Marathon: The Crucial Battle That Created Western Democracy

In a rather informal novelistic style, this book tells the story of Marathon where the Greeks, defending their democracy, clashed with the Persians. Alan Lloyd not only brings the events to life, but provides the background history and cultural context to the clash, describing what life was like in the Greek city-states and the flowering of Athenian democracy. There is never a dull moment in this book. Originally published in 1973, the text appears unchanged.