Spartas First Attic War, Paul A. Rahe
Spartas First Attic War, Paul A. Rahe
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Sparta's First Attic War
The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 478–446 BC

Author: Paul A. Rahe

Narrator: Paul A. Rahe

Unabridged: 10 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/05/2019

Synopsis

Winner of the 2019 Stratfor Book Award for Geopolitical AnalysisA companion volume to The Spartan Regime and The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta that explores the collapse of the Spartan‑Athenian allianceDuring the Persian Wars, Sparta and Athens worked in tandem to defeat what was, in terms of relative resources and power, the greatest empire in human history. For the decade and a half that followed, they continued their collaboration until a rift opened and an intense, strategic rivalry began. In a continuation of his series on ancient Sparta, noted historian Paul Rahe examines the grounds for their alliance, the reasons for its eventual collapse, and the first stage in an enduring conflict that would wreak havoc on Greece for six decades. Throughout, Rahe argues that the alliance between Sparta and Athens and their eventual rivalry were extensions of their domestic policy and that the grand strategy each articulated in the wake of the Persian Wars and the conflict that arose in due course grew out of the opposed material interests and moral imperatives inherent in their different regimes.

About Paul A. Rahe

Paul A. Rahe is a Rhodes Scholar and holds the Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee Chair in the Western Heritage at Hillsdale College. He is the author of numerous books including the three-volume Republics Ancient and Modern.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Simon

Every polity seeks to preserve itself, to be sure; and in this crucial sense all polities really are akin. But there are also, I argue, moral imperatives peculiar to particular regimes; and, if one’s aim is to understand, these cannot be dismissed and ostentatiously swept aside or simply ignored on......more

Goodreads review by Christopher

The middle act where it all falls apart. A strong, academically minded military history of classical Sparta that is a little less grand or strategic than promised. Rahe's second volume in his trilogy looks at the strategic decisions and motivations of the Spartan state following the defeat of Xerxes'......more

Goodreads review by Koit

Overall, a strong continuation of the first book, ‘The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta: The Persian Challenge’ where the author continues the story by following through the next thirty years. This time sees Sparta brought low by the forces of nature and rebellion and Athens’ might destroyed in fo......more

Goodreads review by Dennis

Sparta's First Attic War: The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 478-446 BC by Paul Anthony Rahe is a bit of a step down from the first book in this series. It is hard not to notice that The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta appears has diminished in focus just as its pride of place has diminished......more

Goodreads review by Петр

good stuff inside, not the best way to present the stuff though......more

Quotes

“Persuasive.” New York Times Book Review on The Spartan Regime

“Rahe thinks and writes big…The Spartan Regime breaks important new ground.” Commentary

“[Rahe] has an excellent eye for military logistics: His account of the practicalities of Xerxes’ vast invasion of Greece (what did those hundreds of thousands of men eat?) is crisp and persuasive.” Wall Street Journal on The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta

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