Spartan - Abridged

Valerio Massimo Manfredi is an archaeologist and scholar of the ancient Greek and Roman world. He is the author of numerous novels, which have won him literary awards and have sold 12 million copies. His Alexander trilogy has been translated into thirty-eight languages and published in sixty-two countries and the film rights have been acquired by Universal Pictures. His novel The Last Legion was made into a film starring Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley and directed by Doug Lefler. Valerio Massimo Manfredi has taught at a number of prestigious universities in Italy and abroad and has published numerous articles and essays in academic journals. He has also written screenplays for film and television, contributed to journalistic articles and conducted cultural programmes and television documentaries.

Derek Jacobi is highly respected for his many stage and screen roles. His film credits include Gladiator, Hamlet, The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, Nanny McPhee and Underworld: Evolution. His television credits include Frasier, I, Claudius, Cadfael, Philby, Burgess and Maclean and The Long Firm.