The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter That Saved Greece -- and Western Civilization (Hardcover)

~ Barry Strauss (Author) "He was the last Athenian..." (more)
Key Phrases: rowing master, situational awareness, Great King, Phaleron Bay, Saronic Gulf (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This engaging and informative account of the 480 B. C. showdown between Greece and Persia relies on the conflict’s foremost ancient chronicler, Herodotus, whom Strauss deems an "excellent historian" and "mainly reliable." While gently correcting some of Herodotus’s claims, military historian Strauss (Athens After the Peloponnesian War) stays faithful to his trademark blend of sensationalism and skepticism. He regales readers with lurid Herodotian anecdotes about oracles and omens, vengeful eunuchs and labyrinthine double crosses among the fractious Greeks, and paints colorful portraits of the cruel and impious Xerxes, the admiral-queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus ("combines the cunning of Athena and the seductiveness of Aphrodite") and the Athenian leader Themistocles, whose blend of military genius, charisma and manipulativeness obliterated the line between statesmanship and treason. Also in keeping with the spirit of Greek sources, Strauss celebrates their victory as a triumph of democracy and nationalism over a polyglot despotism, of the common Greek rower over the Persian aristocrat. At the same time, Strauss draws on other contemporary accounts as well as on modern scholarship to detail the Persian campaign in Greece and flesh out a picture of society and warfare in the ancient world, illuminating such topics as Persian court protocol, the prayers of Corinthian temple prostitutes and the proper method of ramming an enemy trireme. His combination of erudite scholarship, well-paced storytelling and vivid color commentary make this an appealing popular history for the general reader.
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From School Library Journal

Adult/High School - This account of one of history's most famous battles has a fresh, invigorating tone. In 480 B.C., Xerxes, king of the Persian Empire, took a huge army and navy to invade Greece. Ten years earlier, his father's invasion to punish Greece for aiding Persia's rebelling subject states had failed. This time, Xerxes intended to get it right. Herodotus, Aeschylus, and Plutarch are the author's main sources, but he enriches the telling with details obtained from archaeological digs. Sights, sounds, and smells are evocatively described, whether Strauss is showing how the rowers powered their triremes or speculating about the dress of the participants at Xerxes's council. Although the improbable Greek victory is well known, the tension builds as Themistocles's traps are carefully sprung. Strauss is respectful toward his sources, but he corrects probable errors and exaggerations. Despite the huge number of known participants, he focuses on the most significant, so that readers aren't swamped by a recitation of names. When unfamiliar places are mentioned, he gives the modern names as well. In addition to being an engrossing story of an improbable battle, this book is an excellent, compact study of daily life in the fifth century. A timetable and photographs of Salamis and archaeological artifacts are included. - Kathy Tewell, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (June 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743244508
• ISBN-13: 978-0743244503
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #299,708 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative And Entertaining, January 8, 2005

By	Dave_42 "Dave_42" (Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Barry Strauss has done a wonderful job of relating the story of the ancient world's most significant naval battle at Salamis. This book is both entertaining and informative, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this period of history.

It covers briefly the significant land (Thermopylae) and naval (Artemisium), as well as the sacking of Athens which preceded the Battle of Salamis. Strauss also covers the situation which faced the Persians and Greeks in those days prior to the battle which is in the section called "The Trap". What he is referring to is the plotting by Themistocles to try to ensure that the battle would take place at Salamis, and this along with the chapters on the battle itself are the real meat of the book. The book finishes with a couple of chapters and an epilogue which covers the retreat by the Persians, and also discusses the short and long term effects of the battle. He also discusses what happened to the major participants if it is known.

There are many interesting stories that take place in and around the battle. These include stories about Themistocles, Xerxes, and Aeschylus. Among the most interesting stories are those about Artemisia, the female queen/admiral who was one of Xerxes most trusted commanders. She had predicted defeat prior to the battle, and during the battle she turned what should have been viewed as a treacherous act into her advantage after the battle. Another very interesting story is that of Sicinnus who was sent by Themistocles to talk to Xerxes on the eve of the battle warning the Great King that the Greeks were about to depart and strongly hinted that Themistocles would defect to the Persian side.

