J. F. Lazenby

A military history of the two Persian invasions of Greece, Lazenby places Herodotus as the foundation of everything, as The Histories is our primary source, from a near contemporary. Herodotus' credentials are examined, and at each stage, Lazenby compares his version to others. He does not however give Herotodus a free pass, and applies common and historical sense to everything.
I must admit to having been sceptical at an attempt to construct a good modern military history out of Herodotus (having previously been put off by the inflated numbers, and by Herodotus' penchant to drifting off in tangents) but I am converted by Lazenby's careful arguments (although I do still prefer Thucydides).
There are also some great little anecdotes from Lazenby's time in the field (talking to a local shepherd who claims to have remembered when a few barbarians visited the battlefield-Lazenby realises he meant the Germans during the war!)
Lazenby doesn't shy away from significant academic controversies either, as he continues arguments on various interpretations of primary sources, but in most cases he seems on solid ground, and in certain cases, he is obviously only inclined towards a certain viewpoint, where that viewpoint is compared with others in the footnotes alone.
Despite the emphasis on the primary sources, this is quite an accessible history, albeit one without a real narrative.… (mer)