MAY 23

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember, the Fire Department usually uses water.

Recently, I announced the upcoming publication of my novel, Jake’s Revenge, and one of the unintended benefits of the announcement was an e-mail form Jim Smathers, an author living in Winter Haven, Florida. Jim wished me well on Jake’s Revenge, and suggested that I check out his new novel, Transformations. I downloaded the e-book from Amazon, and boy, what a page turner! I strongly recommend it.

Jim graciously shared some e-publishing tips, which I think will help me market my books. In the ever changing world of publishing, authors like Jim and I depend on word of mouth and social media to get the word out. I’m always willing to help a fellow author.

As for Jake’s Revenge, I’m pleased to report that it will be available on Amazon as an e-book within the next week, and the pre-publication sale of the 50 signed copies is moving along. As of today, I have received orders for 21, and have 9 more on reserve. This leaves 20 additional copies for sale.

I’ve received a dozen or so compliments on the cover for the book, and I’m pleased that y’all like it. I have Alpha Graphics to thank for the design.

You can order or reserve a signed copy of Jake’s Revenge by sending a check for $27 to:

Tom Lawrence

456 10^th Street So.

Opelika, AL 36801

The book will be mailed in June. Thanks for your support.

YOU PLAYED FOOTBALL IN MY GENERATION IF YOU REMEMBER;

Drop kicks

Quick kicks

Buckle-on hip pads

Lime burns

Blocking Backs

DECISIVE MOMENTS IN HISTORY

This series will attempt to not only give an account of notable battles, but also to examine the cultural, religious and political forces that caused the battle in the first place. Our civilization and our heritage might have been greatly altered if things had worked out differently.

In 490 BC, there were two civilizations dominating the Western world: the City States of Greece and the Achaemenian Empire of Persia. Persia, under the rule of Darius, had expanded its empire from the Aegean Sea in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east. The Greek City States were a loose confederation of political units sharing a common language and religion. Athens and Sparta were the strongest.

Greek culture was approaching its height. Athens had adopted a quasi-form of democracy, and the other Greek cities followed suit, to some degree. The Greeks were traders, and their military and naval forces were modern and effective. Architecture and the arts flourished during this period.

In contrast to the loosely allied Greek City States, the Persian Empire ruled a vast area by using a combination of monolithic centralized government and expanding infrastructure. Satraps, all answering to Darius, administered the Empire, which practiced religious tolerance and supported the arts. There were two major differences in these competing cultures. The Greeks were homogenous, while the Persian Empire was put together by military conquest and contained many subject peoples. While the Greeks might war among themselves, no matter who won, the outcome was still Greek. The ruling Achaemenian dynasty in Persia was constantly putting down local revolts.

One of these revolts, on the western edge of the Empire, saw Athens lend military support to the Ionian revolution. The Ionians and their Athenian allies were initially successful in throwing off Persian rule. By assisting the Ionians, Athens became the sworn enemy of Darius, and he vowed to crush it. In August of 490 BC, a large force of Persian Infantry landed on the Greek mainland.

The Persian military was designed to fight on the open plains of Asia Minor, and employed highly effective cavalry. The Persians preferred battles of maneuver, deploying large masses of infantry supported by the finest cavalry of its time.

The Greeks were not able to deploy large armies, but had developed the compact Phalanx of Hoplites that fought as a unit. The Greeks liked set-piece battles, where they could close on their enemy and use the Phalanx like armor.

The Greeks chose to attack the Persians before they could deploy their cavalry, and the highly trained and motivated Hoplites slaughtered the invasion force and turned back the more numerous Persians. The Greek victory marked the turning point in the Greek-Persian wars, and assured that Western Civilization would follow the Greek pattern and not the Persian.

Illustration is licensed under CC By 4.0 — linked to commons.wikimedia.org