The Battle of Salamis
The Naval Encounter that Saved Greece -- and Western Civilization

Barry Strauss has written a very accessible account of the second time the Greeks fought off the Persian Empire. He spends a good amount of time on the background: the Ionian revolt, the general configuration of the Persian court, etc. Along the way, we good descriptions of triremes, the geography,......more

An intensely detailed account of the sea battle between the quasi-united Greeks, officially under a Spartan commander but heavily influenced by the strategy of Athenian Themistocles, and Xerxes’ tremendously more numerous army. Strauss follows Herodotus and other sources, accepting them as reliable......more

I read this in anticipation of 300: Rise of an Empire. I studied Classics in college, so I went into this book with a knowledge advantage. An overview of the Battle of Salamis with appropriate framing (Ionian Revolt to Artemisium/Thermopylae through the Persian retreat). Strauss draws heavily upon H......more

One should approach the reading of this book with a drinking game. Every time Barry Strauss says the word "Herodotus" one should take a drink. I don't actually advise this as the reader is sure to die of alcohol poisoning given the fact that Herodotus is on almost every page of this wonderful book. S......more

Okay. This is not a great book, in my opinion, which is a shame since the subject matter is actually fascinating. The Ancient Greek city-states and their tenuous alliances, coupled with the nascent democracy in Athens, all at risk from Xerxes of Persia’s imperialist ambitions—this is clearly the stu......more