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The Greco-Persian Wars
This is a reissue, with a new introduction and an update to the bibliography, of the original edition, published in 1970 as The Year of Salamis in England and as Xerxes at Salamis in the U.S.
The long and bitter struggle between the great Persian Empire and the fledgling Greek states reached its high point with the extraordinary Greek victory at Salamis in 480 B.C. The astonishing sea battle banished forever the specter of Persian invasion and occupation. Peter Green brilliantly retells this historic moment, evoking the whole dramatic sweep of events that the Persian offensive set in motion. The massive Greek victory, despite the Greeks' inferior numbers, opened the way for the historic evolution of the Greek states in a climate of creativity, independence, and democracy, one that provided a model and an inspiration for centuries to come.
Green's accounts of both Persian and Greek strategies are clear and persuasive; equally convincing are his everyday details regarding the lives of soldiers, statesmen, and ordinary citizens. He has first-hand knowledge of the land and sea he describes, as well as full command of original sources and modern scholarship. With a new foreword, The Greco-Persian Wars is a book that lovers of fine historical writing will greet with pleasure.
The long and bitter struggle between the great Persian Empire and the fledgling Greek states reached its high point with the extraordinary Greek victory at Salamis in 480 B.C. The astonishing sea battle banished forever the specter of Persian invasion and occupation. Peter Green brilliantly retells this historic moment, evoking the whole dramatic sweep of events that the Persian offensive set in motion. The massive Greek victory, despite the Greeks' inferior numbers, opened the way for the historic evolution of the Greek states in a climate of creativity, independence, and democracy, one that provided a model and an inspiration for centuries to come.
Green's accounts of both Persian and Greek strategies are clear and persuasive; equally convincing are his everyday details regarding the lives of soldiers, statesmen, and ordinary citizens. He has first-hand knowledge of the land and sea he describes, as well as full command of original sources and modern scholarship. With a new foreword, The Greco-Persian Wars is a book that lovers of fine historical writing will greet with pleasure.
344 pages, Paperback
First published July 23, 1970
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About the author
Peter Green
67 books91 followersThere is more than one author by this name in the database.
Peter Morris Green was a British classical scholar and novelist noted for his works on the Greco-Persian Wars, Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age of ancient history, generally regarded as spanning the era from the death of Alexander in 323 BC up to either the date of the Battle of Actium or the death of Augustus in 14 AD.
Peter Morris Green was a British classical scholar and novelist noted for his works on the Greco-Persian Wars, Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age of ancient history, generally regarded as spanning the era from the death of Alexander in 323 BC up to either the date of the Battle of Actium or the death of Augustus in 14 AD.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
June 12, 2017
The first book of my summer reading on the Greco-Persian wars and it was a great introduction. It starts with the creation of the Persian Empire and ends with the hints of an Athenian Empire. I am not sure how easy it is for a person who knows nothing of the conflict since the author sometimes references events that has not happen chronologically yet or been dealt with by the author. The language is as always a bit hard when it comes to dealing with ancient/classical works since there are allot of places that don't exist anymore, names that are not so common anymore and sometimes people are mentioned just once such as in this battle X son of Y heroically did this and then never mentioned again, just a minor detail. Peter Green also uses allot of french sentences and words which for the most part was new to me, I know allot of terms from political philosophy but most of these were completely new so be prepared to check up the meanings of these french sentences while reading.
In general I liked the book very much, it had some good maps but sometimes the maps weren't on the pages that I would have liked them to be but its just a detail. I will definitely read Peters Greens book on Alexander the great once I get to that era of history.
In general I liked the book very much, it had some good maps but sometimes the maps weren't on the pages that I would have liked them to be but its just a detail. I will definitely read Peters Greens book on Alexander the great once I get to that era of history.
August 16, 2012
A favourite. A clear, well-researched,fluidly-written account of the wars that shaped Greece's view of itself and allowed Athens' rise to empire, glory, and doom. Green never allows himself to be blinded by the version of the story that the Greeks would make so famous, and gives due regard to the Persian side of the tale. Green's famous (or notorious) wit is in evidence, as is his sharp sense of historical probability. Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, Plataea, it's all here, as are the great figures of history and drama--- Themistokles, Darius, Xerxes, Leonidas. Very much worth your while if you have any interest in the greatest of the wars of ancient Hellas.
