BOOKS: The Battle Of Salamis

In 480 BC the great Persian King Xerxes, eager for victory against the Greeks, brought his mighty fleet to bear into the Straits of Salamis to smash the outnumbered Greek navy. Using the subterfuge of Themistocles the Greeks goaded Xerxes fleet into the narrow passage of Salamis rendering their superior numbers useless. Thinking themselves wise the Persians attempted to block both entrances. With ship close to ship things became disorganized. The line of attack became unclear. The cramped quarters proved devastating. Chaos ruled. Effective movement of Xerxes superior forces was impossible. The Greeks struck in line and scored a decisive victory. But the Battle of Salamis was more than an isolated victory in a bigger conflict. Salamis was a decisive turning point. It changed the course of history. The tide was turned and the development of ancient Greece, aka Western Civilization could proceed apace. Western culture with all its philosophies, all its art and ideas was now on course. Why was this battle so important? The details of this important event get excellent treatment in Barry Strauss’s 2004 book, “The Battle Of Salamis: The Navel Encounter That Saved Greece And Western Civilization.” His main source: Herodotus, whom Strauss calls an “excellent historian.” Well that’s debatable. Herodotus reliability has been debated for centuries. Strauss believes he was “mainly reliable.” Combining this traditional Greek source with current scholarship Strauss manages to present a vivid and readable piece of popular history. Strauss uses all of Herodotus’s lurid details. (Herodotus was given to embellishment.) But Strauss does a nice job toning down and gently correcting here and there. In addition to the excellent details of the Battle Strauss fills the storyline nicely with background information to give the reader a proper historical perspective of the battle as well as colorful character portraits such as Xerxes. Themistocles and the admiral-queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus who Strauss says, "combines the cunning of Athena and the seductiveness of Aphrodite." Combing all this with cross and double cross among Greeks themselves and the reader gets a riveting story of one of the most important battles in history. Recommended.