Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

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.

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.

And there are several recent studies that have emphasized that Athenian imperial designs, especially in the North Aegean, especially in the Hellespont, so the passage between the Aegean and the Black Sea, are very, very long established by this point. So the Athenians already have huge interest in trade and naval power.

And there are several recent studies that have emphasized that Athenian imperial designs, especially in the North Aegean, especially in the Hellespont, so the passage between the Aegean and the Black Sea, are very, very long established by this point. So the Athenians already have huge interest in trade and naval power.

And there are several recent studies that have emphasized that Athenian imperial designs, especially in the North Aegean, especially in the Hellespont, so the passage between the Aegean and the Black Sea, are very, very long established by this point. So the Athenians already have huge interest in trade and naval power.

And Themistocles convinces them to say, OK, well, let's double down on that and become the greatest naval power in the Greek world. That's what happens around 4832, just in time, essentially, for that fleet to become an important factor in their resistance to Persia.

And Themistocles convinces them to say, OK, well, let's double down on that and become the greatest naval power in the Greek world. That's what happens around 4832, just in time, essentially, for that fleet to become an important factor in their resistance to Persia.

And Themistocles convinces them to say, OK, well, let's double down on that and become the greatest naval power in the Greek world. That's what happens around 4832, just in time, essentially, for that fleet to become an important factor in their resistance to Persia.

For Herodotus, this is a huge thing, right? Because one of the main impulses of his writing, as he says at the beginning, is to figure out why the Greeks and barbarians went to war with each other. That is how he phrases it. That is why he wrote this.

For Herodotus, this is a huge thing, right? Because one of the main impulses of his writing, as he says at the beginning, is to figure out why the Greeks and barbarians went to war with each other. That is how he phrases it. That is why he wrote this.

For Herodotus, this is a huge thing, right? Because one of the main impulses of his writing, as he says at the beginning, is to figure out why the Greeks and barbarians went to war with each other. That is how he phrases it. That is why he wrote this.

And so when Xerxes decides to put the full might of the Persian Empire across and try and subdue the Greek mainland, that is for him this big moment where he has to try and sketch the causality. So he puts out this huge imagined council scene in which Xerxes consults with his closest ones, mostly relatives, essentially, uncles and cousins and brothers-in-law and whatnot.

And so when Xerxes decides to put the full might of the Persian Empire across and try and subdue the Greek mainland, that is for him this big moment where he has to try and sketch the causality. So he puts out this huge imagined council scene in which Xerxes consults with his closest ones, mostly relatives, essentially, uncles and cousins and brothers-in-law and whatnot.

And so when Xerxes decides to put the full might of the Persian Empire across and try and subdue the Greek mainland, that is for him this big moment where he has to try and sketch the causality. So he puts out this huge imagined council scene in which Xerxes consults with his closest ones, mostly relatives, essentially, uncles and cousins and brothers-in-law and whatnot.

to ask them, okay, should I evade Greece? And in that scene, essentially, there is a very sort of schematic thing where he has an uncle, Artabanus, who says, no, you shouldn't. This will end badly. You've already attacked the Scythians and it didn't go well. And so there's definitely motivation for him to say, maybe stop it with the adventures and just consolidate.

to ask them, okay, should I evade Greece? And in that scene, essentially, there is a very sort of schematic thing where he has an uncle, Artabanus, who says, no, you shouldn't. This will end badly. You've already attacked the Scythians and it didn't go well. And so there's definitely motivation for him to say, maybe stop it with the adventures and just consolidate.

to ask them, okay, should I evade Greece? And in that scene, essentially, there is a very sort of schematic thing where he has an uncle, Artabanus, who says, no, you shouldn't. This will end badly. You've already attacked the Scythians and it didn't go well. And so there's definitely motivation for him to say, maybe stop it with the adventures and just consolidate.

But he has an ambitious cousin called Mardonius, who immediately says, no, you should absolutely do this and it's going to be easy and it's going to be great. And we're going to just take, you know, conquer the place and take all its riches and it's going to be fantastic.

But he has an ambitious cousin called Mardonius, who immediately says, no, you should absolutely do this and it's going to be easy and it's going to be great. And we're going to just take, you know, conquer the place and take all its riches and it's going to be fantastic.

But he has an ambitious cousin called Mardonius, who immediately says, no, you should absolutely do this and it's going to be easy and it's going to be great. And we're going to just take, you know, conquer the place and take all its riches and it's going to be fantastic.