The Greek and Persian Wars 499-386 BC (Essential Histories) [Hardcover]

Philip de Souza (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0415968542 | ISBN-13: 978-0415968546 | Edition: 1

The series of wars between Classical Greece and the Persian Empire produced such famous battles as Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis. This book reveals the social, political and military impact of these wars, drawing on the contemporary writings of Herodotus, author of the world's first 'history'.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I am most favorably impressed by the Essential Histories series on the American Civil War. Written by four of the best historians of the military course of the war, these volumes provide a lucid and concise narrative of the campaigns in both the Eastern and Western theaters as well as penetrating analyses of strategies and leadership. Ideal for classroom use or fireside reading." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

This unique series studies every major war in history looking at all the aspects of war, from how it felt to be a soldier to the lasting impact of the conflict on the world around it. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (October 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415968542
• ISBN-13: 978-0415968546
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,380,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, April 29, 2007

By 

M. Emery "michaeleme" (MO, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Greek and Persian Wars 499-386 BC (Paperback)

Number 36 in the Osprey "Essential Histories" series, this account of about a hundred years of classical-era warfare is fascinating. I couldn't put the book down till I finished it. The (mostly color) illustrations, including several helpful maps, provide depth and context for the historical account. Some of the war scenes are so vivid, in fact, I felt I was watching them as they happened. The central chapter is "Xerxes' invasion of Greece," which covers the pivotal battle at Thermopylai, the fall of Athens, the sea battle at Salamis, and the decisive defeats of the Persians at Plataia and Mykale (I use the book's spellings). What struck me the most was the arbitrariness of who sided with who in the course of the hundred years recounted. At times Sparta sided with Athens, at times with Persia. De Souza makes clear the unreliability of some of Herodotus's account of these battles. This concise read comes in at less than 100 pages, and is suitable for getting up to speed on this material.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Synopsis of this Ancient Conflict, June 25, 2010

By 

Mike Dillemuth (Virginia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Greek and Persian Wars 499-386 BC (Paperback)

Overall, this book provides an excellent overview of the Greek and Persian wars. It is easy to follow and organized in a clear chronological order. The author, Philip de Souza, covers the main battles in just the right amount of detail. Specifically, he covers the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataia. Each of these battles is supported by a concise map that shows just the applicable information. This is notable as it is not always the case.

As with all Osprey books, this one comes with assorted photos of statues, weapons, coins, and other relics. These photos are relevant to the text and add to the reader's overall understanding of events. One interesting color photo is that of the reconstructed Trireme "Olympias" which is part of the Hellenic navy.

The beginning chapters put these wars into historical context. The author does a good job of explaining the Ionian revolt and subsequent reasons for the Persian invasion. At the end, he discusses how this war laid the seeds for the Peloponnesian War. The Portrait chapters of a civilian and soldier also add some interesting information. Contrary to popular belief, not all the Spartans died at Thermopylae. A warrior named Aristodemos apparently survived, although he was later killed at Plataia.

Bottom line: this book is enjoyable, well written, and easy to follow. The battle maps and photos are very good and definitely support the narrative. Overall, this is an excellent book.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bare bones, March 4, 2007

By 

J. Eno (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Greek and Persian Wars 499-386 BC (Essential Histories) (Hardcover)

This is the first book I've read on the Persian Wars, and while the book does give a relatively continuous narrative of the conflict, it seems to be pretty much a bare bones retelling of Herodotus's history. The additional analysis seems weak, and is often little more than restatements of obvious points. Some of the history is glossed over, while some random and extraneous facts are given, without much reason that I could find. Maps are helpful but often don't have all the geographic landmarks that are mentioned in the text, which limits their usefulness. Numerous grammatical mistakes further eroded my confidence in the rigor of the book. There's got to be much better stuff out there than this.