The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta

The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta by Paul Rahe

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Because of the title, I came to this book expecting to learn more about Sparta. I thought this book would focus on Spartan strategy, concerns, background, etc. In other words, I relied on the title of the book. In fact, I made my decision to purchase on that basis.

In truth, this book is a very excellent, very informative, very accessible book about the history of the Persian Wars, including substantial material of the period prior to the war. We get a critical assessment of the historians of that epoch, and who can be trusted on which issue and why. All in all, it is an excellent resource.

The greatest insight I obtained from the book had to do with Athens. What I think I picked up - overstating for effect - was that prior to the Persian Wars, Athens was one of the many leading states of Greece, but not a leader. Sparta clearly outranked it in military pre-eminence. What launched Athens out of the pack was the discovery of silver and Themosticles's policy of building ships. (Obviously, Athens had had enough clout to invade Ionia, which set up the promised retaliation by Persia.) The additional ships put Athens into a military leader in the Persian Wars, and the civic pride engendered by its victories at Marathon and Salamis was what created the Athenian mystique.

Again, a kind of oversimplified summary.

Nonetheless, it doesn't have a lot to do with Sparta.

So, forewarned is fore-armed. If you are looking for a focus on Sparta, this is not your book. The book that is here is nonetheless terrific and worth your time.