Leonidas and the Kings of Sparta: Mightiest Warriors, Fairest Kingdom

by: Bradford, A.S.

Price: 40,30 EURO

(in stock)

Why have the Spartans continued to exert such a hold on popular imagination? Nearly 2,500 years after King Leonidas led his Spartan warriors at the Battle of Thermopylae, their legend endures, as seen most recently in Frank Miller's hugely successful graphic novel, 300, and the 2007 film incarnation of the same name, which grossed $70 million in its opening weekend. This pivotal history of the kings of Sparta not only describes their critical leadership in war, but also documents the waxing and waning of their social, political, and religious powers in the Spartan state. The Spartans have seemingly never gone out of interest, serving as mythic icons who exemplify fearlessness and an unwillingness to give in against impossible odds. Yet most are unaware of the true nature of the Spartan leaders: the fact that the kings maintained their position of power for 600 years by their willingness to compromise, even if it meant giving up some of their power, for example. Organized in a logical and chronological order, this volume describes the legendary origins of the dual kingship in Sparta, documents the many reigning eras of the kings, and then concludes with the time when the kingship was abolished six centuries later. The book examines the kings' roles in war and battle, in religion, in the social life of the city, and in formulating Spartan policy both at home and abroad. The book concentrates on describing the role of the kings and their absolutely essential contributions to Spartan society in general.

Contents:
Illustrations, Maps, and TablesPrefaceIntroductionNames and TermsPart I. The Dorian Wars1. By Bus to the "Hollow"2. "Tell the Spartans …"3. The Sons of Heracles4. The First Kings of SpartaPart II. The Messenian Wars5. Over the Mountains6. Shoulder to Shoulder7. "Never Retreat"8. Deeds of the Wolf9. The Spartan WayPart III. The Arcadian and Argive Wars10. The Spartan Alliance11. The "Strangers"12. The Accidental King13. The King Who Saved GreecePart IV. The Persian Wars14. The "Greeks"15. Defeat and Victory16. The Battle of Plataea17. The Treason of PausaniasPart V. The Athenian Wars18. The Precarious Entente19. King Archidamos Gives Sound Advice20. The Archidamian War21. War within Peace22. The Decelean War23. The Man Who Would Be KingPart VI. The Theban Wars24. The Common King25. "Free and Autonomous"26. Sparta's Empire27. The Battle of Leuctra28. Sparta at BayPart VII. The Macedonian Wars29. The Struggle to Survive30. In the Shadow of Great Powers31. The Gentle Reformer32. The Revolutionary33. The Betrayal of Greece34. The Last Kings of SpartaPart VIII. The Roman War35. The Tyrant Who Was a King36. Sparta under the RomansConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

Leonidas and the Kings of Sparta: Mightiest Warriors, Fairest Kingdom

by: Bradford, A.S.

• ISBN-13: 9780313385988 / 978-0-313-38598-8
• ISBN-03: 031338598X / 0-313-38598-X
• Praeger, Santa Barbara, California, 2011

Price: 40,30 EURO

(in stock)