September 30, 2009
More enjoyable than the subject matter is Green's writing style: both accessible and brisk, combining humor and suspense.
My only word of warning is that it may be bit hard to follow without passing familiarity with the period in question. Green has a tendency to make references without apology or explanation, and while this helps to maintain the pace of the work, it does add a barrier to be overcome by the uninitiated.
However the payoff, particularly if one follows the notes and is willing to do a little extra-curricular reference hunting, is well worth it.
My only word of warning is that it may be bit hard to follow without passing familiarity with the period in question. Green has a tendency to make references without apology or explanation, and while this helps to maintain the pace of the work, it does add a barrier to be overcome by the uninitiated.
However the payoff, particularly if one follows the notes and is willing to do a little extra-curricular reference hunting, is well worth it.
September 25, 2018
The struggle that seeded panhellenism in the surprisingly disjunct ancient Hellenic world, described at length.
I'm a new fan of Themistocles :)
I'm a new fan of Themistocles :)
December 23, 2018
A vividly written account, perhaps the best on the subject.
January 10, 2025
Green's ability to maintain a taut historical narrative while still airing it out with his present-day ops every chance he gets is unprecedented. 5 Stars
October 30, 2017
Donald Kagan calls Mr. Green's Greco-Persian opus magnus "a brilliant piece of popular scholarship." It is definitely scholarly with extensive Notes and Bibliography sections. As well Green explores and expounds upon the strategy and tactics of all the players whilst keeping focus and without wandering down any hair-of-the-gnat rabbit holes. I suspect that Kagan uses the adjective "popular" as a mode of conveying Green's pace and writing style. Many history books -- and certainly most text books -- earn the appellative of being a bit dry. The Greco-Persian Wars was as much a page-turner as Kagan's The Peloponnese War. Both are lucid and clear-eyed, well-paced and superbly written. And, though I had just finished two other accounts of the Greco-Persian conflict -- one focused on the battle of Thermopylae and the other on Salamis -- Green's accounting was more thorough -- beginning with Darius and the early-days conflict in Ionia and ending with Xanthippus' destruction of Xerxes' last Hellespont outpost of Sestos -- and held my interest despite the lack of any historical surprises.
Green does have one literary tic that gets a little annoying at times. He sprinkles his text with Latin and and a little less often French phrases, some quite common and others leading to a bit of head-scratching. Flip to seemingly almost any given page and the italicized en masse, ab initio, in suto, bien-pensants, sic transit, en passant, terminus ante quem, etc., are there for either an "a-ha" moment or a quick Google-cum-dictionary search. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely times when a good en route or in toto is going to be appropriate. And, I feel my language skills can always be stretched. So, this is less a complaint than just a note. Therefore, it should not dissuade anyone from picking up this superlative history, et credo.
Green does have one literary tic that gets a little annoying at times. He sprinkles his text with Latin and and a little less often French phrases, some quite common and others leading to a bit of head-scratching. Flip to seemingly almost any given page and the italicized en masse, ab initio, in suto, bien-pensants, sic transit, en passant, terminus ante quem, etc., are there for either an "a-ha" moment or a quick Google-cum-dictionary search. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely times when a good en route or in toto is going to be appropriate. And, I feel my language skills can always be stretched. So, this is less a complaint than just a note. Therefore, it should not dissuade anyone from picking up this superlative history, et credo.
January 19, 2020
I'm not totally sure that I should be writing this review because I purchased the book recently though I actually read it some 45 years ago as "The year of Salamis". And I purchased this revised and updated book (published in 1996) for my son who is about to engage in a couple of years of ancient history study. Obviously the book made a big impression on me because I am basically writing this review on the basis of my recollections of the original...some 45 years ago. I confess that I have not re-read in entirety (in truth, very little) of the new version. However, I HAVE read the author's introduction where he describes some of the changes he has made and some of the academic criticism directed at the original version. (For example, he was accused of fictionalising his characters a bit too much and having the novelist's desire to avoid a gap in the story).
However, from my perspective that is one of the things that i really liked about the work. It runs like a story yet has fascinating facts injected ...such as the military expert who looked over the terrain that Xerxes had to cover and looking at the water resources in Particular, estimated that the Persian army, at most, numbered about 210,000 (not the 1.7M infantry plus about another 400,000 estimated by Herodotus).
