The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-23

y,.,, =, the Great Persian war.

-
new Views Of h Great Persian war
7, NAV seem strange that the old story
vhich has been ~recounted 30 iateiy anu 90
v.lI bv Grote and Curtius, the story OF 'ne
contest made immortal by harathon ano
Thermopylp, by Salamis and fia'@a'
should need to be retold. or would ear TO
falling. Yet this Is the task which MI W.
r. 0nuNpY has undertaken In a large oo,
tsvo volume OF nearly 900 pages ehtmieo
IA, 0redf Persian War ~" FTe"",-
,ar;e, ~(Scribners). The author VINO IL
the university lecturer In classical seos-
raphy at oxford. recognizes In ms preiace
that some explanation Is needed OF the az
tempt to furnish a new version OF an Ola
tale. He sees that such an experiment
can only be justified In case a writer mas
bsoome possessed Of new evidence on the
history Of the period with which the story
a concerned, or has reason to think that
the treatment OF ~preexisting evidence mas
not been altogether satisfactory from q
historical point OF view. MIR. Grumpy De-
Iieves that the present work can be justi-
6ed on both of these grounds, but especially
on the first OF them. Tn typographical
eyidence within reach OF Curtius, trote
and their predecessors was imperfect. UP
10 ten years ago the only military site oil
frst-rate Importance In Greek history
which had peer surveyed was the strait
of Salamis. This the photographic De-
partment OF the English Admiralty had In
alluded In the field of its activities. A chart
of Pylos made by the same department
was also available. but was quite made
euate for historical purposes. Since that
time Marathon has been included In the
suryey of Attica, undertaken by the Ger
man staff officers for the German Arch
geological Institute and Mr.. Grundy himself
has made careful surveys Of Thermopyl@,
Platna and Pylos at different times be-
tween 1892 and 1890. Pylos does not como
within the scope of the present volume
which deals with the. Greco-Persian war
up to the end OF 40 b.. C. The author pur-
poses 10 deal with the Hellenic warfare OF
the remainder Of the fifth century b. u
In q separate volume.
Some OF the conclusions here set forth are
not In accord with the accepteu
versions Of the history of the period. such
q divergence will surprise no reader VINO
recalls that In the absence OF the surveys
recently made the Typographical SIDE OF
Herodotean criticism was founded upon
such sketches as Leake and other travel
lers had made Of important historic sites
and upon the verbal description OF them
contained In their works. Mr.. Grundy
does not underra,e the value OF the labors
of such inquirers. but he believes that
Leake would have been the last TO claim
any scientific accuracy for the sketch maps
which he made, and he holds 1t TO be self
evident that inaccurate maps cannot DO
used for the historical criticism of highly
elaborate narratives. As 20 the trust
yorthiness of Herodotus's evidence, the
results Of investigation have convinced
our author that this differs greatly. ac-
cording as the historian is relating facts
or Is seeking to give the motives or causes
lying behind them. The reasons for this
conclusion are given at length In the course
of the work. II is further pointed out that
in his purely military history Herodotus Is
dealing with a subject about which he seems
not to have possessed any special knowi-
edge, and hardly any official Information,
plan OF design which lay behind tho
events which he relates can. therefore,
only be arrived a. in the majority OF in
stances by means of an induction from the
facts he mentions.
We shall here indicate as briefly as posi-
BILE the view which his researches have led
the author to take Of the design and signi-
f,cance Of the battle of Marathon, of the
strategic plans conceived by the Persians
In $50 B. c., OF the battles Of Thermopyle
and Salamis in that year and Of the battle
Of Platsa In the following twelvemonth.