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More copies of this ISBNSong of Wrath: The Peloponnesian War Beginsby Ted Lendon
Review-A-Day"'The growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Sparta, made war inevitable,' wrote Thucydides in his fifth-century BC chronicle of the Peloponnesian War. Most scholars have accepted his explanation for the causes of the three-decade struggle that reshaped the Greek world. Thucydides' writings greatly influenced the thinking of 17th-century political philosopher Thomas Hobbes about how and why great powers come into conflict. Together, writes University of Virginia historian J. E. Lendon, Thucydides and Hobbes are 'the progenitors of the theoretical realism that abides in today's universities and think tanks.'" James Carman, The Wilson Quarterly (Read the entire Wilson Quarterly review) Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Song of Wrath tells the story of Classical Athens victorious Ten Years War (431– 421 BC) against grim Sparta—the first decade of the terrible Peloponnesian War that turned the Golden Age of Greece to lead. Historian J.E. Lendon presents a sweeping tale of pitched battles by land and sea, sieges, sacks, raids, and deeds of cruelty and guile—along with courageous acts of mercy, surprising charity, austere restraint, and arrogant resistance. Recounting the rise of democratic Athens to great-power status, and the resulting fury of authoritarian Sparta, Greeces traditional leader, Lendon portrays the causes and strategy of the war as a duel over national honor, a series of acts of revenge. A story of new pride challenging old, Song of Wrath is the first work of Ancient Greek history for the post-cold-war generation. Review:"In an exceptionally well-written account of the first 10 years of the Peloponnesian War (431 — 421 B.C.E.), University of Virginia historian Lendon (Soldiers and Ghosts) brings the Greek city-states to life. Crediting Thucydides with the humanizing of military history, Lendon emphasizes the extraordinary importance of worth or glory to the typical Greek and casts the long, bloody conflict between Athens and Sparta in the light of the concepts of honor and hubris. Political differences, characterized by the 'democracy' of Athens and her sea-borne commercial supremacy in Attica, and by the stern militarism of Sparta, which ensured her dominance in Laconia and the Peloponnesian peninsula, inevitably resulted in war. In dramatic fashion, battles of conquest were waged from Boeotia to the Gulf of Corinth, and to Laconia and Attica themselves. Mutual exhaustion and disillusionment with allies led to a remarkable peace treaty that was soon broken. An excellent story, this account is further strengthened by the frequent use of maps and illustrations. But more information on the social and economic realities of the time would have been helpful. Illus. (Nov.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC) Book News Annotation:Lendon (history, University of Virginia) goes beyond Thucydides in
this account of the events leading up to the first Peloponnesian War
and the first ten years of the war itself. He explains the culture of
Athens and Sparta and the importance of rank and honor to citizens of
both city-states. The story of the battles and strategies is told in
a flowing narrative style. He sees it as a tale of alternating pride
and shame, more important than land or booty and studied in this
context the decisions of the leaders of cities seem logical. Lendon
provides appendices with a list of people and places, an essay on
Thucydides and his bias as a historian and an analysis of other
sources. While to many, the rules of engagement might appear strange,
the concept of fighting to save face is far from extinct.
Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Synopsis:A prize-winning classicists thrilling account of the Ten Years War—the first stage of the Peloponnesian War Synopsis:"Song of Wrath" is a prize-winning classicist's thrilling account of the Ten Years' War--the first stage of the Peloponnesian War.
About the AuthorJ.E. Lendon is professor of history at the University of Virginia and author of Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity, runner-up for the Longman History Today Book of the Year Prize (2006). He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Heidelberg, Germany. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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