The battle of Salamis : the naval encounter that saved Greece--and Western civilization

330 Pages·2004·4.56 MB·English

by  Strauss

Praise for The Battle of Salamis
“First-rate military and political history. . . . Strauss’s reconstruction of the events of naval and classical
history overflows with detail and writerly attention to a grand story.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Barry Strauss is one of the best ancient naval historians alive, and in The Battle of Salamis he combines his
classical expertise with his natural gifts as a storyteller to make the inexplicable Greek victory not just
explicable, but captivating as well. The ensuing drama is as riveting as it is historically accurate.”
—Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institute, and author of
Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power
“Led by a shrewd and bold commander, the sailors of the world’s first democracy—badly outnumbered,
their capital destroyed—drew strength from their freedom and crushed the forces of the massive Persian
Empire to save the dawning of Western Civilization. Superbly told, and as dramatic as history gets.”
—R. James Woolsey, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton, and former Director of Central Intelligence
“[Strauss’s] combination of erudite scholarship, well-paced storytelling and vivid color commentary make
this an appealing popular history for the general reader.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A ripping yarn of a world at the brink of annihilation and of the heroes (and fools) who brought it back
from the edge. Strauss’s deep scholarship and clear prose bring the men and the era alive. We can see the
ships and smell the action, but more importantly, we understand what it meant—for the Greeks then and for
all of us now. This is the indispensable work on Salamis.”
—Steven Pressfield, author of The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great
“The Battle of Salamis is a modern classic. Based on ancient histories, plays and art, and incorporating the
latest in naval technology, this book has it all: a significant historical event, a superb cast of characters and
excellent technical descriptions of key military hardware. . . . Barry Strauss is a scholar with a flair for
captivating narrative and penetrating insight into the personalities of ancient leaders and reflections on their
leadership style.”
—Raymond Leach, The Virginian-Pilot
“Barry Strauss’s brilliantly written and deeply insightful narrative of Salamis brings all the glories—and the
horrors—of this decisive naval battle vividly back to life (and multiple death). . . . Strauss’s firsthand
topographical, nautical, and historical expertise is allied to a novelist’s eye and pen to produce a book to be
savored by the general reader and the scholar alike.”
—Paul Cartledge, Professor of Greek History, University of Cambridge
“Writers of maritime history sometimes founder by either erring on the side of minutiae or by being too
general. Barry Strauss avoids both these perils. A professor of history and classics at Cornell, Strauss
certainly knows his stuff. Moreover, he supplements his generally smooth writing style with good maps, an
easily understood timetable, a fine bibliographic essay, and notes that clearly explain the types of vessels
used in the battle for the neophyte and naval historian alike.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“In compelling fashion, Strauss imaginatively accentuates the local geography and the experience of battle;
however, he is most evocative when outlining the strategic thought of the leaders, Xerxes for the Persian
Empire and Themistocles for the Hellenic alliance.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“Strauss has connected the abstract meaning of the war to its concrete reality: a sweaty, desperate effort in
which over 100,000 men crammed into their ships, readied their oars, and rowed for their lives.”
—Bryn Mawr Classical Review
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CONTENTS
A Note on Spelling and Abbreviations
Timetable of Events Relating to the Battle of Salamis, 480 B.C.
An Important Note About the Ships
PROLOGUE: Piraeus
THE ADVANCE
CHAPTER ONE: Artemisium
CHAPTER TWO: Thermopylae
CHAPTER THREE: Athens
CHAPTER FOUR: Salamis
THE TRAP
CHAPTER FIVE: Phaleron
CHAPTER SIX: From Salamis to Phaleron
CHAPTER SEVEN: From Phaleron to Salamis
CHAPTER EIGHT: Salamis
THE BATTLE
CHAPTER NINE: Salamis Straits: Morning
CHAPTER TEN: Salamis Straits: Afternoon
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Salamis Straits: Evening
THE RETREAT
CHAPTER TWELVE: Phaleron
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Andros
EPILOGUE: Susa
Sources
Acknowledgments
Photographs
Notes
Index
FOR SYLVIE
A NOTE ON SPELLING
AND ABBREVIATIONS
Greek, Persian, and other ancient names are spelled and abbreviated following
the style of the standard reference work, The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 3rd
ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999).
I have translated all ancient Greek quotations myself unless otherwise noted.
Citations from Old Persian have been translated by others as noted.
TIMETABLE OF EVENTS RELATING
TO THE BATTLE OF SALAMIS,
480 B.C.
Note: All dates approximate except full moon and eclipse.
May: Xerxes begins to move troops across the Hellespont.
June: Xerxes begins march from the Hellespont to Athens.
Third week of August: Greek men and ships take up positions at Thermopylae
and Artemisium.
August 19, full moon: End of the Olympic Games and the Carnea Festival.
ca. August 27–29: Battles of Thermopylae and Artemisium.
ca. September 1: Greek fleet returns from Artemisium and arrives at Phaleron
Bay and at Salamis; Persian army begins march southward.
Early September: Peloponnesian armies in full force begin building wall at
Isthmus of Corinth.
ca. September 1–6: Evacuation of Athens.
ca. September 4: Persian fleet moves southward.
ca. September 5: Persian advance guard reaches Attica.
ca. August 31–September 20: Persian army conquers Phocis and Boeotia and
regroups in Athens.
ca. September 7: Persian fleet reaches Phaleron Bay.
ca. September 21–23: Siege of Athenian Acropolis.
ca. September 23: Persian army takes Athenian Acropolis; Greek war council on
Salamis votes for fleet to retreat to Isthmus of Corinth.
Night of ca. September 23–24: Mnesiphilus, Themistocles, and Eurybiades
force Greek war council to change plans and remain at Salamis; debate
between Themistocles and Adimantus.
Dawn, ca. September 24: Earthquake.
Evening of ca. September 24: Sicinnus’s mission to the Persians.
Midnight, ca. September 24: Persian fleet enters straits of Salamis.
ca. September 25: Battle of Salamis.
End of September: Persians begin to withdraw from Athens.
October 2, partial eclipse of the sun: Spartan army leaves Isthmus.