The Greco-Persian Wars: A Short History with Documents

Description

This edition, The Greco-Persian Wars, taps our knowledge of the Persian Empire and its interactions with the Greek world. Hackett's Passages: Key Moments in History series titles include original-source documents in accessible editions, intended for the student-user or general audience. The sources examined were created in different times and places, for different purposes, and with different intended audiences. Using these sources effectively requires recognizing their distinct characteristics. A general introduction about the Greco-Persian wars is included to provide historical background and an overview of the information contained in the original-source documents. Also included are a glossary of terms, a chronology, insightful headnotes to each document, and an index.

Erik Jensen is Assistant Professor of History, Salem State University.

"Jensen's The Greco-Persian Wars offers a refreshing introduction to a critical (but often misunderstood) historical event in world history. Rejecting dated models of East-West confrontation, it usefully frames the Persian invasions of Greece in terms of imperial expansion and frontier development, and also considers the long-term evolution of Greco-Persian relations after 480-479. The source selections draw on both Achaemenid documents as well as Greek narratives to contextualize the conflict." John Hyland, Christopher Newport University "I like Jensen's book very much. This 'key moment' in world history has traditionally been read almost exclusively through Greek eyes, and having these translations of the Persian sources provides the opportunity and impetus for a fresh interpretation of this classic encounter. . . . The Introduction provides an excellent background to the Persian sources and sheds invaluable light on the people and society that produced them." Robert Garland, Colgate University