- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Yale University Press (Sep 7 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0300120850
- ISBN-13: 978-0300120851
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.3 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #158,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"It is hard to imagine that Krentz''s account of the events on that sweltering day can be improved on: the maddeningly elusive topography of the Marathon plain, in particular, has never been better treated."--Peter Thonemann, "The Times Literary Supplement"--Peter Thonemann "The Times Literary Supplement "
Book Description
How did the city-state of Athens defeat the invaders from Persia, the first world empire, on the plain of Marathon in 490 BCE? Clever scholars skeptical of our earliest surviving source, Herodotus, have produced one ingenious theory after another. In this stimulating new book, bound to provoke controversy, Peter Krentz argues that Herodotus was right after all.
Beginning his analysis with the Athenians’ first formal contact with the Persians in 507 BCE, Krentz weaves together ancient evidence with travelers’ descriptions, archaeological discoveries, geological surveys, and the experiences of modern reenactors and soldiers to tell his story.
Krentz argues that before Marathon the Athenian army fought in a much less organized way than the standard view of the hoplite phalanx suggests: as an irregularly armed mob rather than a disciplined formation of identically equipped infantry. At Marathon the Athenians equipped all their fighters, including archers and horsemen, as hoplites for the first time. Because their equipment weighed only half as much as is usually thought, the Athenians and their Plataean allies could charge almost a mile at a run, as Herodotus says they did. Krentz improves on this account in Herodotus by showing why the Athenians wanted to do such a risky thing.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ancient Greco-Persian Politics.... and a Battle,
By
This review is from: The Battle of Marathon (Hardcover)
There is much information between the covers of this scholarly work. There are a great many details on the political situation in the ancient world between the Greeks and the Persians, eventually leading to the battle itself. Indeed, throughout the book, the author has often stopped to analyze various minutiae occasionally to the point of overdoing it, at least from my point of view. For example, the interpretation of "push" when it came to the Athenians' attack on the Persians runs several pages; also, whether it was possible for the Athenians to have run "eight stadia" in attacking the Persians is discussed at length more than once in the book. I found that some of the more exciting sections were the author's recounting of various archaeological excavations in the plain of Marathon over the years and the resulting finds. The recounting of the battle itself and its aftermath was also quite interesting but was only a few of pages in length. The fact that the book contains so much discussion on seemingly minor issues (minor, perhaps, to a less specialized reader like me), such as particulars of actual routes followed, geographical details, timing, a great many (often-confusing) names of various people and places, etc., suggests that the intended audience for this book may be more the professional historian or the serious ancient history buff rather than the general reader or even the casual ancient history enthusiast like me.The writing style is clear, scholarly, quite authoritative, fast paced even in the relentless belabouring of certain details and sporadically engaging. The book has many useful pictures, diagrams and maps. Despite the fact that I was a bit disappointed in this book, it does contain much information, giving one the opportunity to learn quite a bit about important events during this period in the ancient world.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best Marathon book,
By
This review is from: The Battle of Marathon (Hardcover)
Peter Krentz's book on Marathon is, I think, the best synopsis of the available evidence on the market. I am a fairly serious amateur historian; I read Ancient Greek, I know the sources, and I recently helped put together the 2500th Anniversary reenactment at Marathon. And, of course, I wrote a novel about it... Prof Krentz has provided some new evidence, especially new images from the Persian world, while reviewing the available evidence and even the historiographical evidence. Balanced, very informative, and careful, I appreciate Krentz's approach, his willingness to use all forms of evidence (archaeology, textual, and even the views of skilled reenactors.And the book is a pleasure to read. I read it in two sittings; Krentz is not just a good historian but a good author. I cannot recommend this book too highly.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.6 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews) 14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent one-volume analysis of Marathon,
By Mark P. Johnson - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Battle of Marathon (Hardcover)
An excellent and highly readable analysis of what may be the most significant battle in Western history. If the Athenians had not won at Marathon, it is easy to conclude that Athens' young democracy would have fallen and Greece with it. Peter Krentz does a fine job in telling the reader that, but I found more interesting his analysis of why Athens won the battle. He uses a practical approach to debunk many scholars' skepticism about the battle tactics, especially the famous running charge at the Persian lines. Many have said that the Athenian hoplites could not have run a mile in full battle gear and gone straight into the fight. By using a simple, practical tool, Krentz proves that the Athenians not only could have done it, but they undoubtedly did.Many books of this type are short on useful illustrations. This book has an excellent mix of old and new maps, old engravings, new pictures, and even satellite imagery; the combination of these images provides the reader with a nearly three-dimensional view of the battlefield. For amateur historians (like me), Krentz' book and Barry Strauss' Battle of Salamis make a good book-end combination on the Persian Wars. It is interesting that both Krentz and Strauss trained under Donald Kagan, whose four-volume history of the Peloponnesian War may be the finest work of history published in decades. Taken together, these books provide any reader with a fine history of the ups and downs of Athens in the golden age of the 5th Century B.C. And they are all accessible to the non-academic reader. I recommend these books. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best Marathon book,
By Christian G. Cameron "Christian G. Cameron" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Battle of Marathon (Paperback)
Peter Krentz's book on Marathon is, I think, the best synopsis of the available evidence on the market. I am a fairly serious amateur historian; I read Ancient Greek, I know the sources, and I recently helped put together the 2500th Anniversary reenactment at Marathon. And, of course, I wrote a novel about it... Prof Krentz has provided some new evidence, especially new images from the Persian world, while reviewing the available evidence and even the historiographical evidence. Balanced, very informative, and careful, I appreciate Krentz's approach, his willingness to use all forms of evidence (archaeology, textual, and even the views of skilled reenactors.And the book is a pleasure to read. I read it in two sittings; Krentz is not just a good historian but a good author. I cannot recommend this book too highly. 5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marathon,
By mark peele - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Battle of Marathon (Hardcover)
I read this book on a recommendation and must admit I was greatly pleased by book's content and style. Not an academic, I found Krentz's approach both readable from the point of view of view of a casual military history devotee and at the same time providing details from the ancient sources in a manner that never lost my interest. Krentz take great pains to place the battle in the proper framework of the evolving struggle between West and East. He provides indepth descriptions of all the important figures of the battle both on the strategic level (ex Darius) and the tactical level (ex Miltiades). The book offers an excellent treatment of the events leading up to Marathon in a flowing and interesting sequence. Then Krentz begins to analyze the details of the actual combatants. Conjectures about armamants and tactics based on both ancient source material and modern day studies of physiology or materials make for compelling reading. The description of the ancient topography of the battle and the location on the plain of Marathon of the major fighting is pivotal for understanding the battle. To me this is some of the most original analysis in the book and sets the stage for his description of the day of the battle and outcome itself. I felt completely prepared to see the battle unfold on the final pages of the book with an almost I was there feeling during the narrative. Bravo.
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