Song of Wrath

by Lendon, J. E.

• ISBN13: 9780465031436
• ISBN10: 0465031439
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-09-04
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

Song of Wrathtells the story of Classical Athens' victorious Ten Years' War (431- 421 BC) against grim Sparta--the first decade of the terrible Peloponnesian War that turned the Golden Age of Greece to lead. Historian J.E. Lendon presents a sweeping tale of pitched battles by land and sea, sieges, sacks, raids, and deeds of cruelty and guile--along with courageous acts of mercy, surprising charity, austere restraint, and arrogant resistance. Recounting the rise of democratic Athens to great-power status, and the resulting fury of authoritarian Sparta, Greece's traditional leader, Lendon portrays the causes and strategy of the war as a duel over national honor, a series of acts of revenge. A story of new pride challenging old, Song of Wrathis the first work of Ancient Greek history for the post-cold-war generation.

Author Biography

J. E. Lendon Professor of History at the University of Virginia and author of Soldiers and Ghosts: A History o f Battle in Classical Antiquity, runner-up for the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Prize (2006). He lives Charlottesville, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Athens and Sparta: The Birth of a Rivalry	p. 19
The Coming of the Ten Years' War	p. 57
The War of Revenge, 431-430 BC	p. 107
Odysseus' War, 429-428 BC	p. 147
The Dying of the Brave, 427 BC	p. 187
The New Spear, 426 BC	p. 219
As Honorable As Circumstances Permit, 425 BC	p. 249
The Bronze Dream, 424 BC	p. 289
The Bloody March of Peace, 424-420 BC	p. 323
Epilogue	p. 369
Chronology of Events	p. 387
Glossaries of People, Things, and Places	p. 395
Author's Note and Acknowledgments	p. 411
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 415
Appendix: The Sources	p. 417
Notes	p. 431
Bibliography	p. 507
Illustration Credits	p. 531
Index	p. 537
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