Thermopylae
Subtitle: The Battle for the West
Publisher: Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group
Published: March 30, 2004
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 256
ISBN-13: 9780306813603
Subjects: Battles & campaigns; European history: BCE to c 500 CE; Ancient Greece - History; Military History - Ancient; History; History - Military / War; History: World; Ancient Greece; Ancient - Greece; Military - General
First sentence: THE WHOLE OF THE EAST was on the move.
Description: The three-day battle for the pass at the "Hot Gates" of Thermopylae was a critical contest in the Persian king Xerxes's massive invasion of Greece. The bloody stand made there by Leonidas and his small Spartan army in 480 BC has since become the very emblem of patriotism, courage, and sacrifice. The ambitions of Xerxes were vast. Having amassed the largest force of men and ships ever assembled, he set out to conquer Greece, at the same time sending an army of Carthaginians to overrun Sicily. The two forces planned to open the gates to the wealth of the western Mediterranean. Ernle Bradford's narrative spans the entire era of the invasion, from the building of an incredible wooden bridge across the Hellespont to the final crushing defeat of the Persian rear guard at the battle of Plataea. There, as before, the Spartans were the decisive force. It was at Thermopylae, however, that the fate of Xerxes's forces was determined by a small band of Spartans. - Back cover.

A narrative depicting the three-day battle for the pass at Thermopylae (the Hot Gates)--a critical contest in Xerxes's massive invasion of Greece. The bloody stand made there by Leonidas and his small Spartan army in 480 B.C. has been hailed ever since as an outstanding example of patriotism, courage, and sacrifice. --From publisher's description.
Table of contents: title: Chronology; title: The great king; title: The glory of the hour; title: The Persians; title: The Athenians; title: The Spartans; title: Arms and the man; title: Ships of war; title: Dispositions; title: Action and reaction; title: Ultimate decisions; title: March to the North; title: Land and sea; title: First encounters; title: Battle; title: First night and second day; title: Over the mountain; title: End and beginning; title: After Thermopylae; title: In another country; title: The advance; title: Into Attica; title: Sparring for position; title: Eve of battle; title: Sea-born Salamis; title: Aftermath; title: Winter; title: Spring; title: The road to Plataea; title: Decisive round