The Ionian Greeks along with their allies from Athens and Eretria had entered and burn Sardis, though they failed to take the Acropolis. They withdrew back to the coast where the Persian would catch up to them and fight the battle of Ephesus. The Greeks would be defeated with the survivors making for their cities, the Athenians and Eritreans sailing home to take no more part in the revolt.

With no more aid coming from Greek lands, the Ionians would now take measures that would see the revolt spread throughout other parts of Anatolia. By 497, Much of Aeolia, the Hellespont, Caria and even as far south as Cyprus would be in open revolt. Though, with the revolt spreading, the Persians would be arranging a response to punish those responsible and bring these lands back under their control.

Multiple Persian armies would operate throughout the western parts of the empire seeing that Cyprus would once again become a Persian possession. Further operations would also see the trade rich areas of the Hellespont coming back under Persian control. Caria and Ionia would prove slightly more of a challenge. Caria would see hard fighting and would see the Persians having to deal with partisan operations. While In Ionia, a major set piece battle would be fought before the Persians could begin reducing the Ionian cities one by one. Eventually, western Anatolia would be back in Persian hands.

Persia’s attention would then shift west to Greek lands, where the Ionians, now Persian subjects once again would be part of the forces marching west. They would make up a sizable portion of the Persian navy during both the first and second Persian invasions. With the Greek victory over Persia during the invasions, the war would enter Persian lands in Ionia. The Ionians would now be encouraged to revolt for the second time, with the spark being lit during the battle of Mycale. The region would become important during future operations, with events and decisions leading to unintended consequences for a new generation of Greeks.

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This is a teaser of the bonus episode, The Recovery of Writing found over on Patreon.

In this bonus episode we look deeper into the re-emergence of writing in Greek lands as the region was transitioning from the Dark Ages and into the Archaic Age. Writing was not a new invention in Greek lands, the Mycenaeans of the Bronze Age used a scripted known as Linear B for administrative purposes. Though, with the Bronze Age collapse, the Mycenaeans, along with Linear B would disappear. What would emerge in Greece as the land began to recover would be a new script borrowed from the Phoenicians, but altered by the Greeks to become the Greek alphabet. 

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New bonus episodes and series updates come out in the first week of every month, 

The words of the Delphic oracle had rung true, the rising empire founded by Cyrus the great, the Persians had just destroyed a mighty empire, in that of king Croesus and his Lydians. The Greeks of Ionia had stood by idle only having been subjected to the Lydians a generation earlier. Cyrus had tried to incite the Greeks to rebel, though they would wait to see which way the winds would blow.

With the Persian victory the Greeks now sought to arrange favourable terms with the new power in the region. Though, their fence sitting would find their attempts met with anger and distain from Cyrus. With Sardis captured and only mopping up operations left in the west, Cyrus departed back into the empire leaving his commanders to finish the job.

As the Persians absorbed the Lydian system into their own, resistance would develop with one last effort of the Lydians attempting to regain control. Cyrus would learn of the Lydian revolt and detach an army to head back to stamp it out as quickly as possible. With the revolt under control measures were now taken to punish those regions involved. This would see all of the Greek cities along the Anatolian coast now fully integrated into the Persian Empire.

 After a generation living under Persian control, dissatisfaction in the Ionian Greek cities would begin to make itself known. The Greeks were living under tyrannies acting in the interests of the Persians, though they had not been particularly popular before this time also. A combination of tyrannical rule, Persian tribute pressures as well as personal ambitions would all end up seeing a revolt develop in Ionia. The Ionians would take the initiative and launch an attack on Sardis, though it would fail and the revolt would drag on for a number of years. 

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With the collapse of the Bronze Age the Hittite Empire which had dominated Anatolian lands would vanish from the world stage. Its presence and legacy would only be rediscovered in our modern times showing the influence it once held. With its destruction the region of Anatolia would fragment into many small kingdoms and principalities looking to exert control in their immediate areas.

With the passage of time, recovery would take hold seeing conditions arise for the establishment of another empire to spread its influence into Anatolia. Though, internal problems would see that outside pressure would lead to the decline of the Neo-Assyrians, thanks to the Medes and Babylonians. But they would not be the next great empire to emerge. The Persians would rise up out of obscurity and incorporate the Medes into their newly created empire, before then expanding to include much of Asia Minor.

Meanwhile over on the West coast of Anatolia, the Greeks had been arriving on the shores, from across the Aegean. Perhaps the collapse of Mycenaean civilisation seen the first influx of Greeks, but the migrations would continue. This would end up seeing a great many Greek cities dot the Anatolian coast line and see such areas as Ionia form. Though, they had not settled in lands that were empty, with hostile and friendly interactions taking place.

One of the largest powers to have developed in the western part of Anatolia during the period the Greeks were settling, was the Lydian kingdom. They would be seen to have roots stretching back into the Bronze Age, though it would be their third and final dynasty that would enter the pages of history. By the time of the last Lydian king, Croesus, all the Greek cities of Ionia would no longer be free but under the Lydian Empire, well that was until ever expanding Persia arrived on the eastern Lydian boarder. Cyrus the Great of Persian would defeat the Lydians and absorb them into his empire, the largest yet seen. The Greeks, would not gain their freedom, but would now answer to a new master.

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This is a teaser of the bonus episode, The Olympic Games found over on Patreon.

We now visit the event that would come to define the start of the Archaic Age, the Period we are now exploring. The modern Olympic Games would take their inspiration from the Ancient games first held in 776 BC at the Polis of Olympia, give them their name. 

