Lysander 3: Kings of Sparta
Lysander returns from his setbacks at Sparta with a revolutionary plan. He consults the gods about the Spartan Kingship; and some of his own prophecies about Greek geopolitics come true. In this episode: How should protegés treat mentors? How do you change a deeply conservative state? And, as always, what is the cost, for an individual, for a state, of striving for supreme glory?
The Cost Of Glory Episodes

Sertorius 3: Public Enemy Number One
Sertorius’ life provides many valuable lessons for leaders: lessons on strategy and tactics, the importance of preparation, knowing your territory, the power of trustw...

Sertorius 2: Crisis in Rome
Alexander Hamilton read Plutarch’s Lives, taking notes on the biographies of the founders and lawgivers of Athens, Rome, and Sparta, learning how they overcame tragedi...

Sertorius 1: Survival
Can biography arm you against misfortune? Beethoven turned to Plutarch when he went deaf. It may have been the story of Sertorius - the greatest Roman rebel - that in...
History Contains Power
My name is Alex Petkas, and in The Cost of Glory, I present you with the best stories, analyses and takeaways, from the greatest and most influential figures from Greco-Roman antiquity.