When thinking of the battle of thermopylae most people myself included probably only think of the 2006 movie 300 by director zack snyder, where a force of 300 spartans fights the persians. Mar 15, 2019 herodotus the histories, book 7, polymnia 8239 battle of thermopylae. Nov 30, 2017 the british title for this book, the year of thermopylae london, 1980, is much more descriptive since the book covers events leading up to and including thermopylae. Thermopylae and the book of esther associates for biblical. This was especially evident in the battle of thermopylae waged between the greek and persian forces in the late summer of 480 b. The battle of thermopylae was fought in 191 bc between a roman army led by consul manius acilius glabrio and a seleucid force led by king antiochus iii the great. This is a professional historians view of not just the battle of thermopylae itself, but the context of the greek and persian worlds it fit into.
Steven pressfield brings the battle of thermopylae to brilliant life, and he does for that war what charles frazier did for the civil war in cold mountain. The battle of thermopylae is believed to have been fought in august 480 bc, during the persian wars 499 bc449 bc. Before i grabbed the book, i was the battle of thermopylae stood out as the worlds first and perhaps most famous last stand in the history of mankind. Jul 18, 2017 this book offers the reader an enjoyable and interesting narrative of that most famous battle at thermopylae.
Having been turned back at marathon in 490 bc, persian forces returned to greece ten years later to avenge their defeat and conquer the peninsula. Athens conquered, the athenians and spartans were driven back to their last line of defense at the isthmus of corinth and in the saronic gulf. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Sparta was a military citystate with two kings that claimed to be the descendent of the demigod hercules. Herodotus magnificent writing have vividly explained one of the most exceptional battles, in addition to showing the world the incredible greek society, and the ever so. Whats the best book youve read on the battle of thermopylae. Once upon a time in a land far, far away also long, long ago, the land of sparta was home to the bravest of warriors. Vastly outnumbered, the greeks delayed the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history. A military historian, bradford makes sense of the complicated maneuvers and does a very thorough background on all components of the battle, from the three rows of trireme rowers to an analysis of the less than.
Read the battle of thermopylae the heroic fall of leonidas i and the 300 spartans by 50 minutes available from rakuten kobo. An epic novel of the battle of thermopylae nothing fires the warriors heart more with courage than to find himself and his comrades at the point of annihilation, at the brink of being routed and overrun, and then to dredge not merely from ones own bowels or guts but from ones. The legend of bagger vance 1995, made into the 2000 film the. Get to grips with the events of the battle of thermopylae in next to no time with this. This was a very well written book on the events leading up to thermopylae, and.
The battle of thermopylaes political origins can be traced back to xerxes predecessor, darius i the great, who sent heralds to greek cities in 491 bce in the hopes of persuading them to accept persian authority. Battle of thermopylae wikipedia republished wiki 2. E book or pdf edited book email encyclopedia article govt. He well uses both modern and ancient sources to tell the story not just of the battle of thermopylae, but also of the whole war in which it took place. The romans were victorious, and as a result, antiochus was forced to.
I know this book is fiction, but it is on the usmc commandants reading list, is taught to the corps of cadets at west point, annapo. Battles of the greco persian wars battle of thermopylae. The author makes it clear that its not going to be a indepth account but more of an overview of the battle and the persian campaign against the greek city states. The battle for the west by ernle bradford goodreads. For the spartans, the driving force behind the greek victory, the battle was sweet vengeance for their defeat at. But the greeks, led by king leonidas and a small army of spartans, took the battle to the persians at thermopylae and halted their advance, almost. Thermopylae and sphacteria adriaan rademaker 15 force, frequency and focalisation. While they all knew it was coming, they didnt see it in the same way.
After three days resisting the much larger persian army of xerxes i, greek forces were betrayed by ephialtes and sent into retreat by their leader, leonidas, who died during a final stand. It decisively ended the threat of a persian conquest of greece. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Ephialtes and the battle of thermopylae 480 bc 1088 words 5 pages. Some submitted to persia thinking they wouldnt get hurt.
Following the retreat of allied forces from the mountain passes at olympus and servia, british commonwealth forces began to set up defensive positions at the coastal pass at thermopylae, famous for the battle of thermopylae in 480 bc. The first thing anyone visiting thermopylae will notice is that it looks nothing like it should. How did the historical battle of thermopylae differ from its. An epic novel of the battle of thermopylae kindle edition by pressfield, steven. Steven pressfield brings the battle of thermopylae to brilliant life, and he does. Understand how the geography of the area has changed, and consider how the retelling of stories leads to the writing of history. Vector version italian i, the holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license. The battle of thermopylae, 480 bc, was a battle in the second persian invasion of greece. The new zealand armys 2nd infantry division under lieutenantgeneral bernard freyberg was given the task of defending the pass, while elements of. The british title for this book, the year of thermopylae london, 1980, is much more descriptive since the book covers events leading up to and including thermopylae.
The battle of plataea was the final land battle during the second persian invasion of greece. At thermopylae, the allied greek nations deployed a small force of four thousand greek heavy infantry against the. An ambitious, cinematic historical novel chronicles the battle of three hundred. Constance, 1995, does not even mention ephorus version 10 p. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. The battle of thermopylae was fought in central greece at the mountain pass of thermopylae in 480 bce during the persian wars. Mar 05, 2015 herodotus history bibliographies in harvard style. After the war, aris velouchiotis a veteran of the 1941 campaign and leader of the greek peoples liberation army argued that this fact was. Battle of thermopylae, battle of mycale, battle of the eurymedon, siege of naxos, siege of eretria, sestos, battle of ephesus, siege of sardis. I learned a lot more about thermopylae with strauss book plus a ton about the naval counterpart. It involved tens of thousands of combatants, including the largest number of greeks ever brought together in a common cause. How did the historical battle of thermopylae differ from.
