Persian Fire - The First World Empire and the Battle for the West (Tom Holland, 2005)

Much of this covers pretty familiar ground - but lots of interesting new details and Holland always has an interesting take on things. I had read an innovative way of telling the story last year, so this book was an excellent follow-on. 

Assyrian to Medes to Persians. Via Cyrus. All three groups crazy successful, especially the Persians.

Darius usurps from Cyrus #2 son who usurped from Cyrus #1 son (Cambyses) 

Persians as relative upstarts coming in from the east.

Sparta - what a culture.

Athens democracy arrives in 507 BC as a last resort for Cleisthenes   This happens during the reign of Darius.  Implementing democracy - or something - seemed to galvanize the population. 

Battle of Marathon page 195 and following. A completely unexpected victory for Athens acting pretty much by itself.

Notwithstanding land battle success, Themistocles persuades Athens to build ships and rely on a navy for the next fight. This was a difficult persuasive effort.

Xerxes succeeds Darius and prepares to teach Athens and Sparta a lesson, great preparation underway.

Page 258 explaining the 300 - Spartans remove main army because of religious holiday normally requiring truce. The 300, plus some allies, were thought or hoped to be sufficient to hold Thermopylae.  It worked out well enough. 

The battle concludes after Thermopylae with some naval engagements etc.  Persia makes a few more attempts, but Xerxes needs to head home and invasion efforts finally fizzle out.

Gates of Fire (The Battle of Thermopylae) (Steven Pressfield, 1998)

(384 pages)

Greek survivor at Thermopylae is asked by Xerxes, seeking understanding about the courage of the Spartans, to tell the story of the battle as he understood it.  A Persian historian records the tale.

A good job of moving back and forth in time. Weaving in early childhood experiences of the survivor (and his sister), his incorporation into Spartan ways.

I wasn't as interested in the battle sequences though no doubt they are rendered effectively.

This kind of fighting - no drones; no gunfire from a distance.  

Descriptions of the Spartan training.  Their superiority. Selection of the 300; their known fate.

I appreciated that the author typically presented the Persians, even their auxiliaries, as courageous fighters. 

Ending phases of the book are remarkably good.  The speeches of King Leonidas and others on the final morning of the battle. The type of brotherhood of these men in arms; echoes of similar stories from wars throughout history; very effective. A relationship unlike any other.

This is an idealized presentation of Sparta as I understand things - though that's OK, the focus here is military matters and it seems Sparta very much excelled there.

Courage of the Spartan women is presented, an interesting angle that I hadn't previously seen; how their support mattered.

Good discussions of courage and fear; "there are rooms we must not enter" - courage doesn't mean absence of fear.

Well worth reading.