Summary of Victor Davis Hanson's The Savior Generals

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

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#1 The occupying Persians began the laborious task of destroying the stone shrines and temples and torching homes in Athens. They finished off a few Athenian holdouts still barricaded on the Acropolis. Meanwhile, Xerxes drew up his fleet nearby at the Athenian harbor of Phaleron.

#2 Xerxes’ invasion of Greece was a textbook example of momentum and glory, as the king had enjoyed for six months. His huge spring and summer expeditions had rolled out with little resistance, and his army and navy were not just bent on punishing the Greeks in battle, but on absorbing them into the Persian Empire.

#3 The Battle of Salamis was a huge victory for the Greeks, but it was also a sign of how divided they were as a coalition. The sea powers Corinth and Aegina were historical rivals, and yet they were both enemies of the Athenians.

#4 The salvation of Athenian civilization depended on the vision of a single firebrand, who was widely despised, and an uncouth commoner. Themistocles had previously failed twice up north at Tempe and Artemisium to stop the advance of Xerxes’ army.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669373339

IRB Media

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Insights on Victor Davis Hanson's The Savior Generals

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The occupying Persians began the laborious task of destroying the stone shrines and temples and torching homes in Athens. They finished off a few Athenian holdouts still barricaded on the Acropolis. Meanwhile, Xerxes drew up his fleet nearby at the Athenian harbor of Phaleron.

#2

Xerxes’ invasion of Greece was a textbook example of momentum and glory, as the king had enjoyed for six months. His huge spring and summer expeditions had rolled out with little resistance, and his army and navy were not just bent on punishing the Greeks in battle, but on absorbing them into the Persian Empire.

#3

The Battle of Salamis was a huge victory for the Greeks, but it was also a sign of how divided they were as a coalition. The sea powers Corinth and Aegina were historical rivals, and yet they were both enemies of the Athenians.

#4

The salvation of Athenian civilization depended on the vision of a single firebrand, who was widely despised, and an uncouth commoner. Themistocles had previously failed twice up north at Tempe and Artemisium to stop the advance of Xerxes’ army.

#5

The Battle of Salamis was a turning point in the war. It was not just a victory for the Greeks, but also a victory for the idea that a city-state is not just a place or buildings, but a people with free- spirited individuals willing to fight for their liberty.

#6

The Battle of Marathon was a victory for the Greeks over the Persians, and it marked the beginning of the end for the Persian Empire. The Persians had tried to destroy the freedom of the Greek city-states, and it was up to them to stop Darius and his son, Xerxes.

#7

The Battle of Marathon was a fluke of sorts for Themistocles. He saw no grand strategy that had contributed to the infantry victory. He saw no way that the hoplite victory at Marathon offered a blueprint for future military success against the huge maritime resources at the king’s disposal.

#8

To the mind of Themistocles, Marathon was just a beginning of greater struggles. He understood that sea power allowed the Persians to arrive when and where they wanted, and that the young democracy at Athens was only seventeen