Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139757 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-12
• Released on: 2007-06-12
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

From Publishers Weekly
After chronicling the fall of the Roman Republic in Rubicon, historian Holland turns his attention further back in time to 480 B.C., when the Greeks defended their city-states against the invading Persian empire, led by Xerxes. Classicists will recall such battles as Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis, which raises the question: why do we need another account of this war, when we already have Herodotus? But just as Victor David Hanson and Donald Kagan have reframed our understanding of the Peloponnesian War by finding contemporary parallels, Holland recasts the Greek-Persian conflict as the first clash in a long-standing tension between East and West, echoing now in Osama bin Laden's pretensions to a Muslim caliphate. Holland doesn't impose a modern sensibility on the ancient civilizations he describes, and he delves into the background histories of both sides with equally fascinating detail. Though matters of Greek history like the brutal social structure of the Spartans are well known, the story of the Persian empire—like the usurper Darius's claim that every royal personage he assassinated was actually an imposter—should be fresh and surprising to many readers, while Holland's graceful, modern voice will captivate those intimidated by Herodotus. (May 2)
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From Booklist
Dramatizing ancient history--that is, amplifying the historical record's often fragmentary evidence with unknowable detail and inferred emotion--is always a gamble. Done well (think Herodotus), the long dead come alive, and readers are inclined to overlook their suspicions about what liberties the author may be taking with the story's veracity. Done poorly, one risks profaning history and literature alike. In dramatizing the Persian Wars--Athens' most glorious hour and the beginning of its decline into imperialism and hubris--Holland acknowledges the risks and strides boldly forward. The result is an ambitious contemporary retelling of an epic tale that, framed as a conflict between East and West, quietly subverts certain other recent histories' parallels between empires past and present. It has its awkward moments, mostly due to a predilection for melodramatic phrasing; for better or worse, its parallels to modern events are subtle and often implicit. But ultimately, one suspects that Holland's engaging narrative would do Herodotus proud--and it may even prompt readers to find out for themselves. Brendan Driscoll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
“Ambitious....a sweeping popular account that seems destined to become a classic.”
—The Seattle Times

“Excellent. . . . There is an even-handedness in Holland’s treatment of both Greek and Persian cultural riches that is rare in popular accounts of these wars.”
—Sunday Times

“Holland has a rare eye for detail, drama, and the telling anecdote. . . . A book as spirited and engaging as Persian Fire deserves to last.” —The Telegraph

Customer Reviews

Do you want to know how it all happened?
What were the circumstances that led up to the wars between Greece and Persia? In Tom Holland's Persian Fire, this question is answered with careful analysis and surprising clarity. The author gives Persia and Greece an equal survey of the two states' rise to power, making the reader clear as to how both civilizations regarded themselves and the world around them. Consequences are inevitably made clear throughout the book; Holland does an adequate job of relating one event to the other. Sources are many and varied for Persian Fire: Herodotus' Histories is a work often cited, and rarely examined Persian sources round out the presented material, with contradictions from previous Greek and Persian sources being explained as they are found along the way. Persian Fire is a book that will not disappoint those that want to know how the events of the Persian Wars came about and how they concluded.
The way Greece and Persia viewed themselves and how they may have regarded the world around them is important to know in understanding the conflict between the two great powers. Holland first examines the Persian Empire and its rise to prominence out of the Assyrian's former grip on the region. Persia's adherence to Ahura Mazda and the idea that Truth must prevail over the Great Lie is explained with clarity by Holland so that the reader understands Persia's priorities in its territories and abroad. Greece is given a thorough assessment from popular tyranny to the rise of a first democracy. Helpful in understanding Athens successful victory in the Battle of Marathon, Holland is precise in helping readers understand that democracy was something the Athenians felt was worth fighting for-this as opposed to a monarch, as in Persia's case. A way to make the reader understand why an event evolved the way it did is by explaining the relationship and consequences of the things that led up to that event, and here too Holland is successful.
Holland does not slack in making the consequences of certain events clear and how they might relate to the bigger picture. Seemingly minor events shape the course of history: the author is "great" at spending the whole introduction to a chapter discussing what appears to be quite arbitrary material, such as Themistocles' success in procuring the building of some two hundred ships for Athens. Only after a few pages does the reader discover-with triumphant joy that their time hasn't been completely wasted-that in fact the procurement of these ships was absolutely essential to the final outcome of the Persian Wars (221). It is with this clarity in showing the connection and relevance to the topic that is being discussed-the conflict between Greece and Persia-that the author is strongest; if one were to pick up this book with the sole purpose in understanding why the two powers went to war with each other then this book should prove informative. As good as Holland is at relating this period in time to readers, he is even better in providing useful and relevant notes to the material at the end of the book.
With any telling of history there must be the evidence to back it all up, and again Persian Fires proves successful. Either to extinguish fears of possible biases or simply to state the obvious, the author explains the trepidation in taking the primary sources as wholly accurate and takes on all his sources with a sense of speculation-both Greek and the limited Persian sources. Much of the material cited originates from Greek authors, and the "father of history" is ever present; many citations simply state, "see Herodotus..." The "Dream of Nabonidus," a newly used Persian source, is often cited and Holland is quick to elaborate on contradictions with Greek and other Persian sources (379). Especially helpful for any scholar are the occasional commentaries that accompany many of his endnotes: the blurry account of Bardiya's murder, which is appearantly surrounded in some debate, is exposed by the author and his perspective on what other sources tell of the event is illuminating (382).
Persian Fire is a delightful account of the wars between Greece and Persia. The material presented in the book is easily understood, in part because the author is quick to lay a solid foundation in which the Greek's and the Persian's worldviews are extensively explored. Holland is especially good at piecing together events that take place throughout the time period, with both the Greeks and the Persians, making it clear to the reader how it applies to the overall course of the conflict and its outcome. Sources and endnote commentary are extensive and well thought-out, providing some amount of reassurance to any reader wanting to know of the material's origins and its corroborations. To any who desire to know of one of the world's most-if not the-important conflicts in history, Persian Fire will prove to be an informative and enlightening account.

Enthralling
GREAT book!!! I have just now finished reading "Persian Fire" and already made plans to read it again! I have always thirsted after knowledge of this era and the author has brought it to life, entwining anecdotes about important personalities with historical context. Or, entwining historical record about the important personalities of the time. Take your choice. It reads like a novel ... no, better than a novel! Thank you Tom Holland.

Impressive synthesis of knowledge sources-Didactic analogies drawn!
This is a great book in every respect. Historically accurate and at the same time a pleasure to read. The book is a rigorous synthesis of knowledge sources which, synthesis, accounts for the relevant uncertainties in a systematic manner. Most impressive and didactic are the analogies drawn between the "then" and the "now". The book provides a deep analysis of historical events, makes some very interesting moral observations and does not hesitate to be even non-PC when the search of the Truth requires it. It takes lots of courage to use such an approach in these low times we live. Highly recommended!