The Inspiration behind Gift of the Gods Fire and Ash by Thomas J. Berry

 Five men and women in Ancient Greece are set on a dangerous journey of self-discovery during the bitter conflict of the Peloponnesian War.

While mighty Athens struggles to rebuild after a devastating campaign abroad, the feared warriors of Sparta prepare to deliver the final blow in a decades-long war. No one is safe anymore as the conflict shifts across the Aegean to the shores of wealthy Persia. Old colonies, once loyal to Athens, are eager to rebel and the Great King is willing to pay anything to regain his control over them. These coastal plains set the stage for massive battles and heartbreaking defeats. This time there will be only one true victor.

The news coming out of Sicily ripples across the cities of Ancient Greece like a thunderbolt and it is left to the poor and desperate to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. One young mother is suddenly faced with a horrible tragedy and struggles against all odds to make a new life for her family. An eager boy looking for adventure enlists in the new Athenian ranks but finds life on campaign a lot more than he bargained for. A Spartan officer in the twilight of his years struggles to adapt to a young man's army and an exiled Athenian strives to earn his way back into the graces of his beloved city. The harem girls in a Persian court meet a handsome foreigner and one risks everything for a chance at love.

As the conflict between Athens and Sparta builds to a final showdown, five men and women struggle to come to terms with their changing world. What will they find in the ashes when peace finally comes?

An Author's Inspiration

Gift of the Gods Fire and Ash

I have enjoyed writing historical fiction novels for many years and like to bring to life interesting stories that will pique someone’s interest. But I never want to be predictable so I adjust my writing styles and points of view for each project.  I’ve penned a real-life murder mystery during the War of 1812 and a grand epic saga during the siege of the Alamo.  Three incredible WWII veterans allowed me to share their marvelous stories during an indelible time in our recent past.  Bolstered by the great reception to these works, I embarked on a new challenge – to write a trilogy of stories around a single conflict in history.  It was a daunting task!  I spent weeks searching for just the right era and moment in time. 

I was first introduced to the Spartans in my teenage years but knew little about them beyond their warrior concept and frugal living standards.  Athens, of course, was home to the philosopher, Socrates, and the famous leader, Pericles.  Large statues and monuments still stand in the Acropolis today where democracy was first born.  Now as I sought the right source material for my trilogy, I took a deep dive into those ancient texts and came away with a passion I never knew I had. 

People of the modern world have almost forgotten about those ancestors of long ago, but I knew it was important to bring them back…and learn from them.  America and Russia have been at odds for over a century now and that inherent conflict is visible in everything we do.  Democracy and socialism were battling each other 2,500 years ago and struggled to overcome the same prejudices that we experience today.  This conflict came to a sudden head during the Peloponnesian War in the 5^th century BC, and that is where my story begins…almost.

Some of you may have seen the 2006 movie, 300, with Gerard Butler as King Leonidas of Sparta.  His small group of hearty warriors fought to the death against the great Persian hordes led by Xerxes, their larger-than-life god-king.  The Persians were depicted in the movie almost as one-dimensional monsters while the heroic Spartans gave them a good run for 2 hours before finally succumbing.  It was a great flick – I loved it…except there was more to the story and I knew it was intricately connected to my own, which takes place 50 years afterward.   In order to tell my story on Sparta’s war with Athens, I first needed to set the record straight on this one.

 

Source: Wikipedia

I invest years of research into my historical novels in order to get the details right.  It’s worth the effort and is a critical part of my writing.  My characters are fully developed people with interesting backgrounds. They have hopes and dreams, insecurities, and strong passions, but most of all, they believe in themselves.  No matter which side of the conflict they are on, they trust that what they are doing in the moment is the proper course of action.  They are not wholly evil or completely angelic.  They are humans and I treat them as such…frailties and all!  Each novel has real historical people within its pages mixing with fictional characters who could easily have lived during that era.  It’s important to note that because my novels examine all sides of the war and from many different angles.  From generals to slaves, widows to bachelors, we see this timeline from many points of view.  That’s the best kind of story to tell – an honest one.

