Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #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.