What do you think?
Rate this book
Osprey Campaign #188
Thermopylae 480 BC: Last Stand of the 300
Osprey's study of the most epic battles of the Greco-Persian Wars (502-449 BC). Thermopylae resonates throughout history as a battle involving extreme courage and sacrifice. It was in this rocky pass in northern Greece that Leonidas, king of the Spartans and commander-in-chief of the Greek force, delayed the Persian hordes for three days against overwhelming odds. Finally overcome by treachery, the remaining Spartans refused to retreat in the face of inevitable defeat, being slaughtered by the elite Persian 'Immortals' down to the last man. Nic Fields vividly describes the battle for the narrow gateway to southern Greece as the combined Greek forces held off the army of Xerxes and Leonidas's sacrifice bought time for the retreat and tactical and political regrouping that would save Greece. Full color artwork, detailed maps and dramatic battle scenes complement clear and authoritative text to provide an in-depth analysis of one of the most famous acts of sheer courage and defiance in the face of overwhelming odds in history.
Related Titles
978 1 84176 000 1 CAM 108 Marathon 490 BC
978 1 85532 659 0 ELI 66 The Spartan Army
978 1 84176 358 3 ESS 36 The Greek and Persian Wars 499-386 BC
Related Titles
978 1 84176 000 1 CAM 108 Marathon 490 BC
978 1 85532 659 0 ELI 66 The Spartan Army
978 1 84176 358 3 ESS 36 The Greek and Persian Wars 499-386 BC
96 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2007
2 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Nic Fields
71 books22 followersDr Nic Fields started his career as a biochemist before joining the Royal Marines. Having left the Navy, he went back to University and completed a BA and PhD in Ancient History at the University of Newcastle. He was Assistant Director at the British School of Archaeology, Athens, and is now a lecturer in Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 1, 2026
Very nice historical overview of this battle and the forces involved. Recommended
December 12, 2013
This is a great and quick read on the history surrounding the events of the battle of Thermopylae. The author does a great job in identifying all the strengths and weaknesses of both sides and laying out the context in which they were operating, both politically and militarily.
The book is designed to be an introduction and it quickly dispels the caricature-like characters of the movie 300. (I liked the movie for what it was, but it was not history).
The book is designed to be an introduction and it quickly dispels the caricature-like characters of the movie 300. (I liked the movie for what it was, but it was not history).
January 31, 2016
Detallado análisis de la batalla de las Termópilas (orígenes, desarrollo, personajes, etc.)
Este libro es una buena opción para conocer más sobre esta batalla. Las explicaciones son claras y cuenta con buen apoyo gráfico, especialmente en lo relativo al desarrollo del combate. Contribuye a despejar la historia de las Termópilas, si bien ésta inevitablemente siempre estará envuelta de una atmósfera mítica.
Este libro es una buena opción para conocer más sobre esta batalla. Las explicaciones son claras y cuenta con buen apoyo gráfico, especialmente en lo relativo al desarrollo del combate. Contribuye a despejar la historia de las Termópilas, si bien ésta inevitablemente siempre estará envuelta de una atmósfera mítica.
February 4, 2025
When I first read the Portuguese translation of this book, I was utterly aghast and horrified by the sheer amount of nonsense, incomprehensible phrasing, and glaring mistakes spread throughout its pages! The author, Nic Fields, is an excellent historian, and while I don’t always agree with him, he is undoubtedly one of the best in his field for general audiences. Most of his books are wonderfully detailed and engaging.
However, in this translation, Sagaris was bizarrely rendered as Warhammer, the Persians supposedly fired incendiary arrows in every instance, and they were described as exceptional sailors—errors that Nic Fields would never have made. The translator was clearly incompetent, failing at even basic terms: for instance, translating Marines as marinheiros (sailors) instead of Infantaria da Marinha (naval infantry) or rendering fired arrows as setas incendiárias (incendiary arrows) instead of dispararam setas (shot arrows), among many other absurd misinterpretations.
Only recently did I read the original English version, and none of the mistakes I had dreaded were present (not that I ever truly believed Fields had written such nonsense). This serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of proper translations. I also urge Osprey Publishing to be more careful, as poor translations damage their intellectual property and reputation.
Now, onto the book itself. Most reviews have already covered the main points, but this is an excellent account of the fateful Battle of Thermopylae. It provides great insights into the strategic dynamics—highlighting how the Greeks were unfamiliar with this scale of warfare and the challenges posed by the vast Persian army. Fields also offers detailed analyses of the battlefield’s topography, the organization of both forces, and primary sources. The book features a concise yet informative overview of Greek city-state armies, with particular attention to the Spartans, their agoge, and the spartiates. It also delves into the Persian army’s sophisticated decimal-based organization, a fair assessment of Xerxes, and a breakdown of the various ethnic groups within the Persian Empire, their weapons, and their military capabilities.
