The Gates of Athens: Book One in the Athenian series

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The city of Athens ( Ancient Greek: Ἀθῆναι, Athênai [a.tʰɛ̂ː.nai̯]; Modern Greek: Αθήναι, Athine [a.ˈθi.ne̞] or, more commonly and in singular, Αθήνα, Athina [a.'θi.na]) during the classical period of ancient Greece (480–323 BC) [1] was the major urban centre of the notable polis ( city-state) of the same name, located in Attica, Greece, leading the Delian League in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta and the Peloponnesian League. Athenian democracy was established in 508 BC under Cleisthenes following the tyranny of Isagoras. This system remained remarkably stable, and with a few brief interruptions remained in place for 180 years, until 322 BC (aftermath of Lamian War). The peak of Athenian hegemony was achieved in the 440s to 430s BC, known as the Age of Pericles. It does, however, mean there are constraints on how much time the author can spend on the battle scenes. Equally, the attempt to bring in all the big names, from Darius to Xerxes to Leonidas, means there is an inevitable limitation to how well we can know them. But if you want to have first person accounts of all the significant events, that's the only way you can do it. Both the time and geographical period of the Greco-Persian Wars are too spread out, with changing players. The Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE was part of the first invasion led by Darius, with Thermypolae and the naval Battle of Artemisium in 480 BCE as the openers of the second invasion under Xerxes. Those coming into the book expecting a long time spent at Thermopylae may be disappointed. It was certainly given less time than I expected but nevertheless it remained impactful. How could it not, when we are all so familiar with various fictional retellings of that legendary battle. And perhaps that's why Iggulden left it largely alone. What he focuses on instead is the sea. For me, it was a welcome and effective decision, feeling fresh and pretty damn thrilling. I can't wait to see what he does with Salamis. Well, I did not plan to read this for quite a while, at least until I quashed some other books that I need to read soon. But, The Gates of Athens had different plans. It was just too good. Too good to not read the sequel as soon as I could. It was one of my favourite reads of 2021, so of course I had to dive into the sequel. 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.

B.C. Two great empires are about to go to war . . . The momentous struggle between Athens and Sparta as rival powers and political systems will last for twenty-seven years (431 to 404 BC). It will end in the fall of a dynasty. Filled with cunning political scheming and astonishing military prowess, invasions and treacheries, plagues and slaughters, passion and power, Conn Iggulden brings to life one of the most thrilling chapters of the ancient world. The Gates of Athens: Athenian by Conn Iggulden – eBook Details I was sent an advance copy of this novel by the publishers, Penguin/Random House and I was very happy to accept it as Iggulden was one of the writers who got me into this historical fiction stuff with his Emperor series. I enjoyed those immensely but must admit I’ve not read anything else by him as the periods he was covering didn’t really interest me. That is, until now. Protector is actually book two in his Athenian series and I really would have liked to start with the first, The Gates of Athens, but I simply don’t have time to read much fiction these days. Samons II, Loren (2007). The Cambridge companion to the Age of Pericles. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521003896. 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. 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. The silver mines of Laurion contributed significantly to the development of Athens in the 5th century BC, when the Athenians learned to prospect, treat, and refine the ore and used the proceeds to build a massive fleet, at the instigation of Themistocles. [8]

They will not let one man rise to rule, not without tearing him down. How long will you last, without me to stand on the other side of the scales? How long before they see you stand alone?” In addition the Long Walls consisted of two parallel walls leading to Piraeus, 40 stadia long (4.5 miles, 7km), running parallel to each other, with a narrow passage between them and, furthermore, a wall to Phalerum on the east, 35 stadia long (4 miles, 6.5km). There were therefore three long walls in all; but the name Long Walls seems to have been confined to the two leading to the Piraeus, while the one leading to Phalerum was called the Phalerian Wall. The entire circuit of the walls was 174.5 stadia (nearly 22 miles, 35km), of which 43 stadia (5.5 miles, 9km) belonged to the city, 75 stadia (9.5 miles, 15km) to the long walls, and 56.5 stadia (7 miles, 11km) to Piraeus, Munichia, and Phalerum.

Conn Iggulden

Dit tweede deel over de Grieks-Perzische oorlogen beviel me veel meer dan het eerste. Misschien omdat ik ondertussen al meer bekend was met de personages. Het las allemaal wat vlotter en ik vond dit zeker een boeiend boek.