Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

These are some of the really big seismic shifts that are happening in the Greek world in this period. So I think the main event that we place in the 480s that is actually going to affect things meaningfully is the expansion of the Athenian navy. So this is something that happens in 483, around that time when the Athenians, essentially, they have a mine at Lauryon, a silver mine in their territory.

in which they suddenly find a highly productive vein. So they suddenly find a ton of silver, essentially. And then there's a decision of what are we going to do with it? And the story that's told is that initially the idea was that they were just going to distribute it among the whole population. So they were going to take that windfall and just sort of hand it out.

in which they suddenly find a highly productive vein. So they suddenly find a ton of silver, essentially. And then there's a decision of what are we going to do with it? And the story that's told is that initially the idea was that they were just going to distribute it among the whole population. So they were going to take that windfall and just sort of hand it out.

in which they suddenly find a highly productive vein. So they suddenly find a ton of silver, essentially. And then there's a decision of what are we going to do with it? And the story that's told is that initially the idea was that they were just going to distribute it among the whole population. So they were going to take that windfall and just sort of hand it out.

But Themistocles, who is a new man, he's literally the son of a man named Neocles. It's just sort of emphasizing the idea. The son of a man called New Glory.

But Themistocles, who is a new man, he's literally the son of a man named Neocles. It's just sort of emphasizing the idea. The son of a man called New Glory.

But Themistocles, who is a new man, he's literally the son of a man named Neocles. It's just sort of emphasizing the idea. The son of a man called New Glory.

We are assuming that he is not from one of the traditional sort of well-established families in Athens, but he is one of these people who get the opportunity to rise because of the democracy, you know, because there's a more sort of open access to power. He convinces the assembly instead to invest it in building more ships. So warships.

We are assuming that he is not from one of the traditional sort of well-established families in Athens, but he is one of these people who get the opportunity to rise because of the democracy, you know, because there's a more sort of open access to power. He convinces the assembly instead to invest it in building more ships. So warships.

We are assuming that he is not from one of the traditional sort of well-established families in Athens, but he is one of these people who get the opportunity to rise because of the democracy, you know, because there's a more sort of open access to power. He convinces the assembly instead to invest it in building more ships. So warships.

And the argument there, according to Herodotus, is to fight Aegina. So this is an island that is across the bay from them, so another Greek state, which has traditionally been very prominent in naval power as well as a rival to Athens in naval power. And so they build more ships to try and defeat that.

And the argument there, according to Herodotus, is to fight Aegina. So this is an island that is across the bay from them, so another Greek state, which has traditionally been very prominent in naval power as well as a rival to Athens in naval power. And so they build more ships to try and defeat that.

And the argument there, according to Herodotus, is to fight Aegina. So this is an island that is across the bay from them, so another Greek state, which has traditionally been very prominent in naval power as well as a rival to Athens in naval power. And so they build more ships to try and defeat that.

One story in Herodotus is that they build 200 triremes, which is a state-of-the-art warship of the period. But another source, the Athenaeum Politeia, which dates to a later period but preserves some good alternative information, says they already had 100 ships and they built 100 more.

One story in Herodotus is that they build 200 triremes, which is a state-of-the-art warship of the period. But another source, the Athenaeum Politeia, which dates to a later period but preserves some good alternative information, says they already had 100 ships and they built 100 more.

One story in Herodotus is that they build 200 triremes, which is a state-of-the-art warship of the period. But another source, the Athenaeum Politeia, which dates to a later period but preserves some good alternative information, says they already had 100 ships and they built 100 more.

So that's an important difference because in one of those stories, Athens has no navy and suddenly decides, let's become a naval power, which sounds very convenient when they then end up sort of fighting the Persians at sea. The other story is that the Athenians already have strong naval interests and just decide to double down on them.

So that's an important difference because in one of those stories, Athens has no navy and suddenly decides, let's become a naval power, which sounds very convenient when they then end up sort of fighting the Persians at sea. The other story is that the Athenians already have strong naval interests and just decide to double down on them.

So that's an important difference because in one of those stories, Athens has no navy and suddenly decides, let's become a naval power, which sounds very convenient when they then end up sort of fighting the Persians at sea. The other story is that the Athenians already have strong naval interests and just decide to double down on them.

And that actually makes a lot more sense when you see that Athenians in this period have already been meddling in the Chersonese, in the Hellespont, and they have overseas interests. They have had them for a very long time.