In a single generation, the Greek city-states faced annihilation from the largest invasion force the ancient world had ever seen. Against Persian numbers that defied belief, they fought at Marathon, held the pass at Thermopylae, and shattered the enemy fleet at Salamis-three battles that decided the fate of Western civilization.

This edition goes beyond narrative. Four original tactical diagrams and maps show phase by phase how hoplite phalanxes, trireme formations, and terrain determined each engagement. Order-of-battle tables clarify the strengths and commanders on both sides. Every major anecdote-from the runner Pheidippides to the Spartan last stand at the Hot Gates-is sourced to Herodotus, Plutarch, and other ancient historians by name.

For readers of narrative military history who demand clarity on the ground and fidelity to the sources.