Plataea 479 BC

The most glorious victory ever seen

William Shepherd, Peter Dennis

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English

Osprey
20 May 2012

History; Warfare & defence

Series: Campaign

Plataea was one of the biggest and most important land battles of pre-20th century history. Close to 100,000 hoplite and light-armed Greeks took on an even larger barbarian army that included elite Asian cavalry and infantry, and troops from as far away as India, with thousands of Greek hoplites and cavalry also fighting on the Persian side. At points in the several days of combat, the Persians with their greater mobility and more fluid, missile tactics came close to breaking the Greek defensive line and succeeded in cutting off their supplies. But, in a fatal gamble when he nearly had the battle won, their general Mardonius committed the cream of his infantry to close-quarters combat with the Spartans and their Peloponnesian allies. The detailed reconstruction of this complex battle draws on recent studies of early 5th-century hoplite warfare and a fresh reading of the ancient textual sources, predominantly Herodotus, and close inspection of the battlefield.

By: William Shepherd
Illustrated by: Peter Dennis
Imprint: Osprey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Volume: 239
Dimensions: Height: 248mm, Width: 184mm, Spine: 8mm
Weight: 360g
ISBN: 9781849085540
ISBN 10: 1849085544
Series: Campaign
Pages: 96
Publication Date: 20 May 2012
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Origins of the campaign /Chronology /Opposing commanders /Opposing forces /Opposing plans /The campaign to Plataea and Mycale /Plataea /Mycale /After the battles /The battlefields today /Further reading and bibliography /Index

William Shepherd studied classics at Clare College, Cambridge, in the 1960s and then embarked on a career in publishing, which finally brought him to Osprey, retiring from the position of chief executive in 2007. He is author of The Persian War (Cambridge, 1982), translated from Herodotus. He has also written reading books for children and articles in the Osprey Military Journal, of which he was joint editor, and makes regular contributions to the Osprey blog. He lives in the Cherwell Valley, north of Oxford.

Reviews for Plataea 479 BC: The most glorious victory ever seen

William Shepherd concisely yet vividly recounts one of the largest and most important land battles of pre-20th century history in Plataea 479 BC: The Most Glorious Victory Ever Seen ... The author's detailed reconstruction of Plataea campaign draws from ancient sources (predominantly Herodotus), close scrutiny of the battlefield and fairly recent studies of hoplite warfare. Wonderfulcolor plates by Peter Dennis highlight the illustrations and maps that enliven this 96-page paperback. - Toy Soldier & Model Figure (July 2013)