The same thucydides of athens continued the history, following the order of events, which he 67 reckoned by summers and winters, up to the destruction of the athenian empire and the taking of piraeus and the. Best translation of the history of the peloponnesian war. History of the peloponnesian warbook 4 wikisource, the. We can only examine what thucydides himself tells us in his history. He saw the rise of athens to greatness under the inspired leadership of pericles. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1. The state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war. The history of the peloponnesian war, by thucydides 431 bc. It was written by thucydides, an athenian general who served in the war. However, thucydides history was never finished, and as such, ends midsentence in the winter of 411 bce. And so ended the second year in the peloponnesian war of which thucydides wrote the history. Thucydides, and athenian general, wrote this history of the peloponnesian wars. Personally, i find most of thucydides a very tedious read because of the chronicle style in which he writes, which follows the history of the peloponnesian war in strict chronological order and fails to give a good presentation of the overall strategy of individual land and naval campaigns.
Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book ii. Donald kagan author of on the origins of war and pericles of athens this is the best book with which to start study of thueydides and the peloponnesian war. Thucydides book 1 summary the peloponnesian war an. Which is the better translation of thucydides history of the peloponnesian war. Rahne the washington times without question, this is the finest edition of thueydides history ever produced. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book viii. Written in the 5th century bc, the events of the war between the peloponnesian and delian leagues are detailed by thucydides. In its day, it was the most thorough historical account ever written. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet.
Thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the wa. With icy remorselessness, it puts paid to any notion that the horrors of modern history might be an aberration for it tells of universal war, of terrorism, revolution and genocide tom hollandthe long lifeanddeath struggle between athens and sparta plunged the ancient greek world into decades of war. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book i. History of the peloponnesian war, volume iv thucydides. This 2,500 yearold translated book the history of the peloponnesian war is a wealth of details for the researcher or historical scholar but difficult to read and comprehend in its. At last they were absolutely compelled to break the treaty made at the end of the first ten years, and engaged once more in open war. Thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war in which the peloponnesians and the athenians fought against one another. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides free. Thucydides called his account of two decades of war between athens and sparta a possession for all time, and indeed it is the first and still the most famous work in the western historical tradition. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war is one the best books ever written on war.
Xenophon takes up the tale again if you are frustrated by not knowing the ending of the struggle. The second book 190k the third book 187k, the fourth book. 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. Ten years into the struggle, the athenian general thucydides was dismissed for a military failure that led to a triumph for posterity. The conflict lasted more than two decades, and thucydides, who served as an athenian general, wrote its definitive history. A classic of history, thucydides was a participant in the athenianspartan conflict, and has quite interesting reports on the at time hot and other times cold war between the two factions. Hes been particularly praised for his objectivity and attempt at historical analysis, as. It is also very long and hard to digest without proper context, particularly for the first time reader. I think his statements reveal both professional and personal motivations. Peloponnesian war is fascinating in its laconic objectivity and for its wide coverage of interesting times written by a man who was a general during the war, suffered from defeat, exile and the ravages of the athenian plague and yet.
Thucydides of athens, one of the greatest of historians, was born about 471 bce. Start studying history of the peloponnesian war characters. In 430, the second year of the peloponnesian war, he caught and survived the horrible plague which he described so graphically. Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than 2,000 years.
It was written by thucydides, an athenian historian who also served as an. 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. Librivox recording of the history of the peloponnesian war, by thucydides. Thus the winter ended, and with it ended the seventh year of this war of which thucydides is the historian. Buy the history of the peloponnesian war library ed. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides. Here are some famous quotes from the discussion on ideal polities from the history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides this is from the book vi speech of. Read by librivox volunteers the history of the peloponnesian war is an account of the peloponnesian war in ancient greece, fought between the peloponnesian league led by sparta and the delian league led by athens in the 5th century bc. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war book 1. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. He began to write when they first took up arms, believing that it would be great and memorable above any previous war. After his death, thucydidess history was subdivided into eight books. Book eight marks a significant shift in the geographic focus of events within the text.
History of the peloponnesian war by thucydides ebook. Thucydides traces the development of athenian power through the growth of the athenian empire in the years 479 bc to 432 bc in book one of the history 1. History of the peloponnesian warbook 6 wikisource, the. Translated by rex warner with an introduction and notes by m. Blancos translation or the landmark thucydides by strassler and crowley. Not trying to approach this as a historian so what is the best to read as a lay person as it were.
Though primarily a military history, this book also shines a great light on the political and social aspects of the ancient conflict, including its effect on civilians. I have a handful of books i take with me on every move, and this. Thucydidess most popular book is history of the peloponnesian war. The news was brought to athens, but the athenians could not believe that the armament had been so completely annihilated, although they had. In the following summer the peloponnesians and their allies under the command of archidamus 142 the son of zeuxidamus, the lacedaemonian king, instead of invading 143 attica, made an. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war is seen as one of the first great works of western history. The first hand reports of speechs are quite interesting. The only pity is that thucidides died before finishing the book. 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. This study guide consists of approximately 49 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of history of the peloponnesian war. Chapter xii seventh year of the war occupation of pylos surrender of the spartan army in sphacteria next summer, about the time of the corns coming into ear, ten syracusan and as many locrian vessels sailed to messina, in sicily, and occupied the town upon the invitation of the inhabitants. The entire greek world plunged into three decades of bloodshed in 431 b. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of scientific history due to his strict standards of evidence. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides is a joy to read because it is so well structured and written, even though it is several thousand years old.
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. And the winter ended, and with it ended the sixteenth year of this war of which thucydides is the historian. Thucydides was an athenian and achieved the rank of general in the earlier stages of the. The syracusans contrived this chiefly because they saw. 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. Better in terms of 1 ease of reading and 2 accuracy to original texts ideas. History of the peloponnesian war characters flashcards. Which is the better translation of thucydides history of. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book v. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war is no memoir, though. The war marks a turning point in ancient greek history as the golden age of greek dominance is changed in the region. Buy the history of the peloponnesian war classics revised by thucydides, m. His great contribution to history and historiography is contained in this one dense history of the 27year war between athens and sparta, each alongside their respective allies.
The leagues were led by sparta and athens respectively. Dont mistake this for some antique text that is full of the romantic past, if you changed the people and place names it could have been written last week. History of the peloponnesian war 9780140440393 by thucydides and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war my work is not a piece of writing designed to meet the taste of an immediate public, but was done to last forever. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides, part of the internet classics archive. In the summer of 428 bc, the peloponnesian army once again invades attica. The history of the peloponnesian war paperback february 15, 2009 by thucydides author. Thucydides has 383 books on goodreads with 73455 ratings.