{ "item_title" : "The Battle of Heraclea", "item_author" : [" Dax Rove "], "item_description" : "In 280 BC, on a river plain in southern Italy, Roman legions met a Greek phalanx and twenty war elephants in their first pitched battle. The Romans had never faced such animals, and the costly victory that followed was the first of two behind the phrase Pyrrhic victory. THE BATTLE OF HERACLEA tells how that clash came about. It begins in 282 BC, when Roman warships entered the Gulf of Tarentum and the Greek city struck back, then follows Rome's push into the south. It follows Pyrrhus of Epirus, an exile turned king who won and lost Macedonia among the successors of Alexander the Great before Tarentum's call drew him across the Adriatic. Meet the Roman consuls Laevinus, Barbula, and Fabricius, then cross with the king, stand at the river Siris, and watch the fighting unfold. The book weighs conflicting ancient casualty figures with care and follows the aftermath, including the peace offer Cineas carried to Rome and the speech of the blind senator Appius Claudius Caecus. The final chapter carries the Pyrrhic War through Asculum, Sicily, Beneventum, and the king's death at Argos in 272 BC. Written for readers of ancient history, the Roman Republic, and the Hellenistic world, this narrative nonfiction shows how a king who won two hard battles still failed to win the war that left Rome master of Italy. It will suit anyone curious about the Pyrrhic War, the Roman legion, and ancient war elephants. Step onto the plain beside the Siris and discover how Rome faced a Hellenistic king and his elephants.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers3.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/9/79/816/238/9798162380818_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "15.99", "online_price" : "15.99", "our_price" : "15.99", "club_price" : "15.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

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