I was just re-reading the section on the Battle of Marathon and I must say, that Peter Green tells a good story. He had me captivated again.
Although the book is focused on the events in the straits of Salamis and the naval victory of Greeks over Persians, he sets the stage well. From the victory of Marathon to the invasion by the massive Persian army and fleet and the follow up land campaigns, Green tells a fascinating tale. He writes well, and (as I said above) he is a great story teller. (Though apparently this is not really appreciated by the academic historian critics).
My version of the book is a bit tattered and marked (I bought it second hand) and i am contemplating buying a new version.
One of the things that I remembered reading some 45 years ago was the importance of Themistocles to the victory at Salamis......his insistence on building an expensive fleet of triremes. Also the luck of finding a wealth of silver at the mines in Laurium. Though to get his way with the assembly and get access to the silver and authority to build the fleet, he did not refer to a war with Persia ...but with a more direct threat from Aegina...which was cutting off trade from Piraeus.
And, of course, the famous battle at Thermopylae which Green manages to turn into something like a thrilling narrative. Certainly, it engaged me. Although the Spartan's lost the battle there, he quotes William Golding on the eventual outcome: "If you were a Persian....neither you nor Leonidas nor anyone else could force that here thirty year's time was won for shining Athens and all Greec eand for all humanity.....A little of Leonidas lies in the fact that I can go where I like and write what I like. He contributed to set us free".
I really like this book. And I think Green has done an excellent job of making history more than just interesting. It's made it quite fascinating. Five stars from me.
However, from my perspective that is one of the things that i really liked about the work. It runs like a story yet has fascinating facts injected ...such as the military expert who looked over the terrain that Xerxes had to cover and looking at the water resources in Particular, estimated that the Persian army, at most, numbered about 210,000 (not the 1.7M infantry plus about another 400,000 estimated by Herodotus).
I was just re-reading the section on the Battle of Marathon and I must say, that Peter Green tells a good story. He had me captivated again.
Although the book is focused on the events in the straits of Salamis and the naval victory of Greeks over Persians, he sets the stage well. From the victory of Marathon to the invasion by the massive Persian army and fleet and the follow up land campaigns, Green tells a fascinating tale. He writes well, and (as I said above) he is a great story teller. (Though apparently this is not really appreciated by the academic historian critics).
My version of the book is a bit tattered and marked (I bought it second hand) and i am contemplating buying a new version.
One of the things that I remembered reading some 45 years ago was the importance of Themistocles to the victory at Salamis......his insistence on building an expensive fleet of triremes. Also the luck of finding a wealth of silver at the mines in Laurium. Though to get his way with the assembly and get access to the silver and authority to build the fleet, he did not refer to a war with Persia ...but with a more direct threat from Aegina...which was cutting off trade from Piraeus.
And, of course, the famous battle at Thermopylae which Green manages to turn into something like a thrilling narrative. Certainly, it engaged me. Although the Spartan's lost the battle there, he quotes William Golding on the eventual outcome: "If you were a Persian....neither you nor Leonidas nor anyone else could force that here thirty year's time was won for shining Athens and all Greec eand for all humanity.....A little of Leonidas lies in the fact that I can go where I like and write what I like. He contributed to set us free".
I really like this book. And I think Green has done an excellent job of making history more than just interesting. It's made it quite fascinating. Five stars from me.
October 26, 2019
Peter Green's "The Greco-Persian Wars" is a historical narrative of it's namesake. In fact, it only covers the 1st and 2nd Persian invasions of the Greek mainland and the period between them (more so from an Athenian perspective in this regard). Thus it actually leaves out the aftermath of the Persian defeat and subsequent counter-attacks led by the Athenian Democracy - among them the liberation of the Greek cities in the Anatolian coast beginning with the victory at Mycale, the invasion of Cyprus led by Kimon and the Athenian support (~200 warships) to the rebellion against Persia in Egypt. If what you seek is a more complete treatment of the period between the 1st Persian Invasion (490 B.C.E) and the apparent cessation of hostilities (~450 B.C.E.) you would be better suited with a reading of Herodotus, a bit of Thucydides and what is a master-class work regarding the subsequent period the 4 volume Peloponnesian War series by Donald Kagan (a series of books, might I add, very much unlike this one in their style of writing, density and depth).
