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Marathon
- The Battle That Changed Western Civilization
- Narrated by: Jeremy Gage
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
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Publisher's summary
Published to coincide with Marathon's 2500th anniversary, a riveting history of the historic battle.
The Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. is not only understood as the most decisive event in the struggle between the Greeks and the Persians, but can also be seen as perhaps the most significant moment in our collective history.
10,000 Athenian citizens faced a Persian military force of more than 25,000. A Greek victory appeared impossible, but the men of Athens were tenacious and the Persians were defeated. Following the battle, the Athenian hoplite army ran 26.5 miles from Marathon to Athens to defend their port from the Persian navy. Although they had just run the great distance in heavy armor, the Athenians won the battle and drove the Persian forces from Attica. Greek freedom ensued and the achievements of the culture became much of the basis for Western civilization.
In this comprehensive and engrossing treatment, Richard Billows captures the drama of that day 2500 years ago and the ramifications it has had throughout Western history.
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Starting with the premise that all civilizations owe their origins to warmaking, Keegan probes the meanings, motivations, and methods underlying war in different societies over the course of more than two thousand years. Following the progress of human aggression in its full historical sweep, from the strangely ritualistic combat of Stone Age peoples to the warfare of mass destruction in the present age, his illuminating and lively narrative gives us all the world's great warrior cultures.
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Not what I expected
- By Mark on 12-05-06
By: John Keegan
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Spartans: A Captivating Guide to the Fierce Warriors of Ancient Greece, Including Spartan Military Tactics, the Battle of Thermopylae, How Sparta Was Ruled, and More
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Richard L Walton
- Length: 3 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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If you want to discover the captivating history of Sparta, then pay attention...Sparta is one of the first names that comes to mind when we think about the ancient world. And this is for good reason. After its founding sometime in the 10th century BCE, Sparta soon rose to be one of the most powerful city-states in not only the Greek but the entire ancient world.
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This is Sparta!!!!!!!! and everything else too.
- By Brian VonFeldt on 05-28-21
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Thermopylae
- By: Paul Cartledge
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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In 480 B.C., a huge Persian army, led by the inimitable King Xerxes, entered the mountain pass of Thermopylae to march on Greece, intending to conquer the land with little difficulty. But the Greeks, led by King Leonidas and a small army of Spartans, took the battle to the Persians at Thermopylae and halted their advance: almost. It is one of history's most acclaimed battles, one of civilization's greatest last stands.
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Requires full attention
- By Euryleia on 01-18-08
By: Paul Cartledge
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The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta
- The Persian Challenge
- By: Paul A. Rahe
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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More than 2,500 years ago, a confederation of small Greek city-states defeated the invading armies of Persia, the most powerful empire in the world. In this meticulously researched study, historian Paul Rahe argues that Sparta was responsible for the initial establishment of the Hellenic defensive coalition and was, in fact, the most essential player in its ultimate victory.
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Excellent Investigation Undermined by Bad Editing
- By Richard on 02-12-16
By: Paul A. Rahe
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Alexander the Great
- The Hunt for a New Past
- By: Paul Cartledge
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Paul Cartledge, one of the world's foremost scholars of ancient Greece, illuminates the brief but iconic life of Alexander (356-323 B.C.), king of Macedon, conqueror of the Persian Empire, and founder of a new world order. Alexander's legacy has had a major impact on military tacticians, scholars, statesmen, adventurers, authors, and filmmakers.
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NOT a Chronology of Alexander’s Life
- By Blane Richoux on 12-30-20
By: Paul Cartledge
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The Race for Paradise
- An Islamic History of the Crusades
- By: Paul M. Cobb
- Narrated by: Paul M. Cobb
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Race for Paradise, Paul M. Cobb offers a new history of the confrontations between Muslims and Franks we now call the "Crusades", one that emphasizes the diversity of Muslim experiences of the European holy war. There is more to the story than Jerusalem, the Templars, Saladin, and the Assassins. Cobb considers the Arab perspective on all shores of the Muslim Mediterranean, from Spain to Syria.
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A heady piece of history and a romp.
- By Meeno on 05-28-15
By: Paul M. Cobb
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A History of the Roman Republic
- By: Cyril Edward Robinson
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 19 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of the Roman Republic is the greatest epic in human history. Seen in the long perspective of time, it seems too fantastic to be real. From her modest beginnings as a convenient fording place on the Tiber to her eventual destiny as the mistress of the Mediterranean, Rome offers a strange tale of fate, sacrifice, and indomitable willpower. The stern realities of war shaped Rome's policies from the very beginning.
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Excellent overview
- By jaime on 05-14-15
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The War That Made the Roman Empire
- Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium
- By: Barry Strauss
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Following Caesar’s assassination and Mark Antony’s defeat of the conspirators who killed Caesar, two powerful men remained in Rome—Antony and Caesar’s chosen heir, young Octavian, the future Augustus. When Antony fell in love with the most powerful woman in the world, Egypt’s ruler Cleopatra, and thwarted Octavian’s ambition to rule the empire, another civil war broke out. In 31 BC one of the largest naval battles in the ancient world took place—more than 600 ships, almost 200,000 men, and one woman—the Battle of Actium.
