The Western Traditions Podcast

Episode II.13 - Magna Graecia

The many lands of the ancient Greeks. Mystery religions, Greek sexuality and the hoplite warrior.

Episode II.12 - Athens

From Theseus to Solon and Pisistratus, the complex, chaotic history of Athens unfolds. Prelude to the Persian War.

Episode II.11 - Sparta

Plutarch’s essay on Lycurgus. Laconia and Lacedaemon. The Spartans, their government, their lives, their army. Leonidas, Gorgo and Thermopylae.

Episode II.10 - Introduction to the Second Unit: Classical Greece

The Greek polis or city-state. The city of Thebes and the tragedy of Oedipus. The value of the state and the importance of politics in classical Greece.

Episode II.09 - The Greek Dark Ages

Life in Greece after the Bronze Age Collapse. Homer and Hesiod. The mystery religions.

Episode II.08 - The Odyssey

Homer’s second great epic poem about the long-delayed return of Odysseus from the Trojan War.

Episode II.07 - The Iliad

Homer’s great epic poem about the rage of Achilles outside the walls of Troy.

Episode II.06 - The Trojan War

A wedding attended by gods leads to disastrous war among men. The Trojan War is a fundamental event for all ancient Greeks.

Episode II.05 - Greek Mythology: Part Two

More Greek myths. The sexual conquests of Zeus, tales from Crete and the stories of heroes such as Heracles and Perseus.

Episode II.04 - Greek Mythology: Part One

The first episode on Greek Mythology, beginning with the creation of the world out of chaos and ending with the advent of the twelve Olympian gods.