Dionysius of Syracuse and Court Culture

“Take me back to the quarries.” Philoxenus

“Pelopidas died as he’d lived, a freedom fighter who rushed fearlessly into the fray.” James Romm

“As one approaches Chaeronea, there is a tomb of the Thebans who died in the battle with Philip. No inscription adorns it, but a monument stands over it in the form of a lion, the best emblem of the spirit of those men. It seems to me the inscription is lacking because their fortunes were not equal to their courage.” Pausanias

In this second and final episode in this series, we see the age of Thebes’ Sacred Band coming to an end, as a new power rises in Macedon. As we tackle this fundamentally important period in Greek history, we’ll run into Dionysius of Syracuse and his horrendous poetry, the rise of Philip of Macedonia and Alexander (soon to be ‘The Great’), the badass sayings of Pelopidas and his heroic death, the rise of wealthy dictators and their bloody ends, the Sacred Wars, the career of Phyrne—the greatest hetaera of the age, and the end of Thebes.  

If you feel generous and enjoy History on Fire, please consider joining my ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠ to access plenty of bonus content. 

All the links to History on Fire social media can be found at our ⁠⁠LinkTree⁠⁠, including:

⁠⁠⁠HOF YouTube⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠

⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠.

JAPAN TOUR! Let’s head out to Japan in Oct 2026. All the details at ⁠⁠Geek Nation Tours⁠⁠.

Throughout history, people have used mushrooms (such as Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, Cordyceps, Reishi and Chaga) for their medicinal properties. My friends started ⁠⁠⁠⁠Purest Mushrooms⁠⁠⁠⁠ where they offer some of the best quality mushrooms you can find on the market at affordable prices. Use code historyonfire at checkout for a discount.

Bison is some of the healthiest meat you could possibly eat. Get yours at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dakota Pure Bison⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. History on Fire listeners get a discount by using the code HOF10 at checkout.

This episode is supported by ⁠⁠Arizona State University⁠⁠. Learn more about how ASU supports all learners through all stages of life.

My friend James Pieratt is one of the world’s top functional training experts, and a record-breaking hybrid athlete. Use the code WH25 for a 25% discount on all of his training programs at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wild Hunt Conditioning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices