The Greek & Persian Wars

by John R. Hale

Book by John R. Hale

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Audiobook, Military History, Ancient, Historical

24 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Also known as J.R. Hale.

Sir John Rigby Hale FBA (17 September 1923 – 12 August 1999) was a British historian and translator, best known for his Renaissance studies.

Hale was born in Ashford, Kent. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford (B.A., 1948, M.A., 1953). He also attended Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University (1948–49).

He was a Fellow of the British Academy and Emeritus Professor of Italian History at University College, London, where he was head of the Italian Department from 1970 until his retirement in 1988. His first position was as Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Jesus College, Oxford, from 1949 to 1964. After this he became the first Professor of History at Warwick University where he remained till 1970. He taught at a number of other universities including Cornell and the University of California.

He was a Trustee of the National Gallery, London, from 1973 to 1980, becoming Chairman from 1974. He was made a Knight Bachelor on 20 August 1984.

In 1992, he suffered a severe stroke that caused aphasia. He died seven years later in Twickenham, after which his wife, the journalist Sheila Hale, wrote a book about his final years titled The Man Who Lost His Language.

Reviews

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining and solid overview of the period. Much of Hale's material overlaps with Elizabeth Vandiver's Herodotus: The Father of History, and of the the two styles, I prefer Vandiver's systematic, analytical take to Hale's general storytelling. (When Hale gets "wound up," he lapses into pronouns, and tends to forget to identify which "he" is acting at any given moment.) Vandiver is also more conscious of chronology, whereas Hale is more conscious of geography: another reason I prefer Vandiver. That said, Hale does an able job of considering these conflicts and especially putting them in a larger context of the ongoing East-versus-West clash that continues to this day.

[Joshua Dew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another 5-star lecture series from The Great Courses. Well-organized, professionally delivered, and thoroughly interesting.

[Nolan Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible story told by a master teacher...in my humble opinion the best history teacher there is. Professor Hale is an expert in classical history with few equals and is a public speaker with the same credentials. Greek and Persian history isn't one of my favorite interests but Professor Hale's captivating presentation took me from knowing almost nothing about this period(and caring almost nothing either)to hoping that someday I can see the Straits of Salamis or the pass at Thermopylae. He also doesn't follow the post-modern notion that seems to feel that history is only the teaching of past events and should have no moral lessons for us today...but points out life lessons. I am convinced that Professor Hale could give a lecture on "The Wonder of the Brown Paper Bag" and have a captive audience...I think he is that good.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started out as an ancient historian and retain a love for Greco-Roman history, and therefore enjoy slipping back into it. I thought Hale was decent, but Kelly Tipps was much better in delivering the stories. This was a good refresher for me nonetheless. There were a few things that irritated me, but overall they are worthwhile lectures.

[Kade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very "battle info" heavy. I found it kinda boring at times.

Lots of peoples' names to keep track of. This may not be an issue if you don't listen to it over a day or two, can not confirm.

The lecturer cites a lot of [admittedly often charming AND/OR entertaining] apocryphal "facts" as true facts. Idk what that's about...

He also frequently makes statements similar to:

"Jesus wore a crown of thorns and that crown has actually been found and is at This One Museum".

In my opinion, statements of that sort should be phrased more like:

"We are told in the Bible that Jesus wore a crown of thorns, and a crown of thorns was actually found by archaeologists. It was dated and found to be from a period that coincides with the time of Jesus' death. It is located at This One Museum. "

Overall this leaves me wondering if "Historians" and "Archaeologists" are cliquey and think the other group is kinda trash.

cos I'm feeling more familiar with the historian lens (which, oddly, feels more in line with a traditional scientific vibe ) and feeling preeeeetttyyy snooty over here in my armchair

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I waffled between three and four stars for this one because I really liked the lecturer and his material was solid but at the same time there was no variation from orthodoxy. No new insights as it were. He used the standard sources: Herodotus, Thucydides, Plutarch and Xenophon and didn't veer from them much at all so if you already know these guys you know the story Mr. Hale is going to tell and at times he uses them as straight factual sources which is always troublesome especially when it comes to Herodotus and Plutarch. His telling of the Persian side is especially effected by this since he doesn't use recent archeologist and anthropologic findings so you basically get the Greeks view of their ancestral enemy.

I ended up giving it four stars because I still enjoyed the lecture series, the information was solid and the lecturer was enjoyable.

