Persian Fire

Tom Holland

Jun 2007 · Sold by Anchor

About this ebook

A "fresh...thrilling" (The Guardian) account of the Graeco-Persian Wars. In the fifth century B.C., a global superpower was determined to bring truth and order to what it regarded as two terrorist states. The superpower was Persia, incomparably rich in ambition, gold, and men. The terrorist states were Athens and Sparta, eccentric cities in a poor and mountainous backwater: Greece.

The story of how their citizens took on the Great King of Persia, and thereby saved not only themselves but Western civilization as well, is as heart-stopping and fateful as any episode in history. Tom Holland’s brilliant study of these critical Persian Wars skillfully examines a conflict of critical importance to both ancient and modern history.

Ratings and reviews

Opened new doors of history for me. I've never really read too much on the Achaemenid or Persian empire, beyond the basics you pick up by reading the great Greek Classics, so there were a lot of stories in here I wasn't totally, or very well versed in at all. But the wonderful story telling and narrative history Tom Holland brings to his books, and in this one in particular, pulled me into the story immediately and fueled a new desire to tackle this new chapter of history for me!

I knew the persian people and specially Iran government ain't clear and troublesome lately.yes you right but... it's injustice if we pretend whole of history they having same problem!

The 300 Spartans was a landmark battle, that told the arrogant Persians that the Greeks would NEVER give up, and NEVER quit - like Winston Churchill said during the darkest days of WW2.

About the author

Tom Holland is a historian of the ancient world and a translator. His books include Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, Persian Fire, In the Shadow of the Sword and The Forge of Christendom. He has adapted Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides and Virgil for the BBC. In 2007, he was the winner of the Classical Association prize, awarded to “the individual who has done most to promote the study of the language, literature and civilization of Ancient Greece and Rome.” He lives in London with his family.
Visit the author's website at www.tom-holland.org.