The saga of the Peloponnesian War, fortunately, lent itself to three unique installments and for that, I was grateful.  From beginning to end, it covered a 27-year span, almost three full decades.  The events also shifted locations from Greece to Sicily to Persia – a perfect combination to tell a fast-moving tale in three books.  It was important that each novel in the trilogy could be read as a stand-alone volume.  Therefore, great care was made to isolate the events and characters so their story could be told in a single book.  

 

The final piece of the writing would be the most challenging of all – trying to tell a complex story over decades of time from many different viewpoints.  The solution was to weave five main characters into a single book and allow their stories to build upon each other like a tapestry.  Iron and Bronze was the first novel in this series and built off the famous battle of King Leonidas at the Thermopylae Pass.  We see Kalli, a young widow intent on training her son for Olympic boxing…and finding herself in over her head.  Doro is a wealthy aristocrat from Athens whose life comes crashing down around him when the war begins.  Matty is a helot slave in Sparta and risks everything for a new life.  Marching alongside these characters are the two emerging superpowers of the day.  Sparta and its mighty soldiers with a fearsome reputation, find themselves pitted against Athens who sails the strongest navy the world has ever seen. 

 

The second novel, Silver and Gold, continues the saga after peace is finally declared, but much like America and Russia today, tensions seethe just below the surface.  Alcibiades, a charismatic Athenian general, brings the conflict to a new level when he sets his eye on conquering the colonies on Sicily and the entire Mediterranean coastline.  No one is safe anymore and the Spartans set sail to this far-off land in a desperate bid to stop him.  Does anyone remember Vietnam in the 60’s and 70’s?   Two global powers battling it out far from home with everything at stake.  Andreas, a Spartan officer of mixed parentage, must overcome his lowly status to help the Sicilians defend against this invading armada or die trying.  Cathryn is a young mother native to the island and sees her world turned upside down by the rising conflict.  Kyril, a boxing prodigy who fought in the Delian Games, joins the powerful Athenian fleet only to discover the awful truth hidden beyond the horizon.

This last adventure, Fire and Ash, brings the war to a dramatic conclusion as Sparta seeks to cut Athens off from its rich colonies on the Persian coast.  Some of the war’s biggest naval battles are fought off the shores where Xerxes once called home and the irony is not lost on them as both sides now seek to make an alliance with their former adversary.  Memo, an Athenian officer living in exile looks to find a way back into the graces of his beloved city while Aleki, an older Spartan officer, struggles to adapt in a young man’s army.  Timandra, an exotic dancer in a Persian court, finds love with a handsome foreigner and risks everything to keep him safe.  In the end, only one city will reign supreme over the Ancient world and the struggle between democracy and socialism will finally be decided.

It is my fervent hope that readers will not only find enjoyment in these pages but learn something new as well.  These are types of books I’ve always enjoyed myself and I know there is a strong audience for them.  Remember, if we can learn the past, we can shape a better future for ourselves!

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About the Author

Thomas J. Berry

Thomas Berry received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from St. Bonaventure University.  He takes pleasure in extensively researching both historical fiction and non-fiction stories.  In his spare time, he enjoys long-distance running and has completed several marathons.  He currently lives with his wife and children in New Jersey.  You can learn more about Thomas and his historical novels on his website, www.thomas-berry.com.

