Thermopylae: The Battle for the West

Ernle Bradford

Apr 2014 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

An account of the ancient battle between Persia and the alliance of Greek city-states, including the legendary “300 Spartans.”

In 480 BCE, Persian king Xerxes led a massive invasion of Greece. A critical point in this invasion was the battle for the pass at Thermopylae—“Hot Gates” in Greek. Xerxes had amassed one of the largest armies yet known to man, while Leonidas’s troops, a group of united Spartans, Thespians, Thebans, and others, including slaves, were a small fraction of the Persian horde.
 
Despite the overwhelming odds, Leonidas and his men stood their ground for three days in a historic display of patriotism and courage. In Thermopylae: Battle for the West, acclaimed author Ernle Bradford covers the entire era of the invasion—from the foundation of the Persian empire to the accession of Darius all the way to the final, bloody battles—in a fascinating and accessible look at warfare in ancient times.
 

Ratings and reviews

An interesting account of the Second Greco-Persian War of 480-479 BC, with extra focus on the battles of Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea. Strong writing powers this book but it would have been better if some maps and illustrations were included.

About the author

Ernle Bradford was born in 1922 and died in 1986. He was a noted British historian specializing in the Mediterranean world and naval topics. Bradford was an enthusiastic sailor himself and spent almost thirty years sailing the Mediterranean, where many of his books are set. He served in the Royal Navy during World War II, finishing as the first lieutenant of a destroyer. Bradford lived in Malta for a number of years. He did occasional broadcast work for the BBC, was a magazine editor, and wrote many books, including Hannibal, Paul the Traveller, Julius Caesar: The Pursuit of Power, Christopher Columbus, and The Mighty Hood.