The Maritime History Podcast

The Maritime History Podcast


Latest Episodes

040 - A Themistoclean End
April 29, 2021

Today we bring our time with the Athenian leader Themistocles to a close. The character qualities we've seen throughout his career continue to pop up even in the later stages of his life. And although

039 - Aftermath and Mycale
May 09, 2020

The Greek victory at Salamis was monumental. But in the aftermath of that victory, Greece and her leaders still had many decisions to make. It is here that we begin to see a divergence between the naval-minded leaders and their vision, and the...

038 - The Naval Battle at Salamis
January 17, 2020

We have finally arrived at the Battle of Salamis. There's a lot of buildup before the battle, and surprisingly, this phase is where a lot of the important pieces were moved into place by the wily Themistocles. We witness scenes in both the Greek and...

Mini Ep - Ship 17 at Thonis-Heracleion
March 26, 2019

In this first of what will be ongoing mini-episodes, we examine the discovery and study of Ship 17 at the ancient Egyptian city of Thonis-Heracleion. After running through the history of this city and it's significance to maritime history, we then...

037 - The Naval Battle of Artemisium - Part II
February 17, 2019

In Part II of our look at the naval Battle of Artemisium, we finally get into the heat of battle. The episode is bookended by some trickery and psychological warfare courtesy of the inimitable Themistocles. In the middle, though, we discuss the 3...

036 - The Naval Battle of Artemisium - Part I
January 01, 2019

Today we open a chapter onto the naval Battle of Artemisium. We begin by considering a prophecy which illustrates the plight that Greece found herself in as the Persian army and navy entered Europe. We discuss the state of preparation in each relative...

Member Ep. 012 - The First International Tea Clipper Race (informally speaking)
November 11, 2018

This member episode will stay on the main feed for 2 or 3 weeks to help fill the gap between main narrative episodes. In this one we take a look at the clipper ship era, and the first unofficial tea race between clippers from America and England,...

035 - The Eve of War
June 19, 2018

In today's episode we take a look at the final moves that both Greece and Persia made on the eve of their war. Themistocles and Aristides take center stage as they maneuver through the political scene of Athens, but with the success of the...

034 - Marathon and Persian Naval Power
March 04, 2018

A substantial portion of the Persian fleet was wrecked in a storm in 492 BCE, but after Darius ordered it to be rebuilt, they set sail for Greece in the summer of 490. Today's episode examines the state of the Persian navy at this point, after which...

033 - A 'Heraldless War' and a Man Named Themistocles
January 08, 2018

In today's episode the curtain rises on a young man named Themistocles. He's always recognized for the role that he played at Salamis and in the Greek navy's stand against Persia, but today we go back to the earliest we know about his life. We ended...