Essential Histories
3 total works
First published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
This title covers one ot the defining periods of European history. The series of wars between the Classical Greeks and the Persian Empire produced the famous battles of Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis, as well as the ill-fated attempt to overthrow the Persian king in 400 BC, which helped to inspire the conquests of Alexander the Great. To tell the story of these momentous events, of the lives of great men and women, of the societies and cultures that produced them and to explain how and why they came into conflict was the aim of Herodotus, "the Father of History", whose account of the wars is our principal source and the first book to be called a "history".
The Classical Greeks are renowned for their achievements in literature, art and philosophy, but the events of the Peloponnesian War reveal the darker side of Greek civilization. From the horrific effects of overcrowding and the plague on the population of Athens, to the vicious civil strife that often erupted in cities allied with Athens or Sparta, this volume offers vivid and at times disturbing insights into the impact of warfare on the people who are celebrated as the founders of Western civilization. It is a testament to the fascination of the subject that even today the events of the Peloponnesian war are studied for what they can teach about diplomacy, strategy and tactics.