In 480 BC, Xerxes, King of Persia, led an invasion of mainland Greece. The success of his campaign should have been a formality. For 70 years, victory—swift, stunning victory—had seemed the birthright of the Persian Empire. In the space of a single generation, it had swept across the Near East, shattering ancient kingdoms, storming famous cities, and forging an empire that stretched from India to the shores of the Aegean. As a result of these conquests, Xerxes ruled as the most powerful man on the planet. Yet, somehow, miraculously, the mainland Greeks had held out against the largest expeditionary force ever assembled. The Persians were driven back. Greece remained free. Had the Greeks been defeated at Salamis, not only would the West have lost its first struggle for independence and survival, but it is unlikely that there would ever have been a West at all. Tom Holland’s brilliant book describes the first 'clash of empires' between East and West. Once again, he finds extraordinary parallels between the ancient world and our world today. There is no popular book that rivals its description of these events. “Ambitious... Holland offers a sweeping narrative. It feels destined to become a classic.” -Seattle Times “Excellent. There’s a balance in Holland’s treatment of the Greek and Persian cultural legacies that is rare in popular accounts of these wars.” -Sunday Times “Holland has a rare eye for detail, for drama, for the telling anecdote…a vivid and engaging book that deserves to endure.” -The Telegraph