale Savagery. Slaughter of Faiths. 27:22

3M ago27:22

27:22

The annihilation of Magdeburg was more than a military defeat... it was a warning, one that sent shockwaves through the Protestant states of northern Germany. Those who had hesitated, those who had wavered in their allegiance, now saw the cost of inaction. The city's fall was not a mere state loss; it was an execution, carried out with fire and ste…

1
The Siege of St. Augustine, FL. 1702. Spanish Fort Unconquered. Delays British American Dominance. 21:36

3M ago21:36

21:36

Spain’s victory did more than just hold the line, it secured Florida as a critical bastion, shielding its Atlantic trade routes and standing as a barrier against the rising power of the American colonies. For decades to come, it would remain a Spanish stronghold, a thorn in the ambitions of an expanding America, a reminder that the old empire was n…

1
The Siege of Kut-Al-Amara, WWI. Longest Unrelieved Siege in British History. Iraq Formed. British Government Toppled. 21:18

3M ago21:18

21:18

Kut was the longest unrelieved siege ever suffered by a British force, and its fall sent shockwaves through the empire. It wasn't just a battlefield defeat, it was a total unraveling. The loss shattered illusions of invincibility, exposed the failures of British command, and forced a reckoning that reshaped military strategy and political leadershi…

1
The Siege of Paris, 1870 - 1871. France Falls... But France Refuses to Forget; Seeding WWI. 22:54

3M ago22:54

22:54

Paris' surrender marked the end of the Franco-Prussian War, a conflict that not only crushed the Second French Empire but also gave birth to a new European superpower. In the wake of victory, the German Empire was proclaimed, uniting the fragmented German states under Prussian rule. The balance of power in Europe had shifted, permanently. But the w…

1
The Siege of Fort Fisher, US Civil War, 1865. The South's Last Artery, Severed. Heroic Last Stand of the Damned. 18:37

4M ago18:37

18:37

The fall of Fort Fisher sealed Wilmington’s fate, shutting down the last open port of the Confederacy and severing its final link to the outside world. No more weapons. No more supplies. No more war materiel smuggled through the blockade. With that final door slammed shut, the Confederacy was left to starve, fight, and die alone. Fort Fisher. Decem…

1
The Siege of Sevastopol, 1854 - 1855. Crimean War. First Use of Electrically Detonated Land Mines, Russia's Crimean Dreams Destroyed. 20:21

4M ago20:21

20:21

The loss of the port city shattered Russia’s campaign in the Crimean War. With Sevastopol gone, the Tsar’s ambitions in the region collapsed. His fleet was crippled, his armies bled white, and his empire humiliated on the world stage. No reinforcements could change the outcome now—Russia had been broken, not just militarily, but politically. The wa…

1
The Siege of Veii, ~ 404 BC - 396 BC. Rome's Walls Breached for the First and Last Time. 15:56

4M ago15:56

15:56

Rome’s victory did more than defeat a rival; it annihilated the one power that had stood as its greatest obstacle. With its most formidable enemy wiped from the map, the balance of power in central Italy shifted permanently. No force remained to contain Rome’s ambition. The republic had proven its ability to wage long, brutal war and emerge stronge…

1
The Siege of Plevna, 1877. Balkan Pan-Slavic Dream Stopped by Ottomans, but Planted Seeds for WWI. 19:29

4M ago19:29

19:29

Though the Ottomans fell at the end, their five-month stand shattered Russia’s momentum so completely that the road to Constantinople was never taken. The Tsar’s armies, bloodied and exhausted, were forced to settle for negotiation instead of conquest. The treaty that followed carved up what remained of European Turkey, stripping the empire of its …

1
The Siege of Liege, 1914. Blindsided by Courageous Belgian Resistance, German's Lightening Plan Thwarted, Paris Saved. 20:43

4M ago20:43

20:43

Belgian resistance was not supposed to exist. The German war machine had counted on speed... on smashing through the Low Countries unopposed. Instead, Belgian troops stood and fought, throwing the invasion off balance. What should have been a relentless advance became a grinding struggle, costing the Germans precious days. Those lost days gave Fran…

1
The Siege of Montségur, 1243 - 1244. The Last Stand of the Cathars. First Crusade Against Fellow Christians. 15:15

4M ago15:15

15:15

The fall of Montségur was not simply a siege, it was an annihilation of a faith. The last sanctuary of the Cathars, deemed heretics by the Catholic Church, was reduced to silence in fire and blood. Their doctrine did not fade by choice, nor by debate, but by the merciless hand of steel and flame, leaving only echoes of their defiance in the ashes. …