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After 300: The Posthumous Vengeance of King Leonidas of Sparta

Ancient Origins

After 300: The Posthumous Vengeance of King Leonidas of Sparta

 Mythologically descended from the hero Herakles, the Agiad dynasty of ancient Sparta reigned alongside the Eurypontids almost since the beginning of the city-state. When war was on the borders of their land, and that of their neighboring city-states, it was to the current Heraklean descendent that those city-states turned. Even the Athenians, who were long-time rivals of the Spartan warriors looked to the current Agiad king for guidance in the darkest time of the war. That king, unsurprisingly, was King Leonidas I. A

King Amongst Kings
The better remembered of the two warrior-kings of the ancient Greek city-state Sparta, King Leonidas I lived and ruled between the 6th and 5th centuries BC. His time on the throne was short-lived, but his legacy has lasted lifetimes. Leonidas is the king who many other kings aspire to emulate; King Leonidas gave everything to defend and protect his homeland. Called upon to lead the allied forces of the Greek city-states based on his military record alone, it is said that King Leonidas tried to protect his soldiers, ordering them to leave the battlefield to fight another day. They did not, as one might guess, as they were Spartans; one way or another, Spartans return from battle—either with their swords, or on them, as the saying goes. Leonidas' words of protection at the battle of Thermopylae fell on deaf ears, and the Greeks were slaughtered that fateful day in 480 BC

Leonidas at Thermopylae by Jacques-Louis David (Public Domain)

What happened after the massacre, however? What happened after the death of the one of the greatest military leaders? Without Leonidas, Sparta was down one king; it had been tradition for two kings to rule the city-state, one from each of the two primary families, the Agiads and the Eurypontids. With his death at the hands of the army of Xerxes, king of Persia, and his head paraded around on a spike, Sparta was left short-handed. What was the next step?

Revenge.

Leonidas I of Sparta (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Wrath of the Gods
If one believes in the ancient Greek gods—as the city-states clearly did—it is impossible not to see the vengeance those gods encouraged through their mortal soldiers following the death of Herakles' descendent. With the death of King Leonidas and the insult to his person, the Persians had essentially painted a bright red, divinely taunting target on their backs. Over the next year, the Persians and Greeks engaged in their final land and sea battles, of which the Persians suffered as often as not. Salamis and Plataea, two of the most decisive Greek victories, officially turned the tide in favor of the Greeks. In fact, a better vengeance could not have been written for King Leonidas. The Greeks, who had not forgotten the slaughter of Thermopylae, returned the favor in spades at the Battle of Plataea.

A romantic version painting of the Battle of Salamis by artist Wilhelm von Kaulbach. (Public Domain)

The ancient historian Herodotus (5th century BC) is one of the primary sources of this battle. Following a stalemate around the Persian camp constructed in Plataea, the Persians were unintentionally (though it was lucky for the Greeks) lulled into a sense of victory. Having cut off the Greeks from their supply lines, the Persians believed the few Greeks who retreated to regain those connections represented the whole army; the subsequent Persian attack quickly proved them wrong. The Greek allies literally had the high ground, and a defeat of those Persian forces, led by Mardonius, was relatively swift. The Greek forces then, loosely interpreted from ancient texts, exacted their revenge for the slaughter of Leonidas and his men by massacring the Persian camp at Plataea. Later that afternoon, the Greeks finished the job at the final battle of Mycale.

King Leonidas I Monument at Thermopyles. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Exacting Revenge
One could attribute this "retribution" as constructed by King Leonidas' son Pleistarchus, intended to take the throne upon Leonidas' death. Yet in an interesting turn of events, Pleistarchus was too young to rule at his father's death, and the boy's guardian Pausanias, was actually on the second Spartan throne. Thus the decisive, somewhat brutal, actions against the Persians at Plataea and Mycale may or may not have been an act of vengeance in the name of the father Leonidas, but were almost certainly for the Herculean general who sacrificed everything for his home, and the homes of those allied with him. (One should remember that Sparta and Athens were only on good terms when they were teamed up against Persia. They placed their animosities aside during the Persian War, Athenians willingly following Spartans, and Spartans trusting to delegate to Athenians. This alliance would crumble soon after the war, but Leonidas' actions are even more inspiring for the prejudices put aside.)

