The Gates of Athens: Book One in the Athenian series

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At the beginning of the book you'll find firstly two quotes of Homer and Aristophanes, followed by three well-drawn maps, of Athens, the "Battle of Marathon", and movement of Persian Forces between 490-480 BC, ending with a list of Pronunciation of Military terms, Locations, Characters, Additional words and the Ten Tribes of Athens. Es mi primer acercamiento con la pluma del autor, y puedo decir, que me ha gustado. Es sencilla y solo profundiza en los aspectos que son más importantes de los personajes principales de ambos bandos, los Persas y los Atenienses. El narrador omnisciente nos hace un retrato bien perfilado de la ciudad de Atenas, sus costumbres como civilización y sus políticas de gobierno. Sparta's former allies soon turned against her due to her imperialist policies, and Athens's former enemies, Thebes and Corinth, became her allies. Argos, Thebes and Corinth, allied with Athens, fought against Sparta in the Corinthian War of 395–387 BC. In 378, the attempt of the Spartan commander Sphodrias to capture Piraeus by surprise triggered Athens to establish the Second Athenian League. Finally Thebes defeated Sparta in 371 in the Battle of Leuctra. However, other Greek cities, including Athens, turned against Thebes, and its dominance was brought to an end at the Battle of Mantinea (362 BC) with the death of its leader, the military genius Epaminondas. This absolutely fascinating book is the 1st volume of a new series called "Athenian", from the acclaimed author, Conn Iggulden, and it describes in a very spectacular fashion the atmosphere and people of the ancient world of Athens, and Greece as a whole. This is the second novel in the Athenian series of Conn Iggulden, telling the tale of the Persians Wars and the Peloponnesian War. I did enjoy ‘the gates of Athens‘ that ends with the fantastic first part of the battle of Salamis. Protector continues the story of this battle and I was immediately drawn into the action.

Resentment by other cities at the hegemony of Athens led to the Peloponnesian War in 431, which pitted Athens and her increasingly rebellious sea empire against a coalition of land-based states led by Sparta. The conflict marked the end of Athenian command of the sea. The war between Athens and the city-state Sparta ended with an Athenian defeat after Sparta started its own navy. Pericles – an Athenian general, politician and orator – distinguished himself above the other personalities of the era, men who excelled in politics, philosophy, architecture, sculpture, history and literature. He fostered arts and literature and gave to Athens a splendor which would never return throughout its history. He executed a large number of public works projects and improved the life of the citizens. Hence, this period is often referred to as "Age of Pericles." [9] Silver mined in Laurium in southeastern Attica contributed greatly to the prosperity of this Athenian Golden Age.Plato's Academy". Hellenic Ministry of Culture. www.culture.gr. Archived from the original on 2007-03-21 . Retrieved 2007-03-28. That’s just one section, though, so don’t worry, there’s lots of fighting and killing to whet your thirst for violence! The sea battles at the start are very well described as are the fights we see on land later on. There’s a duel near the end which I really enjoyed as it ends a little differently than I expected but all the fight scenes are visceral and exciting. The author is well-known for his novels of historical fiction; this one being the first in his new Athenian series. Although it is definitely military in nature, the larger portion of the novel is devoted to the politics and laws of the time; leaning more towards a historical political thriller. There are only 2 real battle scenes; both quite brief. Greece uncovers 'holy grail' of Greek archeology". CNN.com. 1997-01-16. Archived from the original on April 4, 2005 . Retrieved 2007-03-28. After Marathon, the four men return to Athens to a hero’s welcome but they are soon divided by ambition and conflicting interests in ways that resonate today. Through Xanthippus’s eyes we see how corruption, charisma and factionalism all challenge the institutions that are supposed to protect their democracy.

Te midden van de zeeslag van Salamis tegen de Perzen ziet het er niet goed uit voor de Grieken. Athene is in vlammen opgegaan en de inwoners schuilen op het eiland Salamis. Het is aan Themistocles om iets uit zijn mouw te toveren. Om de Perzen uit heel Griekenland te verdrijven zullen Themistocles, Aristides en Xantippus de hulp van Sparta moeten inroepen en daar ontbreekt leiding na de dood van Leonidas. Theatres: the Theatre of Dionysus, on the southeast slope of the Acropolis, was the great theatre of the state. Besides this there were Odeons, for contests in vocal and instrumental music, an ancient one near the fountain Callirrhoë, and a second built by Pericles, close to the theatre of Dionysius, on the southeast slope of the Acropolis. The large odeon surviving today, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus was built in Roman times.Featuring two of the most famous battles of the Ancient World, The Gates of Athens is a bravura piece of storytelling about a people driven to preserve their freedom at any cost.

