Sparta's Shame: The Battle of Sphacteria and Pylos

by Charles R. King

Charles R. King utilizes his academic education in physics and classical history to apply an original analysis to examine one of the most pivotal conflicts in western history - The Peloponnesian War. Accessible to both the professional historian and the buff, this analysis enables the reader to approach one of the more significant battles in this epic conflict with a fresh outlook. The author uses primary sources and historiography to provide unique insights.This work not only utilizes the author's education and academic background, but also takes advantage of his experience as a career military officer and of physical visits to several of the significant sites of the war.

Genres: History, Ancient History

17 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 17, 2012

Reviews

[Nick H · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice quick overview of an episode I didn’t know about. I still wish it went more in-depth, even though an exhaustive look is not what the author was going for.

On another note, I have to say I was impressed with the “Virtual Voice” narration on this title, which is the first time I’ve ever seen such a feature on Audible. It was very natural, and even made pretty good pacing decisions. I’m interested to see if this feature is able to bring more rare books without traditional narrations to an audiobook audience. [AUDIBLE]

この話知らなかった。新しい考え方もらうね。だけどもっと長かったらよかったと思う。面白い思ってたのは、「バーチャルボイス」のナレーション。結構よかったナレーション、びっくりした！

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was truly impressed by Charles King's treatment of this battle. After watching the movie 300 a lot of people have unrealistic ideas of what a Spartan Hoplite could do. This article shows that the Spartans had many weakness's that could be exploited by their enemies and how brilliant Athenian strategists could exploit them. Especially if they managed to avoid hoplite versus hoplite battle where Sparta was incredibly strong.

Also interesting is his discussions of diplomacy as well as the after effects of the battle. Showing how the low population of Spartan warriors made them uniquely vulnerable and needed to conserve their strength as much as possible. Also how their surrender weakened the Spartan's reputation which was necessary for their war efforts.

[Richard Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

short but informative

A good little read. The book has lots of good details for such a small book of its size period.