Introduction to Ancient Greek History (Yale Open Courses)
This is the course that really sparked my passion for Ancient Greece. Professor Donald Kagan is an eminent historian and is particularly famous for his works on the Peloponnesian War. This course covers the period from the Bronze Age origins of Greek civilization to the rise of Phillip II of Macedon. Professor Kagan’s lectures are delivered with a mixture of confidence, humility, respect, skepticism, humour, and insight. Highly recommended. If you have read Tyranny, you will see where a lot of the inspiration for the story comes from.
Literature and History Podcast
I would recommend this podcast in any case (I am a proud Patreon supporter of the Literature and History podcast by Doug Metzger,) but it has a number of outstanding episodes on Greek literature and history. Come for the extensive coverage of Hesiod and Homer (8 episodes) but stay for the Greek plays (11 episodes plus 5 more plays in bonus material.) As an introduction to the plays themselves, the episodes are fantastic, but the description of the historical and social circumstances in which the plays were written give a great deal of insight into the time period when the Demon of Athens novels take place.
Ancient Greece Declassified Podcast
Another Greece-related podcast that is definitely worth your time is the Ancient Greece Declassified podcast. The podcast’s very knowledgeable host Lantern Jack interviews noted classicists and historians about various topics related to Ancient Greece and Rome. The podcast is currently in the midst of a long multi-part series on Plato’s Republic (which will likely run 15 – 20 episodes when completed.) If the Demon of Athens novels have sparked an interest in Plato but you don’t know where to start, this is definitely the place.