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Highly detailed accounts
- By LEE on 03-28-22
By: Barry Strauss
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The Ghosts of Cannae
- Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic
- By: Robert L. O'Connell
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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For fans of Victor Davis Hanson, Donald Kagan, and Barry Strauss comes a rich, sweeping account of the most imitated---and vicious---battle in history.
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Hannibal's Legacy
- By Douglas on 11-10-10
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Ancient Rome
- The Rise and Fall of An Empire
- By: Simon Baker
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 17 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the story of the greatest empire the world has ever known. Simon Baker charts the rise and fall of the world's first superpower, focusing on six momentous turning points that shaped Roman history. Welcome to Rome as you've never seen it before - awesome and splendid, gritty and squalid. From the conquest of the Mediterranean beginning in the third century BC to the destruction of the Roman Empire at the hands of barbarian invaders some seven centuries later, we discover the most critical episodes in Roman history.
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Clear and dramatic
- By Tad Davis on 08-01-17
By: Simon Baker
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Caesar
- Life of a Colossus
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 24 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Tracing the extraordinary trajectory of Julius Caesar's life, Adrian Goldsworthy covers not only the great Roman emperor's accomplishments as charismatic orator, conquering general, and powerful dictator but also lesser-known chapters. Ultimately, Goldsworthy realizes the full complexity of Caesar's character and shows why his political and military leadership continues to resonate some 2,000 years later.
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Caesar and his times
- By Mike From Mesa on 08-31-15
What listeners say about Marathon
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mark Hamilton
- 04-25-13
A Generally Very Good Work
Would you listen to Marathon again? Why?
I'm listening to it over and over again. Contrary to what the cover might seem to imply, it's not a *300* type book. Instead, it uses the battle as a lens to understand Athenian, Persian, and, to an extent, Greek culture--about all of which, it explodes misconceptions from hindsight bias. Indeed, to only focus on the battle, especially with as little as we know in detail about it, for the entire book, would make it that type of book that puts people in the hospital if they foolishly had decided to read the whole thing. This is an excellent, readable, insightful work that rewards even re-reading, and I say that as somebody fairly knowledgeable about the ancient world.
What about Jeremy Gage’s performance did you like?
Jeremy Gage is excellent, especially in his descriptions of the battle.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I wouldn't say that this is a moving book, although the descriptions of Athenians hurrying back to guard Athens after their victory at Marathon help you to realize Marathon was not a one-off, day thing as superficial history might have it. Indeed, these descriptions really help you to feel the dramatic tension of that day and night.
It is a book meant to challenge practical assumptions about Marathon, ancient Athens, and the Persians, and therein lies its fascination for me.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-08-19
A Great Professor's passion project
There's a lot more to this book than the title indicates. Professor Billows uses the battle as a jumping off point for covering much of the latest scholarship around the formation of classical Greek culture. Well written and tightly organized.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Aaron
- 11-02-10
Effectively evokes the world of ancient greece
While at times difficult to keep up with the barrage of names and places for a casual fan of history like me, especially in the audio format, this book shines in recreating the world in which motivations for the battle of Marathon can be understood for both sides of the conflict. Billow's attention to explaining the origins of both Greek and Persian civilizations and historical run up to the actual conflict make it's significance that much more profound. I was left wishing I could time travel.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Joe
- 04-23-12
Takes awhile to get to the actual battle
Is there anything you would change about this book?
It was a true Marathon of ancient history before anything was even mentioned about the battle of Marathon.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- M. Lucas
- 05-03-11
Took too long to get to the battle
I got the book in preparation for my Marathon to get a little idea about the history of the battle of the famous run. Though it started off well, the book went into almost too much background detail and it wasn't until the preparation and the battle for Marathon that it got really good. If you skipped to chapter 4 or 5 and listened to the end, you would find it a great book. Perhaps the abridged version did this. But was far as the unabridged version, I rate it just average (because of its boring and unnecessarily long first half of the book).
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1 person found this helpful
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- Peter
- 11-28-13
Democracy Never For Granted!
Would you listen to Marathon again? Why?
Yes- superb narration pulls you into the full-fledged story, which is rich in history, & deep in details that permeate our Western culture
Who was your favorite character and why?
N/A
What about Jeremy Gage’s performance did you like?
He made you feel everything was relevant
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Democracy was bought with blood- know why we're not Spartans
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- Nikoli Gogol
- 12-11-13
Misleading Title
This is a 9 hour book referring to the battle of Marathon. The first six hours are about the political history of Athens and its neighbors. The next hour is devoted to the actual battle where most descriptions are prefaced by “according to Herodotus”. Then it becomes a survey of architecture, drama, philosophy and sculpture.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Gita
- 10-04-24
Ending was opinionated and biased
It was all good until the last chapter where the author became opinionated and biased. Long biased assumption based explanations. The Persian empire was a wealthy and sophisticated power ahead of its time…perhaps the author could have used his imagination a bit to imagine a culture thriving under the Persian empire. It might be hard to imagine that these days.. but let’s stop cherry picking the history!
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