by Safely in Sydney and enjoying the hospitality of dear friends.
Almost finished listening to ‘Persian Fire‘ by Tom Holland. This is the second book of his I’ve read and again I am amazed by the way he can string disparate threads of history together into a cohesive narrative. I am also amazed by how much of ‘The 300‘ is actually historically accurate. The book and film are far from without fault and there is a fair bit of artistic licence at play but the actual blow by blow account is surprisingly close to the mark. As recounted from the record by Holland and as compared by me to my own fallible memories of both book and film from years past.
As with the previous Holland book I have had a number of misconceptions corrected and learned a great deal about civilistations who’s innovations in government and diplomacy are still in effect today and I still have maybe 3 hours to go.