Greek and Persian warriors depicted fighting on an ancient kylix. 5th century BC. (Public Domain)

United States of Leonidas
King Leonidas' sacrifice might not have resulted in the battle to end all Persian-Greek battles, however it did inspire a great deal of "nationality", a concept not yet fully formed in the ancient world. Yet the Greek city-states saw a common enemy, and shared a common goal, and for a brief period of time, respected and valued the same man—homeland and culture aside. The increased sense of unity Leonidas inadvertently forged between the Spartans, Thebans, Athenians, etc. led to an increased determination; the Greeks left no man standing at Plataea and Mycale if they could find one. The victory of the Greeks over the Persians resonated for centuries, and Leonidas' name is remembered far better than those of the men who returned home with their shields rather than on them. Because of this (and the later cockiness of the Athenians), the Spartans and their allies successfully defeated the Athenians in the Peloponnesian War, the next great battle on their horizon.

Top image: King Leonidas by David Baldo (deviantart)

By Riley Winters

1,400-Year-Old Coins are the Forgotten Remnants of a Terrifying Siege on Jerusalem

Ancient Origins

Israeli archaeologists have announced the discovery of a hoard of rare Byzantine bronze coins from a site dating back to 614 AD. The coins were discovered during excavations for the widening of the Tel Aviv- Jerusalem highway.

 Persian Invasion and Siege of Jerusalem
The newly found coins are clear evidence of the Persian invasion of Jerusalem at the end of the Byzantine period. As the Persian army (supported by many Jewish rebels) marched on Jerusalem in 614 AD, Christians living in the town rushed to hide their possessions, including a hoard of the valuable coins, hoping that things would soon go back to normal.

Nine bronze coins dating to the Byzantine period were hidden in the remains of a settlement near a highway to Jerusalem. (Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

Annette Landes-Naggar, Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist and the one who announced the discovery to the press said, as The Jerusalem Post reports, “The cache was buried adjacent to an area of collapsed large stones. It appears that the owner hid them when there was danger, hoping to return to pick them up. But now we know he was unable to.” She continued, “Apparently, this was during the time of the Persian Sassanid invasion, around 614 AD,” noting that the invasion was among the factors that ended the reign of the Byzantine emperors in Israel. “Fearing the invasion, residents of the area who felt their lives were in danger buried their money against the wall of a winepress. [However], the site was abandoned and destroyed,” Landes-Naggar concluded.

The excavation area and the collapsed wall where the Byzantine coin hoard was found. (Maxim Dinstein, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

The Sasanian Empire – the last imperial dynasty in Iran before the rise of Islam – conquered Jerusalem after a brief siege in 614, during the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628, after the Persian Shah Khosrau II appointed his general Shahrbaraz to conquer the Byzantine controlled areas of the Near East.

More than 20,000 Jewish rebels joined the war against the Byzantine Christians and the Persian army, reinforced by Jewish forces and led by Nehemiah ben Hushiel and Benjamin of Tiberias, captured Jerusalem without resistance. According to Sebeos, a 7th-century Armenian bishop and historian, the siege resulted in a total Christian death toll of 17000 and nearly 5000 prisoners, who were massacred near Mamilla reservoir per Antiochus.

Battle between Heraclius' army and Persians under Khosrau II. Fresco by Piero della Francesca, c. 1452. (Public Domain) Experts believe the coins were hidden while there was a siege on Jerusalem in 614, during the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628.

The Coins Tell the Story of the Site
Fast-forward 1,400 years to the summer of 2016, Israeli archaeologists excavating some Byzantine ruins in the area unearthed a cache consisting of nine bronze coins dating from the Byzantine Period around 324-638 AD. The announcement was scheduled to precede the upcoming Easter holiday, which falls this year on April 16, as part of a push coordinated with the Tourism Ministry to boost Christian pilgrimage to Israel. “The coins were found adjacent to the external wall of one of the monumental buildings found at the site, and it was found among the building stones that collapsed from the wall,” Landes-Naggar told The Times of Israel.

