Ever wondered why the Romans were defeated in the Tudorburg forest?

What secrets lie buried in prehistoric Ireland?

Or what made Alexander truly great?

With a subscription to history hit, you can explore our ancient past alongside the world's leading historians and archaeologists.

You'll also unlock hundreds of hours of original documentaries with a brand new release every single week covering everything from the ancient world to World War II.

Just visit historyhit.com slash subscribe.

Hello and welcome to this latest episode of the ancients where we're exploring an alliance that has been described as the ancient

history version of NATO.

It was known as the Deelian League and it existed in the 5th century BC, a league of Greek

cities spearheaded by Athens formed at the end of the Greco-Persian wars that would ultimately transform into the Athenian Empire.

And we've got on the show no one better than the leading expert in ancient Athenian imperialism

in the story of the development of the Deenian League, and that is Professor Polly Lowe from

the University of Durham.

We're going to give you the surviving evidence and we'll let you decide how far we can draw parallels,

how far we can draw links between modern-day NATO and the ancient Delian League.

What are the similarities, but also what are the stark differences?

Let's go.

In the 5th century BC, Athens became a superpower.

Defiance against the mighty Persian Empire, epitomized by a famous naval victory at Salamis, saw this city emerge from the conflict stronger than ever before.

The Athenians commanded a newly built navy, unmatched by any other Greek city, and they spearheaded a powerful

new alliance. A league of cities dotted along the Aegean coastlines and beyond, seeking security

and vengeance against the Persians. It was known as the Deelian League, after the sacred island of Delos in the Central Aegean.

...