In this episode we look at the revival of the ancient tradition just over 100 years ago, which would establish the modern Olympics still held today. We then look to the Ancient games, what they were and how they were apart of Greek culture, While also seeing the differences with what we celebrate today.

We then look at the 1000 year period they would be held, seeing how they would end up declining and vanishing from history.

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New bonus episodes and series updates come out in the first week of every month, 

45: The Greek Periphery, Anatolia

We now arrive to the east of Greek lands in what would become one of the most influential regions to Greek history on its periphery. Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor would have a history of human habitation stretching back over 1 million years, with other sites dotted throughout the region pointing to its continued habitation for the hundreds of thousands of years following.

As the world was coming out of the Ice Age some 12000 years ago, it would enter the Neolithic Age. Hunter-gatherers were seen to have been the only groups to have occupied all the inhabited areas of the world. Though, recent discoveries in Anatolia would start to question the long-held views of hunter-gather societies. The Sites of Çatalhöyük and Göbekli Tepe would suggest these groups were able to organise themselves on a far grander scale than previously thought.

As the Millennia passed distinct cultures would start to form with most settling into a sedentary way of life. This would see civilisations form around powerful centres ushering in the Bronze Age and the rise of empires. One of the greatest to emerge in Anatolia would be the Hittites, also developing through Indo-European migrations from the north. Much around the Hittites remains mysterious, though in more recent years, steady progress on translating the many Hittites text found at its capitol Hattusa is starting to give us a glimpse into the empire’s workings.

Though, Anatolia would also feel the effects of the Bronze Age collapse with the Hittite Empire vanishing from history, with only traces of its culture found amounts some of the fragmented kingdoms that would scatter the region. With the collapse would see a number of new comers to the region, one of these would be the Greeks, decedents of the Mycenaeans, who would dot the western coast with many of their cities.

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The eve of the Greek and Persian wars would see a point in Macedonian history where the transition of power from one king to another would take place. This would see Amyntas after his rule since the mid 6th century pass power to his son Alexander the first at the opening of the 5th. This would take place on the backdrop of Persian advances into Thrace before Macedon would then begin engaging diplomatically.

It becomes difficult to tell at what point Macedon would offer earth and water to the Persian empire, with colourful stories entering into the historical record. Though, by the time of the first invasion it seems Macedon had submitted in some form. The marriage of Alexanders sister to a Persian governor, also a relative of Xerxes would seem to indicate this.

Alexander and his Macedonians would appear in Herodotus’ narrative a number of times as Xerxes invasion unfolded. They would be shown to provide assistance as the Persians marched through their lands, while also providing advice to the Greeks as they prepared to defend their lands, before and during battles. 

Alexanders position during the invasions was a difficult one. He was a benefactor and friend of the Athenians, though he had also submitted to the Persians and expected to assist their campaign against the Greeks. This would see Alexander to play a delicate balancing game as the war unfolded, being careful to maintain his relationship with the Greeks, though also ensuring not to anger Xerxes and his obligations, or risk the ruin of his lands.

This episodes book recommendation: Herodotus, The Histories (Translated by Tom Holland)

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This is a teaser of the bonus episode, The Lelantine War found over on Patreon.

The Lelantine War is an obscure conflict to us today, thanks to the very limited sources focusing on this war. Though, what dose seem to come through in the various fragments, making reference to the conflict, is the grand scale this war would be waged on. The Lelantine War would be waged right at the beginning of the Archaic period in Greek lands, between Greek cities. Our sources placing its importance comparable to other great conflicts such as; the Trojan War, the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War. Though, unlike those conflicts, we are left to hypothesize to a greater degree thanks to the very limited information available.

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Many tribes existed throughout the Balkan region in the Neolithic to the Bronze Age where we would see defined cultures develop with the onset of the Iron Age. We hear origin stories and hints at the early Macedonians in Myth through Homer and Hesiod. We even get through Herodotus, the hint of a tribe called the Makednoi during the Bronze Age in the mountains north of Greece.

The culture of the Macedonians that emerge in the Archaic Age and into the Classical Age, would seem to be the result of many migrations that had been filtering south into Greek lands as well as other locations. These migrations would be seen to have peoples with Indo-European roots consistently moving through much of the Balkans through many generations, help spread a common root language and ideas.

It wouldn’t be until Herodotus that we start to hear about the origins of the Macedonian dynasty, the Argead, develop. Although this was some 250 years after the foundation of the kingdom of Macedon, it appears to be the official account coming from the Macedonia court. This traditional telling would see the Argeads being descendants of Heracles and coming from the city of Argos down on the Peloponnese.

The kingdom established, rule in Macedon appears to be somewhat stable with dates of the various kings being very respectable lengths. During these generations the territory of the Macedonians would expand out of the Pierian Mountains, north of Mount Olympus. By the opening of the Greek and Persian Wars and under the 7th King Alexander I, they would control lands along the coast of the Pierian Mountains, the coastal plains around the Thermaic Gulf and north across the Haliacmon River. 

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This is a teaser of the bonus episode, Mycenaean Aftermath found over on Patreon.

Having looked at some of the explanations for the Mycenaeans collapse at the end of the Bronze Age, we now turn to questions around what happened to them and where did they go. We look at what was taking place in Greek lands in the wake of the collapse, while also turning to areas across the Mediterranean.

If you would like to hear more and support the series click on the Patreon link at the bottom of the page or you can head to my website to discover other ways to support the series, Here

New bonus episodes and series updates come out in the first week of every month,