Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I wondered whether this book was necessary in light of Ernle Bradford's excellent book "Thermopylae: Battle for the West," and Peter Green's "The Greco-Persian Wars," but being an ancient history junkie, I bought it. I could have saved my money. Cartledge's book is long on describing the context and short on describing the conduct of the battle. Cartledge obviously thinks the battle has some relevance to Iraq and Afghanistan, and strains mightily to find it. One example of how mightily he strains is his comparison of Leonidas with the 9/11 hijackers. Cartledge can't seem to see the difference between Leonidas' heroic-but-doomed last stand against Xerxes and the 9/11 hijackers' suicidal massacre of innocent people. Let me point out just one minor difference. Leonidas faced, killed, and was killed by men who were trying to kill him. The 9/11 hijackers ambushed and killed noncombatants and killed themselves in the process. Another difference lies in the very real possibility that Leonidas intended to actually survive the battle if he could. Although he took with him only men who had sons, that measure can be seen as precautionary rather than preparatory. As J.B. Bury points out in his "History of Greece to the Death of Alexander," had the Phocians held the pass and frustrated Xerxes' efforts to turn Leonidas' position, and had the Greek fleet at Artimesium held, Leonidas might well have returned to Sparta as the living savior of Greece. The rest of Cartledge's "modern application" of the lessons of Thermopylae appears as off base as his Leonidas/hijacker analogy. Bradford's and Green's books are far, far better than this offering.