Sparta's Second Attic War: The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 446-418 B.C. (Yale Library of Military History) Hardcover – August 4, 2020

Sparta's Second Attic War: The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 446-418 B.C. (Yale Library of Military History)This was the fourth book I have read from this series, if you include the prelude The Spartan Regime.There is no finer, more intriguing source for Peloponnesian Spartan history, than this series from professor Rahe.I enjoy how the professor lightly weaves stories from previous books into the narrative, for example, the fight for the island of Sphacteria. If you are not paying close attention it might get past you, but otherwise it is a delight, like a light bulb turning on you think, oh I remember that.These books are as smooth as silk, deep and pure, rich in history, highly enjoyableThis book is packed full of maps within the storyline itself, carrying the reader along for the ride with an easier understanding of the regions discussedI love it when maps and illustrations are not clumped at the front or the back of the book, but within the story as you read along.I found the introduction and prologue to be invaluable as were the generous footnotes, epilogue and list of abbreviations and acknowledgments, that were helpful as well.There are not many books where I choose to read nearly every footnote (note) provided. In this case I used it as tool throughout, and learned a whole lot from them, as they were well thought out.For example, Rahe referenced Donald Kagan on a number of occasions, so I took the time to check out Kagan's books. I ended up buying Kagan’s first two books from his series of four regarding the Peloponnesian wars, they sound outstanding. I bought them individually instead of the one volume that has the whole series inside, as it doesn't review as well. I will buy the last two individually as well.You simply cannot go wrong with Paul Rahe. I have already purchased his Sicilian Proxy War 418-413 BC, and am looking forward to his new release in October 2024.These books are gold, I wish the professor the best of health, simply outstanding

This book is a model of expository historical writing. I can't recall ever seeing things more beautifully laid out than in the introductory material. The book tells the gripping story of the clash between Sparta and Athens known as the Peloponnesian War, a struggle between democratic Athens and aristocratic Sparta whose tragic lessons are relevant today. Our American founders studied this history as set forth in Thucydides and it informed their actions in the design of our Constitution. This along with Rahe's previous volumes in the series are among those books that are simply hard to put down as one gets so engaged in the story. Highly recommended.

The culminating volume of a four book (previous volumes are: The Spartan Regime; The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, The Persian Challenge; and Sparta's First Attic War) series, this volume covers the period from 446 - 418 BCE (yes, it ends in the middle of what Thucydides called the Peloponnesian War). There are 293 pages of text and 53 pages of end notes. Rather than an extensive bibliography, there is a brief discussion of source abbreviations and short titles to the references in the end notes. The book is excellent. It culminates Rahe's study of Sparta's society, grand strategy and political/military activities from prior to the Persian Wars to the time when their grand strategy had to change in order to prevail over Athens. The historical coverage is detailed and tied to how and why the society was structured. Due to the detail, the reading can be slow going (unpacking the massive amount of information requires thought), but well worth the time. While Sparta is the theme of the study, it is necessary that Rahe develop both Athenian and Persian societies, governances, and actions in order to provide the context for Sparta's reactions. He does that also in significant detail. I heartily recommend the whole series.

This is Paul Rahe's fourth book in his Yale Military History series, and it is indispensable for an understanding of ancient Sparta. These books are among the best, for both casual readers and scholars of classics, military history, and ancient politics. Rahe's writing is accessible, and does well to recreate the key events in Spartan (and Greek) history. And where events prove ambiguous, Rahe offers sound speculations on the motives of the key historical actors, cities and individuals, to illuminate both the particular history of Sparta during this key period (which includes the Peloponnesian War) and to offer lessons on political motives.For the casual reader or military buff, the narrative moves well, with Rahe drawing on all available ancient sources to piece together Spartan history (not an easy task). For scholars, these sources (including key interpretative debates) can be found in the voluminous endnotes. Indeed, Rahe's account of the scholarship must be consulted for any serious student of Sparta (both in this book, and his previous three). He draws on all evidence of Sparta (Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon, among others) while also highlighting and engaging key scholarly issues surrounding the mysterious Spartan polis.Simply stated, this work is a must read to understand ancient Sparta and offers a worthy completion of Rahe's excellent four book series.