Strauss uses many standard historical sources, relying heavily on Herodotus and related material. He uses many sources on ancient naval battles and ships to fill in his narrative. He even draws from Aeschylus the Greek playwright who was in the battle, and who later wrote "The Persians" a play about the battle, which is the only non-mythical extant Greek play.

The book does have a few flaws. I felt that parts of it were not consistent. As an example, in the discussion of the events just prior to the battle Strauss states that "Sicinnus's mission really did happen" which means that the Persians learned that the Greek fleet was to leave on the following day. Later, when discussing the movement of the Persian fleet to block the Greeks from leaving he states "It is likely that they had chosen a cloudy night to enter the straits." It is not logical that they could choose the night based on the weather if they had just learned that the Greeks were about to leave. These are minor points though, and only detract slightly from what is a very enjoyable book.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History at its Best, September 14, 2004

By	Rodolfo Camacho (Hermosillo, Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Barry Strauss has written one of the best books of 2004. If history can be seen as a teacher for the present, this is it. With a solid and clear understanding of ancient Greek civilization, warfare and naval history, he brings the battle of Salamis alive in the context of the Greco-Persian War of 480-479 B.C. He does it not just with outstanding scholarship, but with a talented literary skill that gives a true human meaning to characters, events and the myriad of all those little and not well-known details that are History's real substance. It's fascinating how he starts each chapter trying to see the events through the eyes of Herodotus, or Themistocles, or Xerxes, or Artemisia, or one of the lesser known but equally interesting characters of that thrilling and trying time. You read "The Battle of Salamis" almost as a riveting novel, with the plus of its historical accuracy. It's just captivating. I sincerely believe it could be a very good candidate for the next Pulitzer Prize on Nonfiction.

This is the story of Athens, the world's first democracy, in a time of war, bitterly divided, with no certain allies, standing up against the powerful mosaic of the Persian empire forces and getting a brilliant but unexpected victory that paved the way for the Age of Pericles and the Western Civilization. Reading it in the troubled world of our days helps to get things in perspective. Who says classic history is boring? Get this book: you'll find a precise combination of historical expertise and gifted storytelling.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Was Glorious, July 5, 2004

By	Maia Aron (Bethel, NY) - See all my reviews

The Battle of Salamis describes the fateful naval battle between Greece and the Persian Empire in the year 480 BC - a pivotal event that determined the trajectory of western democracy. Persia had numerical superiority; Greece had cunning. Persia was a master of land-based warfare; Greece waged naval guerilla warfare. Each side knew the future of the world was in the hands of the winner.
Barry Strauss is a master storyteller who brings to life not only the events of the time and their antecedents, but also a host of memorable characters: the brilliant but unscrupulous Greek commander Themistocles; the infantry-centric Persian King Xerxes who failed to understand naval guerilla warfare; the cunning Artemisia, the first female admiral in history; the vengeful Persian eunuch Hermotimus; the Athenian playwright Aeschylus, who participated in the battle; the Spartan admiral Eurybiades, who had to maintain the fractured Greek coalition in the heat of battle... and many, many more.
The battle of Salamis involved approximately 300,000 sailors, marines, soldiers, and refugees -- the equivalent of 20 million people in today's terms - from Europe, Asia and Africa. It included some of the cleverest tricks in the history of war, with many lessons for today's readers.
The author does a masterful job of storytelling with a solid basis in research, including archaeology, meteorology, forensic anthropology and previously overlooked literary sources. He adds to this his own knowledge of rowing. The result is a meticulously researched page-turner - the author imparts the sights, sounds, and even smells of an ancient time, ancient cultures, and an ancient naval battle that imparts important lessons for today's turbulent world.