War of the Three Gods

Name: War of the Three Gods
ISBN: 9787532796380

彼得·克劳福德 / 郝福合Shanghai Translation Publishing House · ChinaJan 2025

3.9

Word count: 170K words
Chapters: 18
ISBN: 9787532796380

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Summary

In the early seventh century AD, the Roman Empire stood on the brink of collapse under the double weight of internal strife and foreign enemies. In this hour of peril, the hero Heraclius raised the banner of revolt in Egypt, overthrew the tyrant, and was crowned emperor. After more than a decade of endurance and preparation, he finally defeated Rome's formidable rival, Sassanid Persia, in one stroke, recovered all the lost territories, retrieved the True Cross, and once again saved the Empire. Yet Rome's revival was short-lived. A storm was brewing in the Arabian Peninsula that would soon reshape the Middle East and indeed the entire world. An ancient people, guided by a brand-new religion, were about to burst out of the desert, crush the two old empires with irresistible force, and drive the classical world in the twilight of Rome inexorably into the Middle Ages.

Editor's review

This book restores the complex course of the seventh-century Eastern Roman Empire—often reduced to a simple tale of "Byzantine decline"—into a drama of interwoven forces: Heraclius rises from Egypt, overthrows the tyrant, is crowned emperor, and after more than a decade of hard fighting reverses the war against Sassanid Persia, recovers the lost lands, and retrieves the True Cross, so that Rome seems to revive once more; yet a new power on the Arabian Peninsula then bursts out of the desert and shakes both great empires at once. With solid storytelling, the author weaves together military, political, religious, and geopolitical change, letting readers see how "revival" and "collapse" alternate within a single generation. For readers familiar with the boundary between Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, the book offers a coherent thread for understanding the reshaping of the Middle East and the Mediterranean world; for general history enthusiasts, it is a tightly paced dynastic narrative that gives equal weight to characters and circumstances. It suits focused reading on a commute or over a weekend, and can also serve as supplementary material outside the classroom.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in the history of the boundary between Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages
Students who need to understand the geopolitical changes in the seventh-century Mediterranean and Middle East
Readers who enjoy reading dynastic history through the lens of individuals and warfare
Enthusiasts who wish to deepen their knowledge of Byzantine–Sassanid relations

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting purely theoretical analysis or macro-historical methodology
Readers with no interest in ancient warfare and religious politics
Specialist researchers hoping for extensive details from primary-source textual criticism

Reading tips

Read the prologue and epilogue first to grasp the overall trajectory of the seventh-century Mediterranean–Middle East situation, then return to the sections on Heraclius's seizure of power and the war with Persia.
As you read, mark the key dates for Rome, Sassanid Persia, and the Arabian Peninsula to build a comparative timeline, which makes the shifts in situation easier to follow.
Slow down at passages where religion and politics intertwine, and use maps to understand the symbolic significance of the True Cross, Egypt, and Syria.
After finishing, summarize in one paragraph why the "revival" was short-lived, to check whether you have grasped the book's core question.

About the publisher

Shanghai Translation Publishing House China · Founded in 1978

Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.

版权信息
地图列表
历代君主
导言
第1章走向公元600年的罗马与萨珊
第2章篡位者之战与希拉克略起义
第3章 “老兵出阵”
第4章 “攻城槌已触墙”
第5章新来挑战者
第6章伊斯兰风暴
第7章穆斯林战兽肆虐（636）
第8章告别叙利亚和美索不达米亚
第9章夺罗马粮仓，断波斯国祚
第10章国主俱亡，三神存二，一雄胜出
第11章盛宴继续：从大西洋到印度洋
尾声
参考书目
索引

FAQ

Does this book require prior knowledge of Byzantine history?

Not necessarily. The author writes mainly as a narrative, and backgrounds of key figures and events are explained in the text. If you are entirely unfamiliar with seventh-century Eastern Rome, Sassanid Persia, and the rise of the Arabs, you can first skim the table of contents and epilogue to establish a chronological framework before entering the main text; the barrier to reading is not high.

Does the book focus on Heraclius or on the Arab expansion?

Both threads carry equal weight. The first half focuses on Heraclius's rise from Egypt, his overthrow of the tyrant, his defeat of Sassanid Persia, and the retrieval of the True Cross; the second half turns to how the new power brewing in the Arabian Peninsula bursts out of the desert and shakes the two great empires. The book's main line is precisely the alternation between "revival" and "new storm."

Is it suitable as supplementary reading outside the classroom?

Yes. The book weaves military, political, religious, and geopolitical change into a coherent narrative that can help students connect scattered knowledge points into a timeline. But if a course requires primary-source textual criticism or theoretical analysis, it should still be paired with specialized research works.

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About the author

彼得·克劳福德 Author

Peter Crawford is an author about whom limited public information is available. Only one Chinese work by him is currently visible, The War of the Three Gods, a title in the field of world history. The existing information suggests that he is not known for prolific or systematic writing; his output appears small and concentrated, and reliable records of his life, nationality, and academic background are lacking, so the available material is not enough to sketch a complete picture of him. As for The War of the Three Gods, it is classified as world history, and its title suggests a focus on conflicts and interactions among multiple faiths or powers, making it a work of historical narrative aimed at general readers. Such writing usually emphasizes clear organization of events and readability rather than elaborate textual scholarship, and suits readers who want an overall understanding of the historical process concerned. Because there are few other works and public activity records, it is difficult to assess the full range of his writing style, and it would be inappropriate to make excessive inferences about his academic standing or influence. Readers may take The War of the Three Gods as an entry point, read it alongside reliable historical sources, and remain cautious about biographical information concerning the author while learning about the specific historical background.

郝福合 Author

Hao Fuhe is an author about whom limited public information is available, with three works currently held in the collection. Eleanor of Aquitaine: From History into Legend, a Medieval Queen shows his interest in European medieval history and his ability to reconstruct a figure's life against a solid historical backdrop, making the courts and politics of a distant age vivid and readable. His other two works, War of the Three Gods and Tracing the River, venture into otherworldly continents and foreign literature respectively, indicating a broad range of subjects and a writing approach that moves between historical narrative and literary imagination. His works are commonly found in categories such as world history, otherworldly continents, and foreign literature, and his style tends to convey knowledge through storytelling, balancing readability with background exposition for readers interested in historical figures and exotic tales.