Simonides, ephorus, and herodotus on the battle of thermopylae. The battle of plataea in 479 bce is one of world historys unjustly neglected events. Textual strategies in ancient war narrative thermopylae. Strangely enough, its a book of historical fiction. Balcer, the persian conquest of the greeks 545450 ec. This expedition against athens threatened all of greece. It was the first major battle of the romanseleucid war. Herodotus the histories, book 7, polymnia 8239 battle of thermopylae. The absence of the greek army, from a battle at a site as significant to the national psyche as thermopylae, was controversial within greece, as general georgios tsolakoglou had already capitulated. It is one of historys most acclaimed battles, one of. The zack snyder film 300, released in 2006, depicts a sensationalized account of the battle of thermopylae, which was fought in 480 bc between persia, under the command of xerxes, and a contingent of greek soldiers led by the spartan king leonidas.
Simonides, ephorus, and herodotus on the battle of. The battle of thermopylae s political origins can be traced back to xerxes predecessor, darius i the great, who sent heralds to greek cities in 491 bce in the hopes of persuading them to accept persian authority. The extent of the greeks geographical knowledge of the world can be reconstructed from considering regions and places mentioned by contemporary authors. Id wager almost as much time was spent on plateau, salamis and artemisium as thermopylae which seemed odd given the title. In this episode of vlogs of knowledge we cover the battle of thermopylae. Excluding the huge problems with the equipment for example spartans fighting with no armour or t. These have appeared in a range of media from plain text to historical fantasy. Apr 27, 2008 battle of thermopylae 480 bc part 1 of 3. The greeks were defeated at thermopylae battle of thermopylae, although at a great cost to the persians, and a moral victory to the greeks. Dec 15, 2010 in the battle of thermopylae of 480 b. Dont let the title fool you however as the scope of the book is not limited to just the battle of thermopylae. Gates of fire is a 1998 historical fiction novel by steven pressfield that recounts the battle of.
Battle of thermopylae date, location, and facts britannica. The battle was fought for over three days, at the same time as the naval battle of artemisium. A small force led by king leonidas of sparta blocked the only road through which. Rarely does an author manage to recreate a moment in history with such. The battle of thermopylae from herodotus the histories essay. The naval encounter that saved greece and western civilization by barry strauss. Responding, an alliance of greek citystates, led by athens and sparta, assembled a fleet and an army to oppose the invaders. The battle of thermopylae from herodotus the histories. But the greeks, led by leonidas and a small army of spartan warriors, took the battle to the persians and nearly. By and large, the battle of thermopylae from herodotus the histories was an extremely notable and remarkable battle for the history of the west, as well as the world. The new york times an incredibly gripping, moving, and literate work of art. Battle of thermopylae ancient history encyclopedia. The british title for this book, the year of thermopylae london, 1980, is much more. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus.
The battle that changed the world reprint by cartledge, paul isbn. It took place in 479 bc near the city of plataea in boeotia, and was fought between an alliance of the greek citystates including sparta, athens, corinth and megara, and the persian empire of xerxes i allied with boeotians, thessalians, and macedonians. This book offers the reader an enjoyable and interesting narrative of that most famous battle at thermopylae. Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publishers book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. The name of it is gates of fire written by steven pressfield. The greek loyalists battle for six days in a prelude to their ultimate victory. Thermopylae books about the battle of thermopylae thoughtco. This is my first book on the battle of thermopylae and i have to say, the author display strong authorship from the beginning till the end. A military historian, bradford makes sense of the complicated maneuvers and does a very thorough background on all components of the battle, from the three rows of trireme rowers to an analysis of the less than treachery of.
The battle of thermopylae where the greeks fought the persians. Battle of thermopylae simple english wikipedia, the free. An impressively accessible narrative depicting the threeday battle for the pass at thermopylae the hot gatesa critical contest in xerxess massive invasion of. Thermopylae kolonos hill and the 300 spartans 5 the battlefield and the greek defences duration. A masterful account of the causes, preparations for and consequences of the threeday battle in 480 b. Now the greeks who were drawn up with leonidas for battle, being as many in number as we have set forth, tarried in thermopylae, awaiting the. Thermopylae is primarily known for the battle that took place there in 480 bc, in which an outnumbered greek force probably of seven thousand including the famous 300 spartans, 500 warriors from tegea, 500 from mantinea, 120 from arcadian orchomenos, from the rest of arcadia, 200 from phlius, 80 from mycenae, 400 corinthians, 400 thebans, phocians and the opuntian locrians held off. The battle for the west is one of those greatly accessible, pleasantly reading, and yet academically meaty history books. If youve seen the movie 300, then youll be familiar with this video. Battle of thermopylae 367 however speciously, when challengin1g3 moreover herodotus. Explore the site of a battle at thermopylae, described by herodotus, and the subject of two 21st century movies. However, thanks to this book by in60learning i learned this definitely wasnt the case. Other than the points already made in the other answers, the battle in the film also did a very poor job in capturing how both sides actually fought. The battle of thermopylae ebook by 50 minutes 9782806275226.
1426 448 1536 610 1347 919 359 112 1584 1493 757 662 1454 486 893 755 92 590 301 336 411 302 434 1154 5 1293 455 625 1389 1248 1030 1203 781 780 14