Dr. Roel Konijnendijk

And if you think about, you know, the old theater of Dionysus carved into the southern slopes of the Acropolis, there, there would have been, you know, Athenians who had been at that battle, or there would have been families who had lost fathers or brothers or sons at that battle.

And if you think about, you know, the old theater of Dionysus carved into the southern slopes of the Acropolis, there, there would have been, you know, Athenians who had been at that battle, or there would have been families who had lost fathers or brothers or sons at that battle.

And it's really quite a remarkable thing that Aeschylus does in his play, Persi, the Persians, to basically create a tragedy out of modern history to begin with. This is not a fantasy mythical thing, even though we have ghosts and all of that kind of thing in it. But also what he does in that is create this sense of Athenian-ness.

And it's really quite a remarkable thing that Aeschylus does in his play, Persi, the Persians, to basically create a tragedy out of modern history to begin with. This is not a fantasy mythical thing, even though we have ghosts and all of that kind of thing in it. But also what he does in that is create this sense of Athenian-ness.

And it's really quite a remarkable thing that Aeschylus does in his play, Persi, the Persians, to basically create a tragedy out of modern history to begin with. This is not a fantasy mythical thing, even though we have ghosts and all of that kind of thing in it. But also what he does in that is create this sense of Athenian-ness.

And literally these individuals sitting in the theater would have been able to see each other across the auditorium, basically. They would have recognized people and the names in there. But I think there's something even more remarkable going on in that incredible play.

And literally these individuals sitting in the theater would have been able to see each other across the auditorium, basically. They would have recognized people and the names in there. But I think there's something even more remarkable going on in that incredible play.

And literally these individuals sitting in the theater would have been able to see each other across the auditorium, basically. They would have recognized people and the names in there. But I think there's something even more remarkable going on in that incredible play.

Edward Said, back in 1979, when he published his great book, Orientalism, which is all about this kind of East-West divide, said that Orientalism starts with Aeschylus in the Persians. I always wonder how much Said actually read the Persians. Did he read it very deep at all? Because what comes over in that play is actually simply nobody benefits from war.

Edward Said, back in 1979, when he published his great book, Orientalism, which is all about this kind of East-West divide, said that Orientalism starts with Aeschylus in the Persians. I always wonder how much Said actually read the Persians. Did he read it very deep at all? Because what comes over in that play is actually simply nobody benefits from war.

Edward Said, back in 1979, when he published his great book, Orientalism, which is all about this kind of East-West divide, said that Orientalism starts with Aeschylus in the Persians. I always wonder how much Said actually read the Persians. Did he read it very deep at all? Because what comes over in that play is actually simply nobody benefits from war.

What's incredible is these scenes of Persian women and Athenian women weeping for their sons and their husbands. It is a great anti-war play. It's not the kind of table-thumping xenophobia we might have expected from an Athenian playwright writing about a victory over the dreaded enemy. It's a much, much more subtle war play than Said or many other people who have studied it have ever seen.

What's incredible is these scenes of Persian women and Athenian women weeping for their sons and their husbands. It is a great anti-war play. It's not the kind of table-thumping xenophobia we might have expected from an Athenian playwright writing about a victory over the dreaded enemy. It's a much, much more subtle war play than Said or many other people who have studied it have ever seen.

What's incredible is these scenes of Persian women and Athenian women weeping for their sons and their husbands. It is a great anti-war play. It's not the kind of table-thumping xenophobia we might have expected from an Athenian playwright writing about a victory over the dreaded enemy. It's a much, much more subtle war play than Said or many other people who have studied it have ever seen.

Now, many centuries later, that morphs and evolves. In later centuries, we have a guy called Timotheus who creates this kind of narrative, which was probably sung like an opera aria about the Battle of Salamis. And there, he did all the voices, as it were, of the Persian soldiers drowning in the seas, of the screaming of the Persian soldiers on land and so forth.

Now, many centuries later, that morphs and evolves. In later centuries, we have a guy called Timotheus who creates this kind of narrative, which was probably sung like an opera aria about the Battle of Salamis. And there, he did all the voices, as it were, of the Persian soldiers drowning in the seas, of the screaming of the Persian soldiers on land and so forth.

Now, many centuries later, that morphs and evolves. In later centuries, we have a guy called Timotheus who creates this kind of narrative, which was probably sung like an opera aria about the Battle of Salamis. And there, he did all the voices, as it were, of the Persian soldiers drowning in the seas, of the screaming of the Persian soldiers on land and so forth.

And that is far more kind of tub-thumping bit of propaganda. But I find it really remarkable that in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Salamis, Aeschylus presented his city and his fellow citizens with an image of the Battle of Salamis that in many respects contradicts what Herodotus was going to say about later on. It is a cautionary tale more than a tale of bravado and warfare.

And that is far more kind of tub-thumping bit of propaganda. But I find it really remarkable that in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Salamis, Aeschylus presented his city and his fellow citizens with an image of the Battle of Salamis that in many respects contradicts what Herodotus was going to say about later on. It is a cautionary tale more than a tale of bravado and warfare.

And that is far more kind of tub-thumping bit of propaganda. But I find it really remarkable that in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Salamis, Aeschylus presented his city and his fellow citizens with an image of the Battle of Salamis that in many respects contradicts what Herodotus was going to say about later on. It is a cautionary tale more than a tale of bravado and warfare.