We skip on some time, the story follows Xanthippus POV & his interactions with those around him, mostly Themistocles, it’s all rather banal to be sure, can’t say I really like the character at all, petulant, jealous, prideful, dull as….. all there as his trademark characteristics…… not very endearing at all & he has the political savvy of a mouse which for his station (leading family in Athens) seems jus wrong….. we also don’t really learn much about his wife, family, nor closest friend through his interactions as he’s very self-centred….. It’s a very piecemeal style compared to other works by this author that ive read. The almost complete absence of female characters resulted in a sense of unbalance. I could never establish what life in Athens at the time was like for anyone other than military men. There were no ordinary characters or females playing any significant roll; Xanthippus’ wife, Agariste, is mentioned only in passing, for example. Contrary to the impression that the battle scene on the cover image creates, the novel consists of very little action and focuses on politics, instead. Although quite interesting to a point, it did become a bit drawn out and I had to battle through long speeches delivered at the Assembly. The novel is based on historical facts with several characters and events well-known to those interested in ancient history. Lovers of military and political historical fiction will enjoy the novel, but I found it slightly too formalistic and testosterone driven to my liking. It is, nevertheless, well written and deserves 3 stars. Conn Igguilden has written an exciting account of the battles of Marathon and Thermopylae. I was there! With Xanthippus and his hoplites, I fought against the Persian Immortals on the beach at Marathon. I stood with Leonidas, holding the pass at Thermopylae against the Persian forces before succumbing. I fought with Xanthippus again, this time on a trireme against a huge Persian fleet. Igguilden’s research into these events and life in Athens at the time is meticulous. I’d urge anyone with teenagers struggling to learn ancient Greek history to give them this to read as it brings it alive in a way that a textbook never will. The historical note at the end explains the liberties with the facts but they’re few.

Xerxes, Themistocles, Xanthippus, Aristides, Pausanias … names I remember from studying ancient Greek history last century. Names that Mr Iggulden brings to life in this novel, the second in his Athenian series. While I have not yet read the first book in this series (I missed it, somehow) it is possible to read this as a standalone. At the beginning of the book you'll find a well drawn map of the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC, and a list of Military terms, Locations, Characters, Additional words and the Ten Tribes of Athens. Athens was in Attica, about 30 stadia from the sea, on the southwest slope of Mount Lycabettus, between the small rivers Cephissus to the west, Ilissos to the south, and the Eridanos to the north, the latter of which flowed through the town. The walled city measured about 1.5km (0.93mi) in diameter, although at its peak the city had suburbs extending well beyond these walls. The Acropolis was just south of the centre of this walled area. The city was burnt by Xerxes in 480 BC, but was soon rebuilt under the administration of Themistocles, and was adorned with public buildings by Cimon and especially by Pericles, in whose time (461–429 BC) it reached its greatest splendour. Its beauty was chiefly due to its public buildings, for the private houses were mostly insignificant, and its streets badly laid out. Towards the end of the Peloponnesian War, it contained more than 10,000 houses, [11] which at a rate of 12 inhabitants to a house would give a population of 120,000, though some writers make the inhabitants as many as 180,000. Athens consisted of two distinct parts: Ik vond het ook een fijn einde en ben benieuwd naar de nieuwe generatie die aan het woord zal komen in het volgende deel. And near irresistible to historical fiction writers. But if anyone is looking for non-stop bloodshed, they won't find it here. What Iggulden does in The Lion Shield/The Gates of Athens is weave the fighting into the wider politics of the period, focused primarily through the city-state of Athens. Xanthippus and Themistocles provide the main two POVs, their conflict and/or comradeship the means though which Athenian 'democracy' and its limitations is explored. This choice allows the reader to see more than just men at war, giving flashes of life in the home, agora, and assembly.