Sparta's Second Attic War Audiobook By Paul A. Rahe cover art

Sparta's Second Attic War

The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 446-418 BC

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Sparta's Second Attic War

By: Paul A. Rahe
Narrated by: Paul A. Rahe
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About this listen

The latest volume in Paul Rahe’s expansive history of Sparta’s response to the challenges posed to its grand strategy

In a continuation of his multivolume series on ancient Sparta, Paul Rahe narrates the second stage in the six decades long, epic struggle between Sparta and Athens that first erupted some 17 years after their joint victory in the Persian Wars. Rahe explores how and why open warfare between these two erstwhile allies broke out a second time, after they had negotiated an extended truce. He traces the course of the war that then took place, he examines and assesses the strategy each community pursued and the tactics adopted, and he explains how and why mutual exhaustion forced on these two powers yet another truce doomed to fail.

At stake for each of the two peoples caught up in this enduring strategic rivalry, as Rahe shows, was nothing less than the survival of its political regime and of the peculiar way of life to which that regime gave rise.

©2020 Paul A. Rahe (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing
Ancient Europe Greece Military Wars & Conflicts Ancient Greece Ancient History War Greek Mythology
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I felt personally vested, like I was actually taking part in the drama unfolding. I could have been reading ongoing dispatches from my daily newspaper, riveted on what would come next. The insight about the ancient sources added greatly. The author, reading his own work, did an excellent job. As I didn’t know about this part of history I greatly appreciated the author didn’t have spoilers; when an event took place such as a battle, you knew the strength and weakness of the participants but not the outcome. Thanks!

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"All states are by nature fighting an undeclared war with all other states." -Plato

Rahe continues his thorough look into the grand strategy of Sparta against Athens, now focusing on the during the the second half of the Peloponnesian War. How can isolationist Sparta combat expansionist Athens' clear naval superiority? How did the Peace of Nicias (more of a truce than peace) factor into each states maneuverings in building alliances and preparing for the inevitable breakdown -- especially since the treaty was (informally) broken/violated almost from the very start?

A constant theme in the interplay between Sparta and Athens is the assumption that treaties will be broken, oaths violated, hostages taken, and that war will come. Every actor assumes that this will happen, so they act accordingly. Are they wrong? Does such behavior invite future conflict? Maybe. But as Metallica said: to secure peace is to prepare for war.

It's a richly detailed, granular as hell, sometimes a little too speculative, sometimes impenetrable, but worthwhile work.

Thorough and intriguing.

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