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The Naval Encounter that Saved Greece -- and Western Civilization
Simon and Schuster
July 2005
On Sale: June 28, 2005
320 pages ISBN: 0743244516 EAN: 9780743244510 Trade Size (reprint)
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Historical
On 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.
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