Holland's new work describes the very first "clash of empires" between East and West. Revealing extraordinary parallels between the ancient world and the present, this history takes in the entire sweep of the Persian Wars.
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Holland's new work describes the very first "clash of empires" between East and West. Revealing extraordinary parallels between the ancient world and the present, this history takes in the entire sweep of the Persian Wars.
Read Less
Holland makes serious scholarship available to all readers and casual historians. The conflict of east and west is placed before the reader with rhetorical skill and elegant prose. He exposes the internal conflicts within the Greek city-states in a manner that makes historical personages seem human and real.
Matthew
Oct 23, 2007
For any ancient history enthusiast
This book tells the story of the Persian-Greek wars of the 500-450s BC. The first half of the book, though, retells, briefly, the history of the three main nations involved (Persia, Athens, and Sparta). This part is entertaining enough to be a great book in its own right. Of course the wars themselves are the main point of the book; Mr. Holland tells their story in light of the conflict between "East" and "West" which he believes began with these wars and which has extended to our own time. A fascinating book, and relevant for our time, it will help the reader understand the roots of modern conflict between east and west.
RLMC
Apr 3, 2007
The Persian Empire versus the Greek States
This is how history should be written! It brings to life ancient events that took place over two and a half thousand years ago in a region of the world that is still in turmoil. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learnt here - how a great and powerful civilisation was eventually brought down by a few disparate and feuding outlying states. The book starts off with how the Persian empire came about - as usual, in these times, involving much bloodshed, but also good governance. It then describes how the Greek states evolved and how Democracy, once initiated (albeit as a ploy by Cleisthenes to avoid a worse fate) , was not easy to go back on. This led to an inevitable clash between the existing big power and the newcomers! Most interesting and very absorbing. Easy to read.
