One man, two armies. The fate of the ancient world in the balance. If History is the biography of remarkable people, the life of Alcibiades (451-404 BC) is a major chapter in the chronicle of the western world. From the family of Pericles, a protégé of Socrates, Alcibiades was recognized as the brightest and most charismatic personality of his time. Just as Achilles' pride influenced the course of the Trojan War, so did Alcibiades' will and ambition mark the Peloponnesian War - the twenty-seven-year civil conflict between the Athenian Hegemony and the Peloponnesian League. The destiny of Athens and its favored child were intertwined. Man and city were characterized by the same boldness and ambition and at the same time were equally vulnerable. When they allied, they soared from one victory to another. When they were opponents, he led her enemies to glory. In "Winds of War," the confession of a hoplite who served under Alcibiades in the Athenian fleet - now condemned to death for the murder of that man who was so loved and hated - uniquely brings to life one of the most significant conflicts in History. [Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]