In fact, political scientists have treated the work of thucydides as a coherent attempt to communicate silent universals that have served as the basis for american foreign policy and security doctrine in the post world war ii era. Thucydides the war of the peloponnesians and the athenians. Cambridge texts in the history of political thought includes bibliographical references and index. Rex warner was a professor of the university of connecticut from 1964 until his retirement in he was born in 1905 and went to wadham college, oxford, where he gained a.
Some of the lessons he learned at its bloody hands are contained in his great unfinished history of the peloponnesian war. They are by no means easy to extract from it, however, for thucydides is an unusually difficult. Notes provide information necessary for a fuller understanding of problematic passages, explore their implications as well as the problems they. I learned a lot, and that book was hard to put down. Reeve reed college lit v ar, thucydides says in a famous phrase, is a violent teacher. The war of the peloponnesians and the athenians thucydides. Thucydides narrative covers the first 20 years of the conflict, which came to a final end in 404 bce. Jul 18, 2018 written in the 5th century bc, the events of the war between the peloponnesian and delian leagues are detailed by thucydides. The history of the peloponnesian war, by thucydides 431 bc.
For in the time of cecrops and the first kings down to theseus the inhabitants of attica had their several boroughs and therein their common halls and their governors, and, unless they were in fear of some danger, went not to the king for advice. The war was fought between the peloponnesian league led by sparta and the athenian league led by athens. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, the second book. Peloponnesian war 431404 bc the athenian historian thucydides thoosiduhdees, who lived through the peloponnesian war and wrote the history of it, began by asking, why did the war start. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases the first stage was the archidamian war then came the peace of nicias last came the thirty years treaty. It was written by thucydides, an athenian general who served in that war. War thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war between the peloponnesians and the athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it. His history of the peloponnesian war recounts the fifthcentury bc war between sparta and athens until the year 411 bc. The first unabridged translation into american english, and the first to take into account the wealth of thucydidean scholarship of the last half of the twentieth century, steven lattimores translation sets a new standard for accuracy and reliability. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war is an account of the war fought between the peloponnesian league sparta and its allies and the delian league athens and its allies from 431404 bce. Historical context for history of the peloponnesian war by. The history of the peloponnesian war the internet classics. Designed for students with little or no background in ancient greek language and culture, this.
If aegina and megara were so important, and were known by thucydides to be so important, why did he say so little about them. Seventeenth year of the war the sicilian campaign affair of the hermae departure of the expedition. Analysis of the history of the peloponnesian war, by thucydides. Greek text with english translation includes index vol. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides, part of the internet classics archive. The war we today call peloponnesian what historians sometimes call the second peloponnesian war this, the subject of thucydides life work and the defining event of his life was a 27year conflict between the two preeminent citystates of ancient greece. Donald kagans the peloponnesian war is a fitting capstone to a lifetime of research and writing on one of the most tragic and destructive conflicts in human history. Fourth and fifth years of the war revolt of mitylene.
Furthermore, there is a great deal of uncertainty whether he intended to revise the sections he had already written. It is commonly thought that thucydides died while still working on the history, since it ends in midsentence and only goes up to 410 bc, leaving six years of war uncovered. He served as a general in the peloponnesian war and actually managed to survive the whole bloody affair. The war marks a turning point in ancient greek history as the golden age of. This custom was from great antiquity more familiar with the athenians than any other of the rest of greece. Selections from the history of the peloponnesian war, thucydides, paul woodruff, hackett publishing, 1993, 1603845062, 9781603845069, 216 pages. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of scientific history due to his strict standards of. Introduction chapters 1 through 23 the dispute over epidamnus, 435433 b. History of the peloponnesian war simple english wikipedia. Commencement of the peloponnesian war thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war between the peloponnesians and the athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it. He answered that basically the war started because athens was too greedy, and tried to take over all of greece. What made the war inevitable was the growth of athenian power and the fear which this caused sparta, thucydides wrote in order to.
The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides free. Feb 03, 20 seventeenth year of the war the sicilian campaign affair of the hermae departure of the expedition. While dispassionately and accurately reporting the events of this ancient greek war in a strict chronology, thucydides includes the causes of the conflict, descriptions of battlefield strategy, political opinions, and all other aspects of the war in brilliant detail with the tactful insights of an intellectual and observant eyewitness. In thucydides, the history of the peloponnesian war, there are many themes that are illustrated throughout various passages.
The entire greek world plunged into three decades of bloodshed in 431 b. The war marks a turning point in ancient greek history as the golden age of greek dominance is changed in the region. Never before had so many cities been captured and then devastated, whether by foreign armies or by the hellenic powers themselves. Rex warner was a professor of the university of connecticut from 1964 until his retirement in he was born in 1905 and went to wadham college, oxford. One major theme can be found in book 2, chapter 53, where thucydides describes the situation in athens after it had been stricken with plague during the peloponnesian war. History of the peloponnesian warbook 3 wikisource, the.
The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides 431 bc translated by richard crawley book i. The leagues were led by sparta and athens respectively. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, the second. The new pisistratus 443 thucydides ostracised and so, athens, though in name a democracy, gradually became in fact a government ruled by its foremost citizen. I began to suspect that the main significance of the war was that thucydides wrote this book. Sep 22, 20 thucydides has taken as his subject the whole tapestry of the peloponnesian war. Thucydides called his account of two decades of war between athens and sparta a. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book iii. Democratic faction hegemony of hellas control aegean increase rights of citizens.
Dec 01, 2004 the history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides. Written in the 5th century bc, the events of the war between the peloponnesian and delian leagues are detailed by thucydides. He applies a passion for accuracy and a contempt for myth and romance in compiling a factual record of a ruinous conflict that would eventually destroy. Feb 03, 20 fourth and fifth years of the war revolt of mitylene. Chapter i the state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war. Thucydides on the causes of the peloponnesian war authors. Thucydides was an athenian and achieved the rank of general in the earlier stages of the war, and in this detailed, firsthand contemporary account he writes as both a soldier and a historian.
The peloponnesian war was fought between athens and sparta, and other greek city states that chose sides. History of the peloponnesian warbook 6 wikisource, the. During his exile, he began compiling histories and accounts of the war from various participants. Many historians regard this history of thucydides as one of the earliest scholarly. Thucydides has taken as his subject the whole tapestry of the peloponnesian war. The history of the peloponnesian war continued to be modified well beyond the end of the war in 404, as exemplified by a reference at book i.
My research, however, confirms that dover is correct to support the authen ticity of 7. Ten years into the struggle, the athenian general thucydides was dismissed for a military failure that led to a triumph for posterity. Chapter i the state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war between the peloponnesians and the athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it. Thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war between the peloponnesians and the athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it. As thucydides said, the peloponnesian war was the result of a systematic change, brought about by the increasing power of the athenian citystate, which tried to exceed the power of the citystate of sparta. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war is an account of the war fought between the peloponnesian league sparta and its allies and the delian league athens and its. Then i read the storm before the storm by mike duncan. The peloponnesian war thucydides, steven lattimore. Thucydides quotes author of history of the peloponnesian. Thus, on one hand, thucydides was the first to describe international relations as anarchic and immoral.
1511 1389 267 1503 148 1510 1620 517 1100 798 586 1201 732 1032 1042 699 1614 1405 943 905 426 238 1521 316 357 956 254 828 876 83 628 984 955 1157 771 1054 430 32 209 1078 147