The Stalingrad of the ancient world, this is an exceptionally well-read, brilliant, violent, and vivid history of the greatest and bloodiest war of ancient Greece.

The Peloponnesian War, fought 2,500 years ago between oligarchic Sparta and democratic Athens for control of Greece, comes to life in an impressive way in this monumental study. Kagan demonstrates the significance of this cataclysmic event for modern times in all its horror and brutality. As the two uncompromising empires wage a war of survival from completely opposite political, social, and cultural positions, the seemingly invincible glory of Athens collapses into tragedy.

Athenian culture and politics were unmatched in originality and fertility, and are still considered one of the pinnacle achievements of Western civilization. Dramatic poets like Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes elevated tragedy and comedy to levels never surpassed; architects and sculptors worked on the Acropolis; natural philosophers like Anaxagoras and Democritus explored the natural world, and philosophers like Socrates analyzed the sphere of human affairs. All of this was lost in this bloody conflict.

In this work of exceptional scholarly work, Kagan portrays his astounding ability to interpret these events as part of the universality of human experience. His clear expertise in both the ancient world and 20th-century wars combines with his narrative talents to offer an unforgettable portrait of this defining war that has shaped the world as we know it.