HistFest 2026: Themistocles with Professor Michael Scott

This event, originally titled ‘Themistocles – The Rise and Fall of Athens’s Naval Mastermind’, took place on 18 April 2026. The information below is correct as of the publication date.

Themistocles was one of history’s great heroes, praised by Thucydides as one of the most illustrious Greeks of all time. An instrumental political and military figure, he played key roles in the Battle of Marathon, expanded the Athenian fleet, and led Athens to victory against the Persians at Salamis .But who was the real man behind the myth?

To celebrate his acclaimed biography Themistocles: The Rise and Fall of Athens’s Naval Mastermind, Michael Scott presented a special lecture exploring the real Themistocles – decisive and heroic, but also uncertain and unprepared. Both loved and hated in Athens, his ideas were as often ignored as they were respected.

This event took place as part of HistFest 2026 and was supported by Jules Verne Ltd.

About HistFest:

HistFest is a dynamic history festival that celebrates the brightest and the best in the world of history over an exciting weekend of talks, discussions, performance and music.

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Speaker Bio:

Dr Michael Scott is an Associate Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick. He received his doctorate from Christ's College, Cambridge, and lectured at Darwin College, Cambridge, before taking up his role at Warwick. His research and teaching focuses on the ancient history and archaeology of the Greek and Roman worlds. He has written a number of books and written and presented a range of TV programmes, including Ancient Greece: The Greatest Show on Earth (BBC4, 2013) and Rome’s Invisible City (BBC1, 2015). He also presented the BBC Radio 4 series Spin the Globe from 2013-2014.

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