However this lack of completeness is by design. The book thrives in it's narrative of what are probably the most celebrated battles of Classical Antiquity: Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Platea.
The book reads like fiction, although at times it perhaps becomes a bit more dense (never too much, perhaps if anything not enough !).
However this lack of completeness is by design. The book thrives in it's narrative of what are probably the most celebrated battles of Classical Antiquity: Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Platea.
The book reads like fiction, although at times it perhaps becomes a bit more dense (never too much, perhaps if anything not enough !).
November 16, 2025
This is a wonderful work by a wonderful scholar in Peter Green. He’s very talented at balancing his writing between a wonderful narrative and scholarly analysis. I’ve read Herodotus, & Diodorus as primary sources (still need to get to Plutarch!) and I’ve also read Holland’s Persian Fire. This naturally fits in well after all those reads as a nice academic narrative with multiple pauses to survey, argue and analyze key points in the story of the Greco-Persian Wars.
Green exhausts all sources, both primary and ‘modern’ -this was originally written in 1970- and it was easy to see who he studied the most, in A.R. Burn as well as C. Hignett, which I haven’t read. Also on the plus side, Green lived and Greece and personally visited all the sites so he’s able to give you first hand accounts on local culture, topography and climate to really help you immerse yourself in this climactic time.
Lastly I appreciate Green’s ability to think for himself and to criticize ‘ol Herodotus where it’s due. There was a lot that I learned in this work and I highly enjoyed it! If you haven’t read Herodotus’ ‘Histories’ yet, I’d recommend reading the Landmark edition, or at the least have it handy as a resource so that you do not get confused. This being sort of an academic work, Green pre-supposes the reader knows the main story already in many of his pauses.
Green exhausts all sources, both primary and ‘modern’ -this was originally written in 1970- and it was easy to see who he studied the most, in A.R. Burn as well as C. Hignett, which I haven’t read. Also on the plus side, Green lived and Greece and personally visited all the sites so he’s able to give you first hand accounts on local culture, topography and climate to really help you immerse yourself in this climactic time.
Lastly I appreciate Green’s ability to think for himself and to criticize ‘ol Herodotus where it’s due. There was a lot that I learned in this work and I highly enjoyed it! If you haven’t read Herodotus’ ‘Histories’ yet, I’d recommend reading the Landmark edition, or at the least have it handy as a resource so that you do not get confused. This being sort of an academic work, Green pre-supposes the reader knows the main story already in many of his pauses.
May 24, 2020
Prof. Green is skilled at bringing History to life. Here he has the advantage of having as a main source Herodotus, Master of Anecdotes. And, of course, of writing on the epic struggle of Greeks vs Persians (and, not incidentally, a whole bunch of other Greeks and Phoenicians and Egyptians).
Green wants the Greek Alliance to win, and is glad it did. But he does justice to their foe, and in particular to Xerxes. The book was written before “The 300” gave us a wildly fraught portrait of the Persian King, but he has consistently been maligned. Green sees him as a capable but not very imaginative leader.
He also notes that the Greeks who backed Xerxes (and there were many, even as late as Platea) seemed to be backing a winning, and not vey oppressive, side. Even the Oracle at Delphi predicted a Persian win.
This is an enjoyable and intelligent overview of the wars.
Green wants the Greek Alliance to win, and is glad it did. But he does justice to their foe, and in particular to Xerxes. The book was written before “The 300” gave us a wildly fraught portrait of the Persian King, but he has consistently been maligned. Green sees him as a capable but not very imaginative leader.
He also notes that the Greeks who backed Xerxes (and there were many, even as late as Platea) seemed to be backing a winning, and not vey oppressive, side. Even the Oracle at Delphi predicted a Persian win.
This is an enjoyable and intelligent overview of the wars.
July 11, 2023
The syntax was distracting, there was basically zero flow/ narrative, & the scanty maps were of minimal value. Practically impossible to get hooked without a B.A. in the subject matter.
It’s assumed that you have biographical knowledge of every major/minor Greek and Persian military/political figure between, before, and after 500-450 BC. Almost every page has a new poorly-introduced name, object, place, or cultural element… with absolutely no context.
