Combat Story (Ep 42): Barry Strauss on Brasidas | Spartan Legend | Commander | Special Ops Pioneer
Today we have a unique History Edition of Combat Story focused on Sparta. As you know, I’m fascinated by the experiences of warriors in combat and I’ve always wanted to better understand what the combat experience would have been like for veterans from history like the Spartans, Romans, or Mongols.
On this episode, we’ll interview Professor Barry Strauss, an accomplished scholar, historian, and expert on ancient military history. Barry brings to life a very famous Spartan warrior named Brasidas as we dive into his combat story.
Brasidas led warriors into remarkable battles employing conventional tactics but also leveraging special operations and psychological or hybrid warfare with great success. Barry gives us a front row seat of what it was like to grow up and live in this austere, militaristic, and aggressive society we know as Sparta.
We could not have done this without Barry, who is a Professor of History and Classics at Cornell University, Series Editor of Princeton’s Turning Points in Ancient History, author of eight books, and a military and naval historian and consultant.
Professor Strauss is a recognized authority on the subject of leadership and the lessons that can be learned from the experiences of the greatest political and military leaders of the ancient world (Caesar, Hannibal, Alexander among many others).
He has a new book coming out in March 2022 titled The War that Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium.
I hope you enjoy this unique Combat Story and the dive into the world of Sparta as much as I did.
#specialops #sparta #combatstory #barrystrauss #brasidas #thisissparta
Find Barry Online:
Website https://barrystrauss.com/
Author of The War that Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium, available March 2022 https://tinyurl.com/cz545kex
Facebook / barrystrauss.author
Twitter @barrystrauss / barrystrauss
Podcaster, ANTIQUITAS: Leaders and Legends of the Ancient World
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Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle
Guest: Dr. Barry Strauss
Host: Ryan Fugit
Editor: Owen Fugit
Show Notes
0:00 - Intro
1:46 - Interview begins
1:55 - Warriors of the Past
3:50 - Barry’s background
7:18 - Facts and Fiction about Sparta
9:14 - The Greek and Persian Empires
12:20 - The Peloponnesian War
15:57 - Brasidas, Son of Tellis
17:55 - About Thucydides
18:47 - Life of a Spartan
22:52 - The Hoplites and the Phalanx
23:14 - “You had to fight as a unit, and you needed not to run away when the going got rough.”
23:44 - The Secret Service: The Spartan Rite of Passage
25:15 - Spartan Women
26:03 - “When the men were away fighting, it’s the women who ran the households in Sparta.”
27:05 - “I’d rather you came back dead than come back alive without your shield.”
28:35 - Spartan Loyalty
29:18 - “When Spartan males married, they had to sneak off to see their wives at night.”
30:31 –Secrecy as a Weapon.
31:44 - “The Spartans would do unconventional things to protect their security.”
32:18 - The Difference in Brutality in Spartans and Athenians
32:57 - Rising in the Ranks as a Spartan
34:08 - The Spartan Way of War
35:48 - The Athenian’s First Encounter with Brasidas
48:58 - “Brasidas is just an incredible leader. He’s a man of amazing charisma.”
50:58 - Brasidas’ Greatest Coup
52:02 - The Exile of Thucydides
52:53 - Siege of Toroni
55:31 “It’s not the kind of thing that you expect to see from the Spartans. This guy’s thinking outside the box.”
56:30 - Siege Warfare
57:49 - Brasidas’ Number One Enemy
1:00:41 - “The Spartan way of war is being on the offensive and fighting a conventional battle. “
1:01:20 - “They believe that long hair made good-looking men look better and ugly men look more frightening.”
1:02:09 - Psychological Warfare
1:02:59 - The Death of Brasidas
1:03:00 - “If the Athenians had been halfway competent, Brasidas would have been stuck.”
1:03:58 - The Pro-Athenian and Pro-Spartan Factions
1:04:29 - Discovering the Possible Remains of Brasidas
1:05:07– “There aren’t other Spartans who engage in tactics like his.”
1:06:00 - In some ways, Brasidas is a one-off. In other ways, he has a big impact on future generations of Spartans.”
1:06:30 - Retirement from Spartan Military
1:08:02– Barry’s Upcoming book - The War that Made the Roman Empire
1:11:00 - What excites Barry about writing