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The Rest Is History

99. Thermopylae & Salamis Episode 2

The Rest Is History

Goalhanger

History

4.626.6K Ratings

🗓️ 21 September 2021

⏱️ 58 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook continue their celebration of the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian invasion of Greece. Today, they look at two battles which have echoed down the millennia: Thermopylae, the very archetype of a heroic defeat, and Salamis, the great naval clash which saved Greece from Persian conquest. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia! Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com Twitter:  @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello and welcome to the Restless History, Dominic. Have you heard the latest exciting news about our live tour?

0:10.0

I have, Dominic. It's actually shocking news. It's shocking but also heartening. But just to remind you the listener, the rest is history is going on a nationwide tour at the end of April 2023.

0:21.0

I say tour but it's for three nights only. We'll be in London on the 25th of April and the historic Drury Lane Theatre. Then we'll be able to edit more of the following evening on the 26th of April to play at Usher Hall.

0:33.0

And we will finish on the 30th of April at the Larry in Sulford Greater Manchester. But Tom, the listeners are gacking to know about this shocking news that you have for them about the tour.

0:43.0

Ladies and gentlemen, I can announce that our London live show has now sold out. I repeat, all 2000 seats, yes 2000 seats at Drury Lane Theatre are now sold out.

0:55.0

So not even frozen the musical, the show that we are of course replacing at Drury Lane, not even frozen sold out that quickly.

1:03.0

I can imagine Elsa listening to this right now, fuming at the very thought of the rest is history stealing her snowy thunder. But Elsa, all I will say to you is let it go.

1:15.0

People can go to both shows.

1:17.0

But just to emphasize, that's our first live date already sold out and tickets are selling incredibly quickly for Sulford and Edinburgh too.

1:24.0

So if you do want to come, please buy your ticket right now to avoid disappointment. Now, if you've never been to one of our live shows, what a treat or wait. So we have an incredibly inventive approach.

1:34.0

Tom will take the first half and he will be running through his repertoire of Marilyn Monroe songs and I do be the do thanks for that.

1:40.0

And I will be picking up after the interval with the PowerPoint presentation on the economic policies of Stanley Baldwin. It's an absolute riot.

1:47.0

Fun for all the family. So these are our first ever shows outside London as a podcast. So we'll be putting on a tour de force. I think Dominic is the only word for it in both greater Manchester and the Scottish capital.

1:58.0

There'll be impressions, perhaps a Mureguin pipe music and plenty of absolute lads from history.

2:05.0

Here is how you can get tickets. Just go to restishistorypod.com. It is very, very, very straightforward. That is www.restishistorypod.com. Buy your tickets now to Sulford and Edinburgh before it's too late.

2:22.0

Have the Greeks been defeated at Salamis, not only would the West lost its first struggle for independence and survival, but it is unlikely that there would have ever been such an entity as the West at all.

2:45.0

So says the blurb for a little known history book called Persian Fire by Tom Holland. So Tom. You did write that. You did write that. So we ended the last episode of the restis history on a moment of extraordinary tension, anticipation and drama.

3:04.0

The great Persian army of Xerxes has crossed the helispont and the fleet. They have crossed the helispont. They have come all the way down into central Greece. Athens is at bay. The Spartans have pitched up at the hot gates of Thermopoly hoping to block the Persian advance.

3:24.0

And we ended last time with you saying there was electricity in the air, quite literally. So I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next.

3:34.0

The fleet of Artemisian, the watch tower on Skethos, has signaled that the Persian fleet is coming. There's a squadron of Sardonian ships that's from side and in Phoenician.

3:46.0

So the great naval power of the Mediterranean and the great rivals to the Greeks and they are subject to the Persian king. There are three Greek ships. They don't put up a great show. One of them gets captured.

4:00.0

Another one runs onto a show and the third one comes back and says, ah, the Persians are coming. That's very good. No, it's not a good start.

...

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