Worst of all were the author’s comments:
- “as we all know, [insert half-explained esoteric fact]”
- “[presents obscure battle scenario for first time] and we know, of course, how that concluded.” (…No. We don’t.) *no ensuing explanation*
Damn near unreadable for a beginner.
I’m going to try ‘Persian Fire’ by Tom Holland (even though historians rag on it).
It’s assumed that you have biographical knowledge of every major/minor Greek and Persian military/political figure between, before, and after 500-450 BC. Almost every page has a new poorly-introduced name, object, place, or cultural element… with absolutely no context.
Worst of all were the author’s comments:
- “as we all know, [insert half-explained esoteric fact]”
- “[presents obscure battle scenario for first time] and we know, of course, how that concluded.” (…No. We don’t.) *no ensuing explanation*
Damn near unreadable for a beginner.
I’m going to try ‘Persian Fire’ by Tom Holland (even though historians rag on it).
October 11, 2024
This is an excellent, in depth study of the Greco Persian Wars from Marathon to Mycale. After reading Donald Kagan’s 4 volume history of the Peloponnesian War, I was a bit sad that I didn’t have such a deep scholarly work to engage with, and this book hit that urge perfectly. Green engages the sources critically, building a narrative of what most likely happened where we have conflicting sources, while offering his own wry wit as well. I would highly recommend this book if you’re wanting to engage more deeply with Greek history.
Having read Green’s concise history of the Hellenistic Age, I was worried this might be dry, but it was not, and in fact it convinced me to buy his biography of Alexander to read soon as well.
Having read Green’s concise history of the Hellenistic Age, I was worried this might be dry, but it was not, and in fact it convinced me to buy his biography of Alexander to read soon as well.
February 3, 2025
彼得·格林的《希波战争》是一部对公元前5世纪希腊与波斯帝国之间冲突的现代历史研究著作。作为一位著名的古典历史学者，格林重新审视了这场影响深远的历史事件。这本书基于希罗多德等古代史料的补充和批判，是一部融合了现代历史研究方法与古典历史叙事的著作。
首先，格林的著作在学术性上表现出色。他对希波战争的背景、过程和影响进行了全面而深入的分析。他对古代史料中的偏见、夸张和神话化内容进行了甄别，并提出了更为客观的历史解释。例如，他对波斯帝国的政治结构、军事策略以及希腊城邦的内部矛盾进行了细致剖析，揭示了战争背后的复杂动因。然而他在批判古代史料的同时，对很多所谓的史实言之凿凿。相较于上一本看的《庞贝》格林的叙述含有大量的确定性输出。考虑到希波战争距今2500年而带来的局限性，这种叙事方式我个人不能认同，相关内容仍需读者自行甄别，然则缺乏知识储备的我这种读者只好将其当做半真半假的读物，仅用于建立全局观。
其次，格林的叙事风格兼具学术性与可读性。尽管书中包含大量的学术讨论和专业术语，但他的文字流畅清晰，能够将复杂的历史事件以通俗易懂的方式呈现给读者。例如，他对马拉松战役、温泉关战役和萨拉米斯海战等关键战役的描写，既展现了战争的宏大场面，又深入分析了战术细节和决策过程，使读者仿佛身临其境。
此外，格林还特别关注希波战争的文化和社会影响。他指出，这场战争不仅是军事冲突，更是东西方文明的一次碰撞。通过对希腊城邦团结抗敌的描述，格林揭示了战争对希腊民族认同感的塑造作用，同时也探讨了波斯帝国的衰落与希腊崛起的长期历史意义。最后一章结尾点出了泛希腊文化的形成。
总体而言，彼得·格林的《希波战争》是一部兼具学术深度和叙事魅力的现代历史著作。它能够让我这种对希波战争几乎一无所知的读者建立系统性概念。
首先，格林的著作在学术性上表现出色。他对希波战争的背景、过程和影响进行了全面而深入的分析。他对古代史料中的偏见、夸张和神话化内容进行了甄别，并提出了更为客观的历史解释。例如，他对波斯帝国的政治结构、军事策略以及希腊城邦的内部矛盾进行了细致剖析，揭示了战争背后的复杂动因。然而他在批判古代史料的同时，对很多所谓的史实言之凿凿。相较于上一本看的《庞贝》格林的叙述含有大量的确定性输出。考虑到希波战争距今2500年而带来的局限性，这种叙事方式我个人不能认同，相关内容仍需读者自行甄别，然则缺乏知识储备的我这种读者只好将其当做半真半假的读物，仅用于建立全局观。
其次，格林的叙事风格兼具学术性与可读性。尽管书中包含大量的学术讨论和专业术语，但他的文字流畅清晰，能够将复杂的历史事件以通俗易懂的方式呈现给读者。例如，他对马拉松战役、温泉关战役和萨拉米斯海战等关键战役的描写，既展现了战争的宏大场面，又深入分析了战术细节和决策过程，使读者仿佛身临其境。
此外，格林还特别关注希波战争的文化和社会影响。他指出，这场战争不仅是军事冲突，更是东西方文明的一次碰撞。通过对希腊城邦团结抗敌的描述，格林揭示了战争对希腊民族认同感的塑造作用，同时也探讨了波斯帝国的衰落与希腊崛起的长期历史意义。最后一章结尾点出了泛希腊文化的形成。
总体而言，彼得·格林的《希波战争》是一部兼具学术深度和叙事魅力的现代历史著作。它能够让我这种对希波战争几乎一无所知的读者建立系统性概念。
December 6, 2025
