Themistocles

The Plutarch Podcast

The Plutarch Podcast
Themistocles
May 11, 2021 Season 3 Episode 1
Tom Cox - grammaticus

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Themistocles saved Athens in its darkest hour, yet he dies in the Persian empire, the inveterate enemy of Athens. Is Themistocles a patriot or a traitor?

Important People

  • Aristides - Themistocles's main political rival and a man he has to recall from exile to help him fight Salamis. Plutarch considers Aristides to be one of the noblest Athenians who ever lived, and so their lives give us two different perspectives on almost the same time period. 
  • Eurybiades - The Spartan general in charge of the combined Greek forces at Artemisium and Salamis. 

Important Places

  • Marathon
  • Artemisium 
  • Thermopylae
  • Salamis

Show Notes and Outline of the Life

Helpful External Links

Battle of Salamis Podcast by Barry Strauss (Classics Professor at Cornell University)

Themistocles in Paintings

Plutarch's Life of Themistocles - Bernadotte Perrin translation

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