1
The Siege of Boston, 1775 - 1776. America Refuses to be Ruled. Ragtag Militia Besieges and Takes Boston. America is Birthed. 22:52

4M ago22:52

22:52

By driving the British from Boston, the rebellion achieved its first decisive victory, expelling the bulk of British forces from the American colonies. This triumph was more than just a strategic success... it was a surge of confidence for the revolution. The war was no longer a scattered resistance but a tangible fight for self-determination. Embo…

1
The Siege of Tobruk, 1941. Hitler's Advance East from Africa Stopped. First Real NAZI Defeat. Oil Fields Secured. Suez Saved. 19:10

4M ago19:10

19:10

British troops refused to break, grinding down the German-Italian offensive in Egypt. Their defiance did more than just slow the Axis advance—it kept them from launching a full-scale assault on Malta, the island fortress that stood between Hitler and total control of the Mediterranean. Tobruk. April 10 - December 7, 1941. Axis Forces: Unknown, Poss…

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The Siege of Sarajevo, 1991 - 1995. Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide. First UN Intervention with Force. 16:11

4M ago16:11

16:11

The relief of Sarajevo forced a turning point. Under relentless NATO bombardment and international pressure, Serbian forces withdrew, and for the first time, the government of Serbia recognized Bosnia-Herzegovina’s independence. It was a reluctant acknowledgment, extracted not through diplomacy but through force. This marked the first decisive acti…

1
58 What Did the World's First Pop Star Sound like? | Euripides and Ancient Music w/ Claire Catenaccio 59:54

4M ago59:54

59:54

What did ancient music sound like? In this episode, you will hear three songs that are over 2000 years old! Few people in the world today know more about ancient music than our guest in this episode. Claire Catenaccio is an assistant professor of classics at Georgetown University who specializes in the study of ancient drama and its modern receptio…

1
The Siege of Kinsale, 1602. Ireland Falls to British Rule. Irish Seed the American Revolution. 22:03

4M ago22:03

22:03

The English victory crushed Ireland’s last real chance at freedom, locking the island under English rule, its warriors dead, its leaders in flight, and its people left to endure centuries of occupation. But the Irish who escaped carried their hatred of the British across the Atlantic, and when revolution came to America, they stood at the front lin…

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The Siege of Fort Niagara, 1759. Iroquois Decide the Fate of France and Britain, Setting in Motion Events Leading to Iroquois Annihilation. 21:42

4M ago21:42

21:42

The British victory at Fort Niagara shattered French dominance and secured their grip on the Great Lakes, a turning point in the French and Indian War. But for the Iroquois, their cooperation in that war was not a triumph, it was the beginning of the end. Once the most formidable native power in the Northeast, they had gambled on British strength, …

1
The Siege of La Rochelle, 1627 - 1628. Protestant Huguenots Flee France, Seeds of Values Resulting in American Revolution Planted in the Colonies. 21:38

4M ago21:38

21:38

The fall of La Rochelle marked the definitive end of French toleration for Protestantism, dismantling any illusions of coexistence under the Edict of Nantes. This event triggered an exodus of Huguenots, tens of thousands fleeing persecution to seek refuge abroad, reshaping societies across Europe and the Americas. La Rochelle. September 10, 1627 - …

1
The Siege of Louisbourg, 1745. Overwhelming American Victory Plants Overconfidence That Dictated Military Doctrine for Two Centuries. 22:42

4M ago22:42

22:42

The American victory instilled an unwarranted confidence in the colonies’ military prowess, fostering a belief that their amateur forces could stand toe-to-toe with professional armies. Yet, this triumph was overshadowed by the betrayal felt when Louisbourg, hard-won through their blood and sacrifice, was handed back to France in a distant peace ne…

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The Siege of Pensacola, 1781. Spanish Covert Aid to American Rebels. Spanish Victory over British on the Gulf Coast Paves Way for America's Westward Expansion. 21:23

4M ago21:23

21:23

Spain’s resounding victory at Pensacola delivered them West Florida and, with it, a decisive blow to British ambitions in the Americas. Coupled with their relentless campaigns across the Mississippi Valley and along the Gulf Coast, the Spaniards dismantled Britain’s claim to the sprawling frontier between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River…

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The Siege of Monte Cassino, 1944; WWII. Allied Road to Rome via Gustav Line. Mixed Force Inspires NATO Formation. 22:13

4M ago22:13

22:13

The Germans’ relentless occupation of Cassino turned the town into an unyielding bastion, anchoring the Gustav Line. This fortress, besieged by Allied forces in wave after wave of bitter combat, became the lynchpin of German resistance, halting the advance through Italy’s blood-soaked terrain and barring the road to the eternal city of Rome. Monte …

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