Byzantine coins found by Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists in 2016 and shown to the press in March 2017. (Ilan Ben Zion/Time of Israel staff)

The coins depict the faces of notable Byzantine Emperors such as Justinian I, Maurice, and Phocas, and were minted in Constantinople, Antioch, and Nicomedia. Despite not being particularly rare or of great value they “betray” the story of the site as Landes-Naggar noted,

“It’s the context of the coins that gives us the puzzle of what happened. This site is situated alongside the main road from the entrance to Jerusalem and was used by Christian pilgrims to enter the city. Settlements were developed along the road.”

 Local authorities along with the Israel Pipeline Company are committed to working together to preserve the site for the public.

Top Image: The Byzantine coins found near Jerusalem have been dated to around the time of a 614 siege. Source: YOLI SCHWARTZ/IAA

By Theodoros Karasavvas

Where Did It Begin? Gathering Place for the Battle of Salamis is Found

Ancient Origins

Archaeologists think they have found where the Greek fleet gathered before the 480 BC Battle of Salamis, fought between Greeks and Persians in the bay of Ampelakia. The team studying the area found antiquities in the water and did a survey using modern technology to nail the site down.

 The underwater archaeology team studied three sides of bay on the east coast of Salamis Island in November and December. The focus of the study, which researchers are conducting in a three-year program, was in the western part of the bay, the Greek Reporter says.

Ruins of ancient classical city and the port of Salamis (5th to 2nd BC) Ampelakia. (CC BY SA 4.0)

The Greek Ministry of Culture issued a statement about the research that states:

“This is the commercial and possibly military port of the Classical and Hellenistic city-municipality of Salamis, the largest and closest to the Athenian state, after the three ports of Piraeus (Kantharos, Zea, Mounichia). It is also the place where at least part of the united Greek fleet gathered on the eve of the great battle of 480 BC, which is adjacent to the most important monuments of Victory: the Polyandreion (tomb) of Salamis and the trophy on Kynosoura. References to the ancient port of Salamis responded to works geographer Skylakos (4th c. BC), the geographer Stravonas (1st Century BC-1st Century AD) and Pausanias (2nd century AD).”

 A Ministry of Culture statement on the findings also says the researchers discovered ancient structures on three sides of the bay—south, north, and west. These structures are sometimes seen as the water level changes. In February, the ebb reduces the depth of the waters by half a meter (about 1.6 ft.)

An archaeologist excavates a ship-shed at Mounichia Harbor, another body of water involved in the battle of Salamis, on a very rare day of good visibility in the waters. (University of Copenhagen)

The team saw remnants of fortifications, buildings, and harbor structures as they did aerial photography and photogrammetric processing. They also studied topographical and architectural features of visible structures, thus creating the first underwater archaeological map of the harbor. The map will help in future studies of the port.

 Also, the geoarchaeological and geophysical research being done by the team, which is from the University of Patras, resulted in fine digital surveys that are expected to aid in the reconstruction of the paleography of the site.

Some of the architectural features in the bay of Ampelakia near the ancient ruins of the port town of Salamis. (Chr. Marabou)

There is another ancient Greek location sharing the name of this notable island. As Ancient Origins’ April Holloway reported in 2015, Salamis on the island of Cyprus was a large city in ancient times. It served many dominant groups over the course of its history, including Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, and Romans. According to Homeric legend, Salamis was founded by archer Teucer from the Trojan War. Although long abandoned, the city of Salamis serves as a reminder of the great cities that existed in antiquity, and an indicator of how far we have come in the past few centuries.

