The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter That Saved Greece -- and Western CivilizationOn a late September day in 480 B.C., Greek warships faced an invading Persian armada in the narrow Salamis Straits in the most important naval battle of the ancient world. Overwhelmingly outnumbered by the enemy, the Greeks triumphed through a combination of strategy and deception. More than two millennia after it occurred, the clash between the Greeks and Persians at Salamis remains one of the most tactically brilliant battles ever fought. The Greek victory changed the course of western history -- halting the advance of the Persian Empire and setting the stage for the Golden Age of Athens. In this dramatic new narrative account, historian and classicist Barry Strauss brings this landmark battle to life. He introduces us to the unforgettable characters whose decisions altered history: Themistocles, Athens' great leader (and admiral of its fleet), who devised the ingenious strategy that effectively destroyed the Persian navy in one day; Xerxes, the Persian king who fought bravely but who ultimately did not understand the sea; Aeschylus, the playwright who served in the battle and later wrote about it; and Artemisia, the only woman commander known from antiquity, who turned defeat into personal triumph. Filled with the sights, sounds, and scent of battle, The Battle of Salamis is a stirring work of history. |
Other editions - View all
The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter that Saved Greece -- and Western ... Barry Strauss No preview available - 2005 |
Common terms and phrases
Acropolis Adimantus Aegean Aegina Aeginetan Aeschylus allies Aminias Anatolia ancient Andros archers Ariabignes Aristides Artemis Artemisia Artemisium Athens Athens’s attack Attica barbarians battle of Salamis boats bronze captain Carians century B.C. city-states coast commanders Corinth Corinthian crew Darius deck Demaratus difficult doubt Egyptians enemy enemy’s Euboea Eurybiades exile fight fighting finally find fire first five fled flee flight force fought gods Greece Greek fleet Greek navy Greek ships Greek triremes Halicarnassus harbor Hellespont Hermotimus Herodotus Herodotus’s infantrymen Ionians island Isthmus King King’s knew land mainland Mardonius marines miles narrow naval battle night oars Peloponnese Peloponnesian perhaps Persian army Persian fleet Persian navy Persian ships Phaleron Bay Phoenician triremes Phoenicians Piraeus Plutarch Polycritus probably Psyttaleia rowers sacrifice sailed sailors Salamis straits says September ship’s shore sians Sicinnus Sidon Spartan squadron stern Themistocles Thermopylae Timotheus of Miletus triremes Troezen turned victory warships Xerxes
Popular passages
Page 13 - Above all, perhaps, he knew that a straight line is not always the shortest distance between two points.
Page 8 - Here are presented the results of the enquiry carried out by Herodotus of Halicarnassus. The purpose is to prevent the traces of human events from being erased by time, and to preserve the fame of the important and remarkable achievements produced by both Greeks and non-Greeks; among the matters covered is, in particular, the cause of the hostilities between Greeks and non-Greeks.
Page ii - In compelling fashion, Strauss imaginatively accentuates the local geography and the experience of battle; however, he is most evocative when outlining the strategic thought of the leaders, Xerxes for the Persian Empire and Themistocles for the Hellenic alliance.