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The publishers--Casemate's Pen & Sword imprint--were kind enough to send me a review copy, but immediately on finishing I got a kindle copy for my son in the military, who majored in History in college. This is an exemplary work of historical scholarship, combining close readings of ancient history and leadership, archaeology, geography, military strategy, political theory, etc. to arrive at what seem like the most likely conclusions that can be reached at this remove about the Battle of Marathon. We can obviously never know that this reconstruction is 100% accurate, suffice it to say the authors make a compelling case.

In particular, they challenge three of the things we've always "known" about the battle; the degree to which the Greeks were outnumbered, the dependence on their hoplite heavy infantry to engineer their victory and the mysterious absence of Persian cavalry at the battle. The reader finishes the book at least dubious about all three propositions. Of particular importance, by factoring in the probable presence and importance of light infantry--drawn from the less affluent citizens of Athens--they offer a plausible theory about how the victory contributed to strengthening Athenian democracy. The contribution from this cohort on the field of battle resulting in their empowerment back home.

Readers who are unfamiliar with scholarly texts may have to adjust to the extensive footnoting, references to other authors and the like. This is not a popular narrative history. But it is as good and compelling as any history you'll find. Hard to believe it won't emerge as the definitive modern version of the battle.


(Reviewed:)

Grade: (A)


Websites:

See also:

History
Constantinos Lagos Links:

    -AUTHOR PAGE: Constantinos Lagos (Open Road Media)
    -BOOK SITE: Who Really Won the Battle of Marathon?: A bold re-appraisal of one of history’s most famous battles by Constantinos Lagos, Fotis Karyanos (Pen & Sword Books)
    -BOOK SITE: Who Really Won the Battle of Marathon?: A bold re-appraisal of one of history’s most famous battles by Constantinos Lagos, Fotis Karyanos (Casemate Publishers)
    -GOOGLE BOOKS: Who Really Won the Battle of Marathon?
    -VIDEO INTERVIEW: Battle of Marathon book tour interview Constantine Lagos (War Scholar, Apr 11, 2020)
    -REVIEW: of Who Really Won the Battle of Marathon?: A bold re-appraisal of one of history’s most famous battles by Constantinos Lagos, Fotis Karyanos (David Saunders, HistoryNet)
    -REVIEW: of Who Really Won the Battle of Marathon? (Smeggers, ARRSE.net)

Book-related and General Links:

    -WIKIPEDIA: Battle of Marathon
    -VIDEO: Greece vs. Persia at EPIC Battle of Marathon | Battles BC (S1, E8) | Full Episode (History Channel, Oct 22, 2020)
    -VIDEO: Misunderstood Moments in History - Why the Persians Failed to Conquer Greece (Invicta, Dec 22, 2019)
    -VIDEO: Battle of Marathon (The Armchair Historian, 12/20/19)
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-The Hoplite Battle Experience: Inventing the Western Way of War (Penn State)
    -ESSAY: Marathon: Attack on the Run (Jim Lacey, HitoryNet)
    -ENTRY: The Battle Of Marathon (Encyclopedia.com)
    -ESSAY: At the Battle of Marathon, Athens' underdog victory stunned Persia (National Geographic, Feb. 6th, 2020)
    -ESSAY: Herodotus and the Battle of Marathon (J. A. S. Evans, 1993, Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte)
    -EXCERPT: Fighting for Athens: the Battle of Marathon (from The Plague of War: Athens, Sparta, and the Struggle for Ancient Greece by JENNIFER T. ROBERTS, MARCH 10TH 2017)
    -ENTRY: Battle of Marathon (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
    -ENTRY: Battle of Marathon (Mark Cartwright, 19 May 2013, World History Encyclopedia)
    -ESSAY: Pheidippides: is the ancient Greek marathon runner remembered for the wrong run?: Every marathon that takes place today recalls the feats of a heroic messenger in ancient Greece, who ran not just 26 miles but 300 and accomplished this remarkable feat of endurance running in only three days. Pat Kinsella tells the legendary story of Pheidippides (Pat Kinsella, 9/30/21, BBC History)
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