The birds-eye views of the battle are excellent, and the maps clarify strategic considerations and troop movements. The book also covers the naval engagement at Artemisia.
A few areas could be improved. In discussing Greek equipment, the author mentions only the kopis as a sidearm but omits the xiphos—even though all Greek swords depicted in the book’s artwork are xiphoi, not kopides. Spartan swords were typically shorter xiphoi, making this omission notable. Additionally, the choice of photographs could be better. Too many (seven!) are of modern monuments, while terrain images are difficult to interpret due to topographical changes over the centuries. Overlaying computer-generated markers indicating the ancient landscape would have been helpful.
Steve Noon’s original artwork is excellent, though his more recent work is even better. At this stage in his career, he was still refining his style. The book includes three color plates: one depicting a Persian scout observing Spartans calmly playing and combing their hair; another illustrating the Immortals’ night march, where they and the Phocian guards are caught by surprise; and the final one showing the fall of Leonidas on the desperate third day of fighting.
Fields does not overlook the immense bravery of the 700 Thespians who fought to the end on that fateful third day. He also comments on the Theban involvement, raising the possibility that they, too, volunteered to stay—questioning whether the Spartans would have tolerated 400 potential traitors in their final stand.
One of the book’s most compelling arguments is Fields’ challenge to the long-held notion that the stand at Thermopylae was intended as a sacrificial delaying action from the very beginning. Initially, it was a sound strategic position and an excellent choice for halting the Persian advance. Only on the third day did it become a self-sacrificing effort to ensure the Greek army’s safe retreat.
Overall, this is probably the best introductory account of the Battle of Thermopylae I’ve read so far.
However, in this translation, Sagaris was bizarrely rendered as Warhammer, the Persians supposedly fired incendiary arrows in every instance, and they were described as exceptional sailors—errors that Nic Fields would never have made. The translator was clearly incompetent, failing at even basic terms: for instance, translating Marines as marinheiros (sailors) instead of Infantaria da Marinha (naval infantry) or rendering fired arrows as setas incendiárias (incendiary arrows) instead of dispararam setas (shot arrows), among many other absurd misinterpretations.
Only recently did I read the original English version, and none of the mistakes I had dreaded were present (not that I ever truly believed Fields had written such nonsense). This serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of proper translations. I also urge Osprey Publishing to be more careful, as poor translations damage their intellectual property and reputation.
Now, onto the book itself. Most reviews have already covered the main points, but this is an excellent account of the fateful Battle of Thermopylae. It provides great insights into the strategic dynamics—highlighting how the Greeks were unfamiliar with this scale of warfare and the challenges posed by the vast Persian army. Fields also offers detailed analyses of the battlefield’s topography, the organization of both forces, and primary sources. The book features a concise yet informative overview of Greek city-state armies, with particular attention to the Spartans, their agoge, and the spartiates. It also delves into the Persian army’s sophisticated decimal-based organization, a fair assessment of Xerxes, and a breakdown of the various ethnic groups within the Persian Empire, their weapons, and their military capabilities.
The birds-eye views of the battle are excellent, and the maps clarify strategic considerations and troop movements. The book also covers the naval engagement at Artemisia.
A few areas could be improved. In discussing Greek equipment, the author mentions only the kopis as a sidearm but omits the xiphos—even though all Greek swords depicted in the book’s artwork are xiphoi, not kopides. Spartan swords were typically shorter xiphoi, making this omission notable. Additionally, the choice of photographs could be better. Too many (seven!) are of modern monuments, while terrain images are difficult to interpret due to topographical changes over the centuries. Overlaying computer-generated markers indicating the ancient landscape would have been helpful.
Steve Noon’s original artwork is excellent, though his more recent work is even better. At this stage in his career, he was still refining his style. The book includes three color plates: one depicting a Persian scout observing Spartans calmly playing and combing their hair; another illustrating the Immortals’ night march, where they and the Phocian guards are caught by surprise; and the final one showing the fall of Leonidas on the desperate third day of fighting.
Fields does not overlook the immense bravery of the 700 Thespians who fought to the end on that fateful third day. He also comments on the Theban involvement, raising the possibility that they, too, volunteered to stay—questioning whether the Spartans would have tolerated 400 potential traitors in their final stand.
