En este libro el autor nos relata las célebres batallas de Maratón (490 a.C.) y las Termópilas (480 a.C.), al inicio y al final del libro; pero no se crea como otros en los mínimos detalles de las luchas encarnizadas, sino que las narra desde los personajes que participan en ellas. En medio de éstas encontramos capítulos donde vivimos la época del esplendor ateniense, su democracia, cómo la vivía su pueblo… por supuesto como luchaban algunos por alzarse en el poder… cualquier parecido a nuestra realidad de hoy en día… mejor no sigo por ahí. The summary talks about politics & intrigue but it’s nowhere near the comparison of say a Richard Harris novel with his series on Cicero…. It’s all rather staid rather than a retelling of legends of Athenian democracy…. No flourish at all… Es mi primer acercamiento con la pluma del autor, y puedo decir, que me ha gustado. Es sencilla y solo profundiza en los aspectos que son más importantes de los personajes principales de ambos bandos, los Persas y los Atenienses. El narrador omnisciente nos hace un retrato bien perfilado de la ciudad de Atenas, sus costumbres como civilización y sus políticas de gobierno. The silver mines of Laurion contributed significantly to the development of Athens in the 5th century BC, when the Athenians learned to prospect, treat, and refine the ore and used the proceeds to build a massive fleet, at the instigation of Themistocles. [8]

The Gates of Athens" by Conn Iggulden is a great retelling of the Greek conflict with the Persian Emprire. Starting with Darius' attempt in 490 BC at Marathon, the story then delves into the politics of Athens and Greece in general. It does, however, mean there are constraints on how much time the author can spend on the battle scenes. Equally, the attempt to bring in all the big names, from Darius to Xerxes to Leonidas, means there is an inevitable limitation to how well we can know them. But if you want to have first person accounts of all the significant events, that's the only way you can do it. Both the time and geographical period of the Greco-Persian Wars are too spread out, with changing players. The Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE was part of the first invasion led by Darius, with Thermypolae and the naval Battle of Artemisium in 480 BCE as the openers of the second invasion under Xerxes. Those coming into the book expecting a long time spent at Thermopylae may be disappointed. It was certainly given less time than I expected but nevertheless it remained impactful. How could it not, when we are all so familiar with various fictional retellings of that legendary battle. And perhaps that's why Iggulden left it largely alone. What he focuses on instead is the sea. For me, it was a welcome and effective decision, feeling fresh and pretty damn thrilling. I can't wait to see what he does with Salamis. Further information: League of Corinth, Alexander the Great, Antipatrid dynasty, and Antigonid dynasty

Customer reviews

In the new epic historical novel by New York Times bestselling author Conn Iggulden, in ancient Greece an army of slaves gathers on the plains of Marathon . . . I had some trouble with getting to know the different characters during the first novel, but this second part felt like a happy reunion with some favourite characters. I definitely prefer Protector over Gates of Athens because it offers more direct action and some interesting character building.

Athens was in Attica, about 30 stadia from the sea, on the southwest slope of Mount Lycabettus, between the small rivers Cephissus to the west, Ilissos to the south, and the Eridanos to the north, the latter of which flowed through the town. The walled city measured about 1.5km (0.93mi) in diameter, although at its peak the city had suburbs extending well beyond these walls. The Acropolis was just south of the centre of this walled area. The city was burnt by Xerxes in 480 BC, but was soon rebuilt under the administration of Themistocles, and was adorned with public buildings by Cimon and especially by Pericles, in whose time (461–429 BC) it reached its greatest splendour. Its beauty was chiefly due to its public buildings, for the private houses were mostly insignificant, and its streets badly laid out. Towards the end of the Peloponnesian War, it contained more than 10,000 houses, [11] which at a rate of 12 inhabitants to a house would give a population of 120,000, though some writers make the inhabitants as many as 180,000. Athens consisted of two distinct parts: Samons II, Loren (2007). The Cambridge companion to the Age of Pericles. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521003896. The Gates of Athens tells the story of ancient Athens from Marathon to Thermopylae through four of the city’s most influential political and military figures. Its democracy is threatened not just by the military might of the Persian empire, but by the machinations of its own citizens. That’s just one section, though, so don’t worry, there’s lots of fighting and killing to whet your thirst for violence! The sea battles at the start are very well described as are the fights we see on land later on. There’s a duel near the end which I really enjoyed as it ends a little differently than I expected but all the fight scenes are visceral and exciting.

Conn Iggulden

Under Darius the Great, King of Kings, the mighty Persian army—swollen by 10,000 warriors known as The Immortals—have come to subjugate the Greeks. In their path, vastly outnumbered, stands an army of freeborn Athenians. Among them is a clever, fearsome, and cunning soldier-statesman, Xanthippus. Against all odds, the Athenians emerge victorious. At the beginning of the book you'll find firstly two quotes of Homer and Aristophanes, followed by three well-drawn maps, of Athens, the "Battle of Marathon", and movement of Persian Forces between 490-480 BC, ending with a list of Pronunciation of Military terms, Locations, Characters, Additional words and the Ten Tribes of Athens. In the new epic historical novel by New York Times bestsellingauthor Conn Iggulden, in ancient Greece an army of slaves gatherson the plains of Marathon. . . Las puertas de Atenas" es el inicio de una serie histórica escrita por el conocido autor de la la Saga La guerra de las dos rosas. Most of the characters rely far too heavily on the point of view of one character (Xanthippus) for their own development.

Plato's Academy". Hellenic Ministry of Culture. www.culture.gr. Archived from the original on 2007-03-21 . Retrieved 2007-03-28. The key events this books covers are the battles of Marathon and Thermopylae, but the majority of the book is given over to events in between where the politics and life of Athens seem like the author's main interest. If Iggulden decides to tell that tale—of how the third Alexander from Macedonia’s royal family came to be known as “the Great”—I will absolutely devour it (top-down storytelling or not). Especially if Iggulden relates it with the same deft blend of pacing and politics he showcases in Protector.The book starts off with a prologue that is set around Sardis, in Lydia, which is part of the Persian Empire, and it figures the High King, Darius, and his son and heir, Xerxes. Main articles: Age of Pericles, Ancient Greek philosophy, Athenian festivals, and Greek theatre The Karyatides statues of the Erechtheion on its Acropolis. Ten years later, Athens has betrayed its favourite son. When the Persians return, when they cross the Hellespont to take revenge on the Greeks, will Xanthippus come home to save his people? stars. Protector starts where The Gates of Athens ends. The Athenians have evacuated to Salamis and are watching their city being torched by Persian troops. Offshore, the sea battle rages, the Greeks greatly outnumbered by the Persian fleet. How can the Athenians possibly survive this onslaught? One issue I had with all this, however, is the fact there’s just so much prose. I like reading dialogue (unless we’re talking about an HP Lovecraft story) and I felt Protector could have used more. I missed a sense of camaraderie between the characters and it’s a very long book to have so much unbroken text. I mean, I’ve just opened the book at random to look and chapter 28 has no dialogue at all. Like I say, I believe this must have been a decision the author took on purpose and I think it certainly works in terms of imparting a sense of the enormous scale of this conflict – this novel is about PEOPLES rather than PEOPLE – but I think it took me longer to finish the book as a result.