Beyond the Gates of Fire: New Perspectives on the Battle of Thermopylae

Dedication......Page 2
Title Page......Page 3
Copyright Page......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 6
Table of Figures......Page 7
Abbreviations......Page 8
Foreword......Page 10
Preface......Page 16
Chapter One - Towards the Hot Gates: The Events leading to the Battle of Thermopylae......Page 20
Greek Problems with the Persians......Page 21
Armament and Fighting Style......Page 51
The Long Road to Thermopylae......Page 58
Chapter Two - Thermopylae......Page 74
Chapter Three - The Topography of the Pass at Thermopylae Circa 480 BC......Page 98
Regional Geology and Physiography......Page 102
Historical Attempts to Reconstruct the Topography of the Pass......Page 108
Coring Programme and Results......Page 111
Physiography of Thermopylae Circa 480 BC......Page 116
Popular Versions of the Battle Topography......Page 121
Conclusions......Page 125
Appendix......Page 127
Acknowledgements......Page 133
Chapter Four - Was the Greek Defence of Thermopylae in 480 BC a Suicide Mission?......Page 134
The Action......Page 139
The Ground......Page 141
The Manpower......Page 145
The 300 Spartans......Page 156
The Objectives......Page 161
Food as a Weapon......Page 166
Water as a Weapon......Page 170
Illness as a Weapon......Page 172
Oracles and Decrees......Page 180
Conclusion......Page 214
Chapter Five - Remembering Thermopylae and the Persian Wars in Antiquity......Page 216
Thermopylae Monuments: Lions, Epitaphs and Epigrams......Page 219
Thermopylae Histories: Herodotus, Diodorus, Plutarch......Page 238
Thermopylae Monuments at Sparta......Page 244
Thermopylae Battles in Antiquity......Page 246
Chapter Six - Herodotus’ Homer: Troy, Thermopylae, and the Dorians......Page 250
The Persian Wars as a Reiteration of the Trojan War......Page 251
Epic Echoes in Herodotus Book 7......Page 256
7.220: Leonidas’ short life and unfading fame.......Page 263
7.224: The Spartan aristeia.......Page 268
7.225.1: The battle over Leonidas’ body.......Page 270
7.226–227: ‘Who then stood out as the best of them …?’......Page 275
The Dorians......Page 279
Chapter Seven - Other Battles of Thermopylae......Page 291
The Spartans, Herakleia Trachinia, and the Great Isthmus Corridor......Page 292
Wars Of The Fourth Century BC......Page 294
279 BC: The Invasion of Brennos......Page 297
Later Third Century BC Conflicts......Page 300
191 BC: Antiochus and Glabrio......Page 301
Events of Succeeding Centuries......Page 304
AD 1941: Allies Vs Germans......Page 309
Conclusion......Page 312
Chapter 8 - The Glorious Defeat......Page 315
Notes......Page 343
Bibliography......Page 513
Index......Page 549
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