One of the book’s most compelling arguments is Fields’ challenge to the long-held notion that the stand at Thermopylae was intended as a sacrificial delaying action from the very beginning. Initially, it was a sound strategic position and an excellent choice for halting the Persian advance. Only on the third day did it become a self-sacrificing effort to ensure the Greek army’s safe retreat.
Overall, this is probably the best introductory account of the Battle of Thermopylae I’ve read so far.
November 22, 2018
This concise and extremely well written story of the famous stand of the 300 Greeks/Spartans against thousands of Persian invaders in the Summer of 480 BC is actually a really good read. Many historians are rather dry storytellers because, well, they're not really writers; they're researchers. That's not the case with this book. Nic Fields is a great story teller. He opens with the back story, explaining the hows and whys the battle came to be without going into the details more than necessary. Then he gets into the main characters/players and ends with the details of the three day battle in just under 100 pages. He includes dozens of photos and paintings detailing the area today, the attire and life of the people at the time, historical relics, etc. Obviously, since this battle took place over some 2000 years ago, witnesses are scarce and details hard to verify. Yet, Fields makes strong cases as to the accepted accounts of events and situations and why they are believed to be the case today. I found his explanations fascinating. I'll be adding some of the sources listed in the bibliography to my list of 'to read' books. Highly recommend.
January 25, 2022
After I read Pressfield's Gates of Fire, I wanted to learn more about the Battle of Thermopylae. After researching the different options, I settled on this one, part of the Osprey Campaign series. It was exactly what I was looking for, and very well done. The book starts off with a history of both armies and the people involved, quoted from original sources. There are pictures throughout the book of ancient armor, sculptures, current landscapes, and much more. The coverage of the actual battle is fairly short, but the maps and representations of the battle is perfect and will definitely add to your understanding of this famous battle. Loved this book, will definitely get others in the series.
January 15, 2020
No creo que deba decir nada sobre un clásico como este, esencial para aquellos que les guste la cultura griega.
February 17, 2022
Excelente reseña, discute, presenta gráficos e imágenes.
June 5, 2022
I love how easily digestable the in information is in this book.
November 13, 2024
Felt stretched to make the number of pages. Informative though.
October 10, 2009
This is a quite good account of the why, the how and the what happened in the real stand of the 300. Both the societies that gave rise to the armies, the troops that formed them, their equipment, wading through all the biased Greek literature that are the main sources, even explaining quite well that bias.
I only miss some discussion of the army tactics of the two armies, beyond the soldier and before the strategy. The drawings have been reused from a previous edition (unlike the very good maps) and are not up to the current Osprey standard.
I only miss some discussion of the army tactics of the two armies, beyond the soldier and before the strategy. The drawings have been reused from a previous edition (unlike the very good maps) and are not up to the current Osprey standard.
February 28, 2019
O livro faz uma rápida introdução sobre os persas e os gregos, fala das origens do conflito e descreve a liderança, armamento e estrutura dos exércitos envolvidos.
Há diversas imagens de achados arqueológicos de equipamentos e armamentos usados na época, fotos atuais dos locais das batalhas, assim como diversas esculturas e ilustrações. Destaque para os mapas de boa qualidade e informativos.
Não é um livro detalhado nem tem um texto tão fluido, mas é uma leitura bem interessante e possui um ótimo material gráfico.
Há diversas imagens de achados arqueológicos de equipamentos e armamentos usados na época, fotos atuais dos locais das batalhas, assim como diversas esculturas e ilustrações. Destaque para os mapas de boa qualidade e informativos.
Não é um livro detalhado nem tem um texto tão fluido, mas é uma leitura bem interessante e possui um ótimo material gráfico.
April 22, 2015
Even at their best Osprey books are workmanlike affairs. Not so here. This is a thrilling and at times beautiful glimpse at two societies, two ways of war, and why the Persians lost outside of the usual "Hurrah for Greece" explanations. The work even as slight philosophical connotations, since the Persians fought hard despite lacking freedom. Can I say that for any other book from Osprey?
August 24, 2009
One of the better Osprey books that I've read, very good compelation of the information that is out there about the battle.
August 10, 2011
Great presentation of characters and events leading up to and exploring the reason for Thermopylae.
March 22, 2015
Muy buen libro con el sello de Osprey, desbarata algunos mitos de Leonidas y los "300" sin opacar la gesta de los guerreros lacedemonios
April 18, 2017
I expected a bit more information; I understand that we have very few sources from that era, but still, it felt a bit lacking. Some more commentary on the after effects (there is, but somewhat short) would have helped.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews