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The Peloponnesian War: Athens and Sparta in Savage Conflict 431-404 BC
by: Donald Kagan

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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9780007115068
ISBN: 0007115067
Label: HarperPerennial
Manufacturer: HarperPerennial
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: March 07, 2005
Publisher: HarperPerennial
Studio: HarperPerennial
Sales Rank: 71422

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Forgotten tragedy, with a lesson for our day.
While we hear - less than before - of the unquestionable glories of ancient Europe, little is said, except for the relative specialist, of its tragedies. For the Roman Republic (to late First Cent. BCE), Rubicon did much to contribute to rebalancing the picture, with an honest examination of the disaster of the civil wars of that time. Kagan does the same for classical Greece with his account of the 27 years of a largely aimless war, agonisingly reminiscent of WW1 rather than WW2, with the scale of its casualties. This isn't just history of the long past: it has resonances, painful warnings, of our own day, above all in the story of Athens' assault on far-distant Sicily, a catastrophic venture. Little was known of its prospective opponent, ... Read More:

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- seeking an introduction to important history
I approached this work to further my knowledge, following reading more general works of classical history, and was not at all disappointed. I feel now, having pressed on and read this tract, that I at least know something (whereas before I knew nothing) of some of the earliest known verifiable histories of human relations. The final thoughts of the author, set out at the conclusion of this edition, were worth the price of the book alone. The thoughts of such an historian, based upon a lifetime's work, should be read by all politicians, and all who aspire to power over their fellow man.

Rating:

- the peloponnesian war
I am no historian but I love ancient history. I'm one-third away from the end and all I can say is - it's riveting and definitely very manageable for the so-called 'laymen'. Kagan shows no bias toward either party (namely Athenians/Spartans) and manages to flesh out the major players wonderfully. This book is a good continuation if you've also read 'Persian Fire' by Tom Holland, from Persia versus a united Greece to Greeks fighting Greeks.

Rating:

- How history should be written
The Peloponnesian Wars were something I had heard of but had never studied so I sought out a book to illuminate things for me. Kagan's book couldn't have been a better choice.

This is a highly engaging account of the savage wars between Sparta and Athens after the famous Persian invasions and before the rise of Macedonia and Alexander. Demonstrating my true ignorance on the area, many famous names rear their heads such as Pericles and Lysander and I never realised these were real people rather than dramatic ciphers for the stage! Kagan brings them all marvellously to life and mixes the social impact with battles than turn the tide one way then another.

A big issue in many history books is the assumption of your intimate ... Read More:

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- The Athenians Win The Paper War Again
Donald Kagan is an acknowledged master-historian of the Peloponnesian War, the great struggle between Athens on one side and Lacedaemon (led by Sparta) and Boeotia (led by Thebes) on the other. The war lasted 29 years (counting only the direct involvement of Athens) and in many ways has the same status for classical Greece that WW2 has for modern history - the world (meaning the Eastern Mediterranean, for the earlier conflict) was never the same afterwards. Kagan has written the currently definitive four-volume scholarly history; this is the lightweight version for general readers - the main text is a mere 490 pages. I bought it hoping to get a fresh slant on a subject I first touched about 45 years ago. That was perhaps optimistic; this is a field ... Read More:

Books : The Peloponnesian War: Athens and Sparta in Savage Conflict 431-404 BC