Excellent book! Very descriptive, analytical, and easy to read – despite this, the historian (obviously for political reasons) questions in many places the real unity and cohesion of the Greeks during the war. If the Greeks had not truly been united, they would never have crushed the Persians in five major battles on Greek soil (Marathon, Thermopylae, Artemisium, Salamis and Plataea). The overwhelming victories achieved by the Greeks clearly do not demonstrate a lack of unity and cohesion…In fact, an entire army of 40,000 men did not even enter the battle of Plataea, witnessing the slaughter of the Persians and retreated from Platae to the Hellespont in record time.
November 3, 2023
easy to read detailed story of the Greco Persian wars
The author presents a well documented story of these wars. He writes for the general reader so this is not an academic study. He uses many sources in addition to Herodotus and is very good at pointing out (and explaining why) these sources might be prejudiced. He discusses a lot of the topography of the battlefield especially when some of the battle sites are not fully determined. I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.
The author presents a well documented story of these wars. He writes for the general reader so this is not an academic study. He uses many sources in addition to Herodotus and is very good at pointing out (and explaining why) these sources might be prejudiced. He discusses a lot of the topography of the battlefield especially when some of the battle sites are not fully determined. I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.
May 18, 2020
Excellent book about the period. A pleasure to read with a bit of life put into the story. The first part leading up to Salamis might be the best part, but i read it a long time ago and it might be that i was a bit less free in my time reading the last bit, or that the maritime strategy interested me more than the pure land campaign after Salamis at that time. Will probably reread it in the near future.
July 9, 2020
Passionnant, admirablement bien écrit et reprenant avec prudence toutes les sources antiques documentant l'éminent sujet des guerres médiques, l'ouvrage de Peter Green mérite d'être lu. Si on regrette un peu l'usage - fréquent - de comparaisons historiques sourcilleuses, on se régalera tout de même de ces quatre-cent pages fourmillantes de détails et lues comme celles d'un roman.
December 3, 2017
I originally had to read this for a class. It is one of the very few times I actually read an entire assigned book. I recently watched '300:Rise of an Empire' and felt a strong urge to reread this favorite (it was also one of my all-time favorite classes!).
September 19, 2017
Great history on the Ancient Greeks
Great history on how the Greeks saved Western Civilization from the Persians. Made me proud of my Western heritage. Highly recommend.
Great history on how the Greeks saved Western Civilization from the Persians. Made me proud of my Western heritage. Highly recommend.
August 27, 2019
A re-titled book about the battle of Salamis. Includes descriptions of Marathon and Thermopylae. A large part of it concerns how difficult it is to wage war in a democracy.
May 22, 2020
A vividly written account and, perhaps the best on the subject, although a few more (explicit) maps would have been welcomed.
October 31, 2024
A good history of the year and its important battles.
