A real epic
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A book to dip into and to return to again and again. Having seen the film 300 and become interested in the background to the Persian wars I am fascinated to read further. Xerxes is my particular interest. He managed to muster together a fighting force of 2.5 million soldiers with an additional entourage of another 2.5 million people, no wonder rivers ran dry when this army passed through. The stories describe each of the regiments including their uniform. The Ethiopians wore a horses scalp including mane and ears instead of a helmet, Xerxes himself was the most handsome and tallest of all men in the army and covered his body in gold. The planned attack took 5 years to organise and the force included a massive fleet of ships. There are philosphical quotes, cruel acts, vivid descriptions, everything you could want and more. Great holiday reading, dont feel this is not for you - anyone would like these tales.
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This is one great book...
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If you ever slightly suspected you might be interested in ancient history, esp. Greek. START HERE. Herodotus is humourous, anecdotal, moving, informative,involving & never boring. It kept me going for months, & I will keep on going back. So what if he's not always totally accurate...
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