The Harvest of War: Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis: The Epic Battles That Saved Democracy

Oxford University classics scholar Kershaw (The Enemies of Rome) explores in this detailed and wide-ranging history the immediate and long-term impacts of the Persian Wars in ancient Greece. Drawing on historical records and recent archaeological and geological discoveries, Kershaw argues that Greek victories against the Persian Empire at Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis preserved democracy in its fledgling state and helped shape the course of Western civilization over the next 2,500 years. He summarizes the respective developments of the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states, particularly Athens and Sparta, before describing how Athenian support for the Ionian revolt of 499 BCE provoked Persian king Darius the Great’s invasion of Greece in 492 BCE. Though Kershaw meticulously recounts such famous events as Spartan king Leonidas’s heroic last stand against an overwhelming Persian force at Thermopylae, the book’s greatest strength is its nuanced profiles of major players including Athenian politician Themistocles and Persia’s King Xerxes, which skillfully examine the interplay of politics, personality, and strategy behind their actions. This is a rich and accessible study of a pivotal turning point in world history. (Oct.)