# A Load of B-S

Editor and podcast host at Aspects of History, Classics Teacher at the 'Eton of Africa', long-distance host of Frome Town FC's podcast. Documenting my tour of duty in Malawi and my African adventures, both actual and literary!

## Aspects of History Podcast: Athens and Sparta with Adrian Goldsworthy

### In a warring world of thousands of city-states, where honour, prestige, and survival were constantly at stake, two names would rise above the rest – Athens and Sparta.

[Aspects of History](https://substack.com/@aspectsofhistory) and [A Load of B-S](https://substack.com/@zebbakersmith)

May 06, 2026

In this episode of the _[Aspects of History](https://aspectsofhistory.com/)_ podcast, [Adrian Goldsworthy](http://adriangoldsworthy.com/) joins me to discuss his latest book, _[Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry that Shaped Ancient Greece](https://amzn.to/4c0etHy)_. His stimulating account runs from their respective mythic origins, their entente against the Persians, through to the Peloponnesian War.

At the fore sit their contrasting identities and ideologies – militaristic Sparta as a conquering elite and democratic Athens as an autochthonous society – and quite how these shaped their politics and ambitions.

Our conversation also considers the challenges of sources like Herodotus and Thucydides, the fragile alliances of the Persian Wars, and what descent into this enduring conflict reveals about power, warfare, and strategy.

_Adrian Goldsworthy is a historian, novelist, and the author of_ [Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry That Shaped Ancient Greece](https://amzn.to/4wapaPJ) _._

_Zeb Baker-Smith is a Classics teacher based in Malawi, a freelance journalist and Editor at_ [Aspects of History](https://aspectsofhistory.com/) _._

_Another year, another stint abroad. The intention behind this Substack is to keep my eye in on the writing front and document what promises to be quite the tour of duty, both in Africa and in the world of books (historical, postcolonial or otherwise)._  
_So do come along for the ride and please subscribe as I document my travels and reads._

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