Bronze statue depicting legendary archer, Teucer, the legendary founder of Salamis. (CC BY SA 2.5)

Ancient Origins also reported in 2016 that in 493 BC, Greek general and politician Themistocles urged Athens to build a naval force of 200 triremes as a bulwark against the Persians, who’d attacked and been repelled on land at the Battle of Marathon. Within three years, Persia unsuccessfully attacked Greece again, including by sea this time. So instead of the West being influenced by Persia, it remained under the sway of Greek religion and culture, including the democratic style of government that is purportedly the epitome of civilization.

Top image: ‘Battle of Salamis’ (1868) by Wilhem von Kaulbach. Source: Public Domain

By Mark Miller

History Trivia - First Crusaders arrive in Antioch

October 20

 480 BC The Greeks defeated the Persians in a naval battle at Salamis, an island in the Saronic Gulf near Athens. It marked the high-point of the second Persian invasion of Greece which had begun in 480 BC.

 1097 First Crusaders arrived in Antioch. The first siege, by the crusaders against the Muslim city, lasted from October 21, 1097, to June 2, 1098. 

1524 Thomas Linacre, physician and classical scholar, who founded the Royal College of Physicians in London died. 

History Trivia - Battle of Plataea. - Persian forces routed

August 27

 550 BC Confucius, famous wise man of China is believed to have been born around this date.

479 BC Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius were routed by Pausanias, the Spartan commander of the Greek army in the Battle of Plataea.

410 The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths ended after three days.

History Trivia - Leonidas and his Spartan army defeated at Thermopylae

August 9

 480 BC The Persian army defeated Leonidas and his Spartan army at Thermopylae, Persia.

48 BC – Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus (Greece) – Julius Caesar decisively defeated Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey fled to Egypt where he was later murdered. As a result Caesar had absolute control of Rome.

378 Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople – A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens was defeated by the Visigoths in present-day Turkey. Valens was killed along with over half of his army.

History Trivia - The Greeks defeated the Persians at Salamis

October 20

480 BC The Greeks defeated the Persians in a naval battle at Salamis, an island in the Saronic Gulf near Athens. It marked the high-point of the second Persian invasion of Greece which had begun in 480 BC.

1097 First Crusaders arrived in Antioch. The first siege, by the crusaders against the Muslim city, lasted from October 21, 1097, to June 2, 1098.

1524 Thomas Linacre, physician and classical scholar, who founded the Royal College of Physicians in London died.

1632 Christopher Wren, astronomer/great architect (St. Paul's Cathedral), was born.

History Trivia - Battle at Tours: Charles Martel victorious

October 17

539 BC King Cyrus The Great of Persia marched into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost 70 years of exile and making the first Human Rights Declaration.

733 Battle at Tours: Charles Martel (grandfather of Charlemagne) defeated Abd al-Rachmans Omajjaden, and halted a northward Islamic expansion into western Europe.

1091 A tornado struck the heart of London which destroyed the rebuilt Norman London Bridge.

1346 Battle of Neville's Cross: King David II of Scotland was captured by Edward III of England near Durham, and imprisoned in the Tower of London for eleven years.

1404 Innocent VII became Pope. During his pontificate, Innocent summoned a council in an attempt to heal the Western Schism but it never assembled.

1529 Henry VIII of England stripped Thomas Wolsey of his office for failing to secure an annulment of his marriage.

History Trivia -Greeks defeat the Persians in the greatest of ancient naval battles, at Salamis

Sept 23

 480 BC The Greeks defeated the Persians in the greatest of ancient naval battles, at Salamis, avenging the destruction of Athens. Over 1,000 Persian ships were sunk by fewer than 400 Greek vessels.

63 BC Augustus (Octavian) was born. He was the Roman emperor at the time of Christ, and the founder in 27 BC of the Roman Empire as it was known after the end of the Roman Republic of Julius Caesar's time.

1122 Concordat of Worms brought to an end the first phase of the power struggle between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Emperors.

1459 Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Wars of the Roses, was fought at Blore Heath in Staffordshire. The Yorkists, though inferior in numbers, were completely victorious.