Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World Audiobook

" While the unabashedly eurocentric of introduction put me off, this book is turning out to be much more wide reaching and nuanced. Cartledge spends a good half of the book exploring the battle of Thermoplylae and the Spartans in literature, myth, and intellectual tradition. The style is 'informal academic' with occasional flights of outrageuousness, as in: "To him we owe a travelogue of 1447 that outdoes even the second-century Pausanias the Periegete's jeremiad over the lamentable present and his recherche of a much better temps that had been perdu." "

" Excellent book, very well written. "

" Have reada few of his books he can tend to be a bit dry, but this was probably his best book. "

" Very interesting from the perspective of someone who knows little ancient history, but the author couldn't figure out if he was writing for an academic or a general audience. "

" Engaging overview of one of history's best known battles, and a great companion and counterweight to Herodotus' Histories. "

" Cartledge provides a wonderful context for this pivotal battle in western civ. I have a better understanding of the emotional and intellectual life of the Spartans, the Athenians and the Persians. "

" Thorough historical perspective on the legendary battle...honor against all odds. "

" Great book for fans of 300 or just a history buff. I liked it so much I felt compelled to order a Greek salad for lunch. "

" A little too boring for me. Could've been written better. "

" A factual account of the legendary Spartan last stand against the Persians. A good read before you watch the movie "The 300". "

" The first half of this book was amazing but the second half which was focused on the implications of Thermopylae were slow. "

" Great book. Complete history of both sides culturally, religiously and militarily. Essential for understanding the importance of this battle. "

" Ok book. I thought there would be more about the battle (but you only get to that 150 pages into a 200 page book). There's more about the author's thoughts about life and the battle. I think that I'm going to read another one of the battle of Thermopylae books to get a better grasp of the details. "

" The history is even more interesting than the legend. "

" After you get all jacked up about seeing "300", read this. The real story is even better than the fictionalized one. "

" The one chapter on the actual BATTLE was pretty good, but you could have got that from Google. The rest is filler only an academic could love. Not exactly a thrilling ride, this. "

" Analyzes the Battle of Thermopylae (The battle that the film "300" is based on.) and how it altered the rest of the civilized world. "

" Decent book, but not exactly what I was looking for. A little too academic for a subject that I was idly exploring...not that I was looking for "300 for Dummies" either. "

" If the story of Thermopylae doesn't inspire you, there's a chance you're already dead. For the non-historians, check out Pressfield's Gates of Fire. "

" Analyzes the Battle of Thermopylae (The battle that the film "300" is based on.) and how it altered the rest of the civilized world. "

" Great book. Complete history of both sides culturally, religiously and militarily. Essential for understanding the importance of this battle. "

" Excellent book, very well written. "

" Have reada few of his books he can tend to be a bit dry, but this was probably his best book. "

" The first half of this book was amazing but the second half which was focused on the implications of Thermopylae were slow. "

" Very good, interesting reinterpretation of Herodotus "

" Very interesting from the perspective of someone who knows little ancient history, but the author couldn't figure out if he was writing for an academic or a general audience. "

" Decent book, but not exactly what I was looking for. A little too academic for a subject that I was idly exploring...not that I was looking for "300 for Dummies" either. "

" Thorough historical perspective on the legendary battle...honor against all odds. "