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Greek & Persian Wars by John Hale is a great course in the truest meaning of the word. John Hale tells a complete story in this course, walking the reader from the first initial conception of tension between East and West (as well as deconstructing those terms) right in down to the birth of Hellenistic civilization. It is a master class, one that shows mastery over the subject matter, its source materials, and the arc of events. If I had a complaint, it would only be this: Hale doesn't get the chance to teach another course in a similar vein. Of course, he has a few others, but none that seem to be of this kind. And that is a tremendous shame. I highly recommend this one if you have any interest, at all, in the classical world.

[Bill Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lecture series is what the title says; it is on the Greek and Persian wars, which last for generations. It includes the famous battle of the 300, a battle of about 1000 Spartans, allies and helots against one of the largest Persian armies ever assembled. There is also a lot about the Athenian fleet and other Greek fleets. I never knew the Greeks, and in particular the Athenians, were such seafarers, although, given all the islands in the Aegean, it makes sense.

[Enrico · Rating 5 out of 5]

The presenting professor is very good at using his enthusiasm for the subject to infect you too. The story of the Greeks and Persians from the beginning to the death of Alexander the Great is told in 24 lectures.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging and entertaining, with a speaker who was both passionate about the subject and good at explaining the material.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid DVD lecture series. A bit quirky as a history course, but enjoyable.

[Tony Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well organized explanation of what happened during a very chaotic period of conflict.

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Jan Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the time period presented very well by Professor Hale. He covers a lot of subjects, and the accompanying PDF is essential for following along the audio version.

[Evan DeShais · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great counter balance to this is the Great courses persian empire book. The two together are a lovely history.

[Hades · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lectures are very informative and well presented. But in many places, the lecturer was obviously prejudiced against Persians. The course is mainly Greece-centric.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

" Audio download of 24 30 minute lectures and 140 page outline.
Dr Hale forms a perfect duet with Dr Harl in the reviews of the histories of this part of the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia...Harl providing the hard, sometime humorous, direct lectures, and Hale with possible the most pleasant lecture voice and meter of all the Great Courses/Teaching Company.
For those thinking of purchase, these lectures cover the time from about 560 to 320 BC, when the Persians were building their great empire and the Greeks were arguing about it (up until Alexander, that is). Dr Hale patiently describes the political situations, as well as battles, that described and mostly determined much of the political fabric that we see today in the same region...they just didn't get along well.
These are great lectures, that may, at first, come off as history-lite...but they aren't when you supplement them with some online research and fact-checking (you can find photos of archeological sites embedded in Google Earth).
Dr Hale is good!
Highly recommend, with the appropriate sale/coupon combination. "

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of 24 lectures, each 30 minutes long, goes through the history of so called Greeko-Persian Wars, a conflict stretchin over two centuries, starting with Ionian Revolt of Greeks living in Asia Minor against Persian Empire and ending with Alexander's triumph.

Content of the lectures is very accessible and presented charmingly and in light tone by the professor. I liked the fact that the lectures aren't rushed - Mr. Hales takes his time to introduce both the Greeks and the Persians and explains the 'operational situation' of that time. Once the overall picture is provided, the analysis of the conflict itself is provided.

For someone like me, who's been studying this period for a number of years, there isn't really very much new in presented material and I quickly came to regard listening to the lectures as pure entertainment (professor Hale is definitely a gifted 'story-teller'). At the same time, I am pretty sure that a novice will find these lectures to be both entertaining AND educational.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the scope of this course. It started with the Ionian revolt and didn't stop until the death of Alexander. The time between Salamis and Alexander doesn't get as much attention so it was good to fill in some gaps. It is fairly hard to follow because of all the different characters and reversals.

[Jer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really good intro to this subject matter. The instructor was clearly interested and engaging in his lectures, and I definitely came away with a greater interest in reading the original works of Thucydides and Xenophon.

Worth checking out if the topic and delivery method (audio) seems appealing.

[Heather Pagano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an enjoyable book of audio lectures. The professor knew his subject and was an engaging speaker. He gave just the right background information to explain the context of each situation and really made the battle scenes come alive.

[Aaron Kimpton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great counter balance to this is the Great courses persian empire book. The two together are a lovely history.

[Debbie Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this recounting of the Greek and Persian Wars. Although it was a history, it seemed more like different chapters in a well told tale.

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great lecture series

So much to learn! I found myself fully absorbed in these lectures. Not much gore, thankfully, but more focused on strategy,