Thermopylae 480 BC: Last stand of the 300 (Campaign)
by Nic Fields
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nic FieldsBrand: Osprey Publishing Limited
Illustrator: Steve Noon
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-11-20
ISBN: 184176180X
Number of pages: 96
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Book Reviews of Thermopylae 480 BC: Last stand of the 300 (Campaign)
Book Review: Proves that Osprey volumes are not all `lightweight' summaries
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the most gratifying qualities about Nic Field's Thermopylae 480 BC: Last Stand of the 300, number 188 in Osprey's campaign series, is that it does not try to make any cheap tie-ins with the recent cartoonish film entitled 300. Furthermore, Dr. Fields is not satisfied with merely recounting Herodotus' ancient account of the Battle of Thermopylae for the umpteenth time or re-synthesizing more modern secondary sources, but sets out to write a `good' military history of this legendary battle. The result is a clear success - this volume not only has attractive maps that makes it easy to follow the action but the author genuinely offers fresh insight in a lucid fashion that has somehow eluded other scholars. Indeed, I am tired of some reviewers constantly suggesting that Osprey campaign volumes merely `summarize' battles and that the real historical heavy lifting can only be accomplished through more substantial works. This 96-page volume actually provides 28 pages on the battle, which is 13 pages more than was provided in Paul Cartledge's 313-page Thermopylae last year. Overall, if you only want to own one book on Thermopylae (other than Herodotus himself), this is it.
The brief initial section discusses the origin of the campaign, focusing on Greco-Persian relations in the early 5th Century BC and the Persian impetus to invade mainland Greece. I was a bit disappointed that the 7-page section on opposing commanders only discussed the Persian Emperor Xerxes and the Spartan King Leonidas, without delving into at least capsule bios on some of the other subordinate leaders. However, the 25-page section on opposing armies is unusually long and detailed, going into great length on the respective merits of the Greek and Persian armies. Essentially, the Greek forces were `one-trick ponies' composed primarily of Hoplite heavy infantry who relied on close-quarter shock action. Indeed, the Greek armies had almost no supporting arms - archers or cavalry and were vulnerable to a more mobile foe. On the other hand, the Persians had built a combined arms force of cavalry, archers and light infantry that was well-adapted for sweeping campaigns across Asia. The Persian preference was for long-distance missile combat and their archers would have made short work of the Greeks at Thermopylae except their arrows were too light-weight to penetrate bronze armor. Furthermore, the Greeks were aware of their vulnerability to Persian missile fire and Leonidas chose to advance to close the distance between his Hoplites and the Persian troops, thereby minimizing the period of exposure to arrow barrages (similar to the North Vietnamese tactic of `hugging the enemy's belt' to minimize the exposure to U.S. air attacks). These are excellent tactical points which rarely appear in other accounts and do a great deal to explain why the battle developed as it did.
The author spends 7 pages discussing the opposing plans and these make clear that the Greek plan to defend at Thermopylae were not based upon suicidal intentions. Furthermore, Dr. Fields does a great job pointing out that the 300 Spartans were in a distinct minority of the 5,200 Greeks defending the pass. The author also describes the battle itself in as much detail is possible based upon the available literary and archaeological evidence and the maps supporting the text are superb. This is the best reasoned analysis of the battle that I have seen and the author does not allow himself to get carried away with romantic nonsense about Greeks fighting for our modern-day freedoms. I was also surprised to see the author's suggestion that the Phokian flank guard defending the Anopaia path was out-maneuvered rather than defeated by the Immortals - most accounts claim that it was `crushed' - but this makes a great deal of sense. Even a 10-1 fight in this terrain would have delayed the Immortals and the Phokians might have been able to fight a delay action back along the path that might have seriously unhinged the Persian plan.
The last stand of the `300' is clarified for those who only saw the cartoon - a total of 1,400 Greeks formed the rearguard while the other 3,800 troops made good their escape. Dr. Fields notes that half the defenders were Thespian hoplites - virtually their entire able-bodied male population - and they died just as nobly as the Spartans. The injustice of modern historiography, which honors only the Spartan sacrifice, is corrected in these pages. The graphic quality of this volume is very high. There are a total of five 2-D maps (the Persian Empire, 546-401 BC; Xerxes march to Thermopylae, April-August 480 BC; the naval engagement off Artemision; the pass at Thermopylae and the route of the Immortals; the aftermath of Thermopylae) and three 3-D BEV maps (the First, Second and Third days at Thermopylae). The 3-D maps are very useful and have grid intervals of 1 km, which makes it actually possible to appreciate the nature of the terrain. The three battle scenes by Steve Noon (a Persian scout reconnoiters the Greek position; night march of the Immortals; the fall of Leonidas) are rather mediocre compared to other Osprey artists. The author also provides a rather lengthy bibliography and notes on the battlefield today.
Summary of Thermopylae 480 BC: Last stand of the 300 (Campaign)
Osprey's study of the most epic battles of the Greco-Persian Wars (502-449 BC). Thermopylae resonates throughout history as a battle involving extreme courage and sacrifice. It was in this rocky pass in northern Greece that Leonidas, king of the Spartans and commander-in-chief of the Greek force, delayed the Persian hordes for three days against overwhelming odds. Finally overcome by treachery, the remaining Spartans refused to retreat in the face of inevitable defeat, being slaughtered by the elite Persian 'Immortals' down to the last man. Nic Fields vividly describes the battle for the narrow gateway to southern Greece as the combined Greek forces held off the army of Xerxes and Leonidas's sacrifice bought time for the retreat and tactical and political regrouping that would save Greece. Full color artwork, detailed maps and dramatic battle scenes complement clear and authoritative text to provide an in-depth analysis of one of the most famous acts of sheer courage and defiance in the face of overwhelming odds in history.Related Titles
978 1 84176 000 1 CAM 108 Marathon 490 BC
978 1 85532 659 0 ELI 66 The Spartan Army
978 1 84176 358 3 ESS 36 The Greek and Persian Wars 499-386 BC
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