July 18, 2021
2,500 years later, the Greco-Persian Wars are murky to us (particularly, as our main source, Herodotus, is often murky himself). Peter Green presents a legible and plausible narrative, centered on 480, the Year of Salamis (as the original edition was titled). Much to his credit, he includes domestic considerations of the Greeks (particularly the Athenians), and, while subscribing to the general narrative of Greek freedom vs. Oriental despotism, critiques some of the more extreme examples given by Herodotus.
Somewhat incredulously, in the matter of army numbers, he goes with the simple solution offered by scholars before that Herodotus must have mixed up the Persian terms for a chiliarch (a leader of 1,000 men) and a myriarch (a leader of 10,000 men), and thus all numbers need to be divided by 10. Delbrück's alternative considerations are not even refuted in the book - he simply is not among the cited works.
Somewhat incredulously, in the matter of army numbers, he goes with the simple solution offered by scholars before that Herodotus must have mixed up the Persian terms for a chiliarch (a leader of 1,000 men) and a myriarch (a leader of 10,000 men), and thus all numbers need to be divided by 10. Delbrück's alternative considerations are not even refuted in the book - he simply is not among the cited works.
September 17, 2015
It took me a while to warm up to this book. Frankly, the subject matter isn't the most scintillating. I'm not a very visual person anyway, and I found the maps virtually useless. I had a hell of a time distinguishing between land and water. Greece and Western Turkey are a morass of islands, peninsulas, bays, isthmuses, and straits. Fortunately, there is Wikipedia, and I used it often to sort my way through the geography. I had to do a lot of backtracking and rereading to really "get it," especially the battles. The sections describing politics I grasped better. Despite all this bitching, I really did enjoy the book. The fact that it was a lot of work for me has more to do with my issues than any failing on the author's part.
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August 4, 2011J'ai rarement lu un récit aussi "vivant" et "humain" sur la Grèce antique. Le destin et la réussite des petites cités grecques est époustouflante :
"On ne peut vivre que fort peu de temps sur les hauteurs suprêmes du sacrifice, du courage et de l'idéalisme altruiste. Ces moments de lumière illuminent l'Histoire, mais ils sont insoutenables dans la durée" dit Green
A la fois précis, érudit et plaisant, ce livre est un de ceux que j'ai préféré de ceux lu ces dix dernières années !
"On ne peut vivre que fort peu de temps sur les hauteurs suprêmes du sacrifice, du courage et de l'idéalisme altruiste. Ces moments de lumière illuminent l'Histoire, mais ils sont insoutenables dans la durée" dit Green
A la fois précis, érudit et plaisant, ce livre est un de ceux que j'ai préféré de ceux lu ces dix dernières années !
May 3, 2016
Green's brief, characterful and accessible style makes it mostly a pleasure to read, though the later chapters drag, and he offers, in places, a valuable and fascinating position on the events depicted. The book is of frustratingly limited scholarly usefulness due to Green's refusal to properly cite, selective attitude toward evidence and his overwhelmingly opinionated perspective, but is otherwise a competent introduction to the period, if not one of the better ones for its breadth. Take Green with a pinch of salt, or else read him in combination with or as a supplement to primary sources.
March 21, 2016
Green points out in his introduction to this 1996 reprint that he had been accused of blurring the line between his work as novelist and historian. But the result is that increasingly rare thing, narrative history which is enjoyable to read. The Historian knows his sources and is happy to discuss problems of evidence; the novelist appears occasionally to add what used to be called "telling detail' to a scene. Between them they keep the story moving. While a fine coverage of the Persian Invasion, it's also a fine commentary on Herodotus, so anyone reading one should read the other.
October 4, 2008
Good review of the wars. Sort of an objective filter of Herodotus. I need to read that too. Took all the biases and story telling out of it and tried to figure out what actually happened.
Quotes:
"Xerxes would inflate his strength in the interests of psychological warfare, while the Greeks would compound any such error to magnify their own achievement in retrospect."
"So Leonidas and his men stood to arms for the last time, silent because there was nothing left to say."
Quotes:
"Xerxes would inflate his strength in the interests of psychological warfare, while the Greeks would compound any such error to magnify their own achievement in retrospect."
"So Leonidas and his men stood to arms for the last time, silent because there was nothing left to say."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2016
Have read this book several times over the years. While many historians tend to be rather boring writers, Green does a great job of imparting a great deal of information in an entertaining style. Definitely one of the better books on the subject.
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