Bøger af Barry Strauss

The story of the most famous revolt of the ancient world, and its legendary leader, Spartacus the Gladiator.

In Masters of Command, Barry Strauss compares the way the three greatest generals of the ancient worldAlexander, Hannibal, and Caesarwaged war and draws lessons from their experiences that apply on and off the battlefield. Alexander, Hannibal, Caesareach was a master of war. Each had to look beyond the battlefield to decide whom to fight, when, and why; to know what victory was and when to end the war; to determine how to bring stability to the lands he conquered. Each general had to be a battlefield tactician and more: a statesman, a strategist, a leader. Tactics change, weapons change, but war itself remains much the same throughout the centuries, and a great warrior must know how to define success. Understanding where each of these three great (but flawed) commanders succeeded and failed can serve anyone who wants to think strategically or has to demonstrate leadership. In Masters of Command, Barry Strauss explains the qualities these great generals shared, the keys to their success, from ambition and judgment to leadership itself. The result of years of research, Masters of Command is based on surviving written documents and archeological evidence as well as the authors travels in Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, and Tunisia in the footsteps of Alexander, Hannibal, and Caesar.

Best-selling historian and classicist Barry Strauss tells the story of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire through the lives of ten of its most important emperors, from Augustus to Constantine.

Based on the latest archeological research and written by a leading expert on ancient military history, the true story of the most famous battle in history is every bit as compelling as Homer's epic account, and confirms many of its details.

On a late September day in 480 B.C., Greek warships faced an invading Persian armada in the narrow Salamis Straits in the most important naval battle of the ancient world. Overwhelmingly outnumbered by the enemy, the Greeks triumphed through a combination of strategy and deception. More than two millennia after it occurred, the clash between the Greeks and Persians at Salamis remains one of the most tactically brilliant battles ever fought. The Greek victory changed the course of western history -- halting the advance of the Persian Empire and setting the stage for the Golden Age of Athens. In this dramatic new narrative account, historian and classicist Barry Strauss brings this landmark battle to life. He introduces us to the unforgettable characters whose decisions altered history: Themistocles, Athens' great leader (and admiral of its fleet), who devised the ingenious strategy that effectively destroyed the Persian navy in one day; Xerxes, the Persian king who fought bravely but who ultimately did not understand the sea; Aeschylus, the playwright who served in the battle and later wrote about it; and Artemisia, the only woman commander known from antiquity, who turned defeat into personal triumph. Filled with the sights, sounds, and scent of battle, "The Battle of Salamis" is a stirring work of history.

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In this story of the most famous assassination in history, the last bloody day of the [Roman] Republic has never been painted so brilliantly (The Wall Street Journal).Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate on March 15, 44 BCthe Ides of March according to the Roman calendar. He was, says author Barry Strauss, the last casualty of one civil war and the first casualty of the next civil war, which would end the Roman Republic and inaugurate the Roman Empire. The Death of Caesar provides a fresh look at a well-trodden event, with superb storytelling sure to inspire awe (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Why was Caesar killed? For political reasons, mainly. The conspirators wanted to return Rome to the days when the Senate ruled, but Caesar hoped to pass along his new powers to his family, especially Octavian. The principal plotters were Brutus, Cassius (both former allies of Pompey), and Decimus. The last was a leading general and close friend of Caesars who felt betrayed by the great man: He was the mole in Caesars camp. But after the assassination everything went wrong. The killers left the body in the Senate and Caesars allies held a public funeral. Mark Antony made a brilliant speechnot Friends, Romans, Countrymen as Shakespeare had it, but something inflammatory that caused a riot. The conspirators fled Rome. Brutus and Cassius raised an army in Greece but Antony and Octavian defeated them. An original, new perspective on an event that seems well known, The Death of Caesar is one of the most riveting hour-by-hour accounts of Caesars final day I have read....An absolutely marvelous read (The Times, London).

In the midst of the standard dreary midlife crisis--complete with wine-tasting courses, yoga classes, and a failed attempt at a first novel--a 40-year-old Strauss falls unexpectedly and passionately in love with rowing.

The Athenians could not separate politics from the private sphere; indeed, the father-son conflict was a major public as well as private theme. This book explores the consequences of the powerful influence of familial ideology on politics.

The Trojan War may have been the inevitable consequence of expanding Greek maritime commerce. Written by a leading expert on ancient military history, the true story of the most famous battle in history is every bit as compelling as Homer's epic account - and confirms many of its details.