The Last Great War of Antiquity Audiobook By James Howard-Johnston cover art

The Last Great War of Antiquity

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The Last Great War of Antiquity

By: James Howard-Johnston
Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
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The last and longest war of classical antiquity was fought in the early seventh century. It was ideologically charged and fought along the full length of the Persian-Roman frontier, drawing in all the available resources and great powers of the steppe world. The conflict raged on an unprecedented scale, and its end brought the classical phase of history to a close. Despite all this, it has left a conspicuous gap in the history of warfare. This book aims to finally fill that gap.

The war opened in summer 603 when Persian armies launched coordinated attacks across the Roman frontier. Twenty-five years later the fighting stopped after the final, forlorn counteroffensive thrusts of the Emperor Heraclius into the Persians' Mesopotamian heartland. James Howard-Johnston pieces together the scattered and fragmentary evidence of this period to form a coherent story of the dramatic events, as well as an introduction to key players - Turks, Arabs, and Avars, as well as Persians and Romans - and a tour of the vast lands over which the fighting took place.

©2021 James Howard-Johnston (P)2021 Tantor
Ancient Military Rome War Ancient History Italy
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Excellent work on the two great powers battling each other. Research is well done and thorough but the sense of story really stands out. You feel the power of the Byzantine ideals holding out against the onslaught. Heraclitus is one of the great men of those ages - fascinating. Highly recommend!

A beautifully written masterpiece

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this book is very well researched and exhaustive in its thoroughness. I would highly recommend

Extremely in depth

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This is a conflict that is understandably not focused on due to essentially being overtaken by the Arab conquests. However, in other ways, it is equally fascinating. This is not a book for people who are just learning about this conflict. This is a full academic analysis of the sources covering the war. Only get started as long as you at least know the broad strokes of the last and greatest war between Rome and Sassanid Persia.

Perfect book for getting in the weeds.

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