Achilles
Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
4.7 • 13.7K Ratings
🗓️ 3 October 2023
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode contains themes of a sexual nature
Achilles is one of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology. The son of Peleus, a Greek King, and Thetis, a divine sea nymph, Achilles was a demigod with extraordinary strength and courage. The perfect combination to make a great warrior, he is perhaps best known from Homer's epic poem the Iliad, which details his adventures in the final year of the Trojan War.
He's also gone down in history for his passionate love for his companion, Patroclus. Sources and mythology differ as to the nature of their relationship, and in this episode, we ask the question: was it really erotic? What do the sources say? Does our definition of love differ from that of the Ancient Greeks? And, how did it inspire one of the greatest military generals in history: Alexander of Macedon?
To help explore these themes, host Tristan Hughes is joined by returning guest Professor Alastair Blanshard from the University of Queensland.
Voiceover: Lucy Davidson
Script Writer: Andrew Hulse
Editor: Aidan Lonergan
Assistant Producer: Annie Coloe
Senior Producer: Elena Guthrie
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Have you ever wondered what beautiful British edifice overtook the great pyramid as the |
| 0:06.0 | world's tallest building? |
| 0:08.4 | Or what Stalin did before he became leader of the Soviet Union, well you can find the |
| 0:11.8 | answer. |
| 0:12.8 | To these questions and hundreds more like them in our new book, The History Hit and Miss |
| 0:17.1 | Celeny. |
| 0:18.1 | It's the perfect present for any history fan. |
| 0:19.8 | It's available to buy now from your favourite bookshop or visit historyhit.com slash book. |
| 0:30.0 | Hey folks, Dan Snow here, welcome to Dan Snow's History Hit. |
| 0:33.0 | On this episode, we're going to share an episode of a sibling podcast that's gone bonkers |
| 0:37.8 | over on the ancients. |
| 0:39.0 | The smash hit presented by Tristan Hughes, The Tristorian, it's about Achilles. |
| 0:43.8 | How can everyone not love this Achilles? |
| 0:45.2 | It's one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology. |
| 0:48.5 | Well, is he, find out more? |
| 0:50.4 | Is everything you need to know about Achilles? |
| 0:52.6 | Did he have an erotic relationship with Petrocholus or were they just good buddies? |
| 0:57.4 | And how did he inspire one of history's greatest real-world commanders, Alexander the Great? |
| 1:02.8 | All the answers here, enjoy. |
| 1:07.0 | Thing muses. |
| 1:09.7 | Sing to me a story of heroes and the deathless gods who govern earth, sea and sky. |
| 1:19.6 | That is what Alexander of Macedon asks. |
... |
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