Thermopylae (36 page)

Thucydides, 55, 67, 69, 75 Tigranes, 126 Timagenidas, 232 Timodemus of Aphidna, 209 Timoxenus, 212 Tiryns, 81

Tor one, Gulf of, 211, 212 Trachinian Mts, 134 Trachis, 119 Trafalgar, 198

triremes, 27, 35, 56, 75, 81, 89, 94, 101,

108,    112, 118, 144, 145, 151, 178,

181, 182, 183, 188, 191, 194, 196,

198, 199, 202, 207

Troezen, 89, 90, 108, 166, 167, 177, 222

Tunis, Gulf of, 79, 154 Turkey, 14, 34 Tyre, 28, 37 Tyrrhastiades, 137 Tyrtaeus, 71

Victory of Samothrace, 78

water supply, 34, 86, 87, 96 Waterloo, 52 ‘West Gate’, 115 White Cape, 27

Xanthippus, 83, 93, 210 Xenophon, 41, 65, 66, 102, 103, 104 Xerxes, 37, 38, 40, 41, 43, 47, 99, 100,

105, no, 125, 136, 137, 145, 147, M9,
^J
5
²
, i55, 156, 163, 168, 179,

180, 181, 182, 184, 185, 187, 188,

189, 190, 192, 194, 195, 197, 198,

199, 200, 202, 203, 206, 207, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 220, 221, 226,

²
35,
²
39»
²
43i allies in Greece, 35, 45, 68, 82, 84, 91, 93, 137, 152, 164,

165, 167, 169, 170, 180, 203, 211, 214, 221, 222, 223; army, 34, 36,

51, 69, 71, 90, 99, 109, 118, 140,

155, 163, 167, 170, 189, 203, 204, 213, 238; bridges Hellespont, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 36, 80, 86, 121, 171, 181, 206, 212; and fall of Athens, 172, 182, 196, 214; family,

21,    45, 86, 93, 94, 142, 150, 164,

174, 224, 232, 239; and Immortals, 36, 39, 80, 128, 130, 133, 140; and invasion of Greece, 16, 21, 23, 24,

26, 27, 31, 32, 33, 34, 38, 45, 49,

51, 52, 65, 66, 67, 71, 80, 86, 90,

98, 115, 122, 154, 155, 156, 162,

167, 168, 170, 190, 211, 220, 225,

243, 244; navy, 34, 36, 78, 99, 122, 148, 150, 170, 180, 182, 184, 193, 197, 198, 199, 202, 204, 207; and Plataea, 241, 243; and Persian Empire, 40, 53, 171; and religion,

22,    23, 28, 38, 82, 169, 174

Zancle, 157

Zeus, 58, 88, 102, 138, 207, 245 Zoroaster and Zoroastrians, 22, 23, 28, 40, 50, 97, 169, 174

“It is a gripping story, and Mr. Bradford tells it admirably.,.. where the experts disagree he says so and comes to an argued conclusion based on common sense and on practical experience and study of war.”

—The Economist

“Particularly praiseworthy is the succinct clarity of the chapters explaining fundamentals of armor, ships, and tactics. But it is Bradford’s experience as a traveler and a sailor and his gift for narrative that make this account such an attractive introduction.”    —Library Journal

The three-day battle for the pass at Thermopylae—the Hot Gates—was a critical contest in Xerxes’s massive invasion of Greece. The bloody stand made there by Leonidas and his small Spartan army in 480 B.C. has been hailed ever since as an outstanding example of patriotism, courage, and sacrifice.

The ambitions of King Xerxes were vast. Having amassed a Persian army that was the largest force of men and ships ever assembled, he set out to conquer Greece, at the same time sending an army of Carthaginians to overrun Sicily. Thus the two forces planned to open the gates to the wealth of the western Mediterranean and march upon most of the known world.

Ernie Bradford’s narrative embraces the entire era of the invasion, from the building of the incredible wooden bridge across the Hellespont to the final crushing defeat of the Persian rear guard at the battle of Plataea. There, as before, the Spartans were the decisive force, turning out in massive numbers. It was at Thermopylae, however, that the fate of Xerxes’s forces was determined by a small band of Spartans. In Thermopylae, Ernie Bradford brings to life the personalities and fantastic battles of this epic period with unmatched skill and verve.

Ernie Bradford served in the Royal Navy during World War II, crossed the Atlantic three times under sail, and navigated the waters of the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. His many books include The Great Siege, Ulysses Found, The Shield and the Sword, Paul the Traveler, and The Sultan’s Admiral.