Some modern historians remain persuaded by thucydides s portrait of pericles and the athenian democracy, but others argue from thucydides s own testimony that pericles led athens into an unnecessary war in the belief that the opportunity had arrived to advance athenian domination over the whole of the greek world. Archidamus, the spartan king, leads a lacedaemonian force into attica. The second book of thucydides history is of particular literary interest, containing as it does such important sections as the funeral oration, the account of the plague at athens and the obituary of pericles. The state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war. Funerals after such battles were public rituals and pericles used the occasion to make a classic statement of the value of democracy. In book 1, chapter 2 thucydides refers to the two assembly meetings at athens in which the arguments of both corinth and corcyra were considered. In thucydides, the war found an author of meticulous standard and dedication who created a work that still. Thucydides was a wealthy athenian noble and the son of olorus the king of thrace. Books by thucydides author of history of the peloponnesian war. Mar 29, 2021 thucydides peloponnesian war, steven lattimore translation. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war translated by richard crawley the first book chapter i. He was one of the greatest ancient greek historians and author of the history of the peloponnesian war, in which he describes the struggle between athens and sparta. Thucydidespioneered in emphasizing the idea of objectivity in history.
The greatest ancient historian, he is in a real sense the creator of modern historiography. The eight books of thucydides history, translated by r. And now the war between the athenians and peloponnesians and the. Selfcontrol is the chief element in selfrespect, and selfrespect is the chief element in courage. In other words, his thucydides is framed here as part of a. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides, pericles.
In both the funeral oration in book 2 and the account of the runup to the sicilian expedition in book 6 one can detect a significant concentration of the same kinds of terms. He remains the leading source of original information not only for greek history between 550 and 479 bce but also for much of that of western asia and of egypt at that time. Thucydides demonstrates empirical thinking in his readings of human nature and comportment throughout the peloponnesian war and plato demonstrates normative thinking in the writing within his books and discourses in particular gorigia. Chs online open house thucydides on early greece and the. It will also be useful to students who are approaching a book of thucydides for the first time, or studying the peloponnesian war from a more general, historical perspective. Thucydides and the peloponnesian war 887 words bartleby. That said, unless one has a staggering command of greek, tackling a raw passage of thucydidean greek can be an especially daunting task. Thucydides anthology in english and greek side by side. The association of aevoepws with oratory, implicit in thucydides 2.
Page 385 olorus, the author of this history, who was at thasos, a parian colony, about a halfdays sail from amphipolis, and urged him to come to their aid. The assembly in greek, ekklesia was the most important decisionmaking body in the direct democracy of late 5thcentury athens. What can thucydides and the plague of athens teach us in. In the opening section of book i, thucydides complains that he was unable to get much information about the early period. Thucydides and the new written word crane, gregory. English translation of thucydides history of the peloponnesian war book 2, by r. Audio and video pronunciation of thucydides brought to you by pronounce names, a website dedicated to helping people pronounc. In spite of the recent re evaluation of the influence of.
He saw the rise of athens to greatness under the inspired leadership of pericles. The lack of political unity was maintained until the time of alexander. He declared his intention was to write an account which would serve as a possession for all time. Essays on politics, war,and history in ancient greece in honor of donald kagan, claremont, ca.
Aug 28, 2017 the reader is led to question the insertion and slant of this thesisathenian culpabilityplaced at the end of his greek archaeology and immediately before thucydides presents what. Thucydides of athens, one of the greatest of historians, was born about 471 bce. Thucydides quotes author of history of the peloponnesian war. The history, which is divided into eight books, probably not by thucydides design. At the end of book one, the athenians accept pericles argument that.
His wealth came from his familys goldmines at scapte hyle on the tracian coast. The second book of thucydides is of particular interest because it contains important sections on the funeral oration, the account of the plague at athens and the. And he, on hearing this, sailed in haste with seven ships which happened to be at hand, wishing above all to secure amphipolis before it yielded, or, failing in that, to seize eion. Jan 04, 2018 among his other books are translations of theophrastus characters and philostratus heroicus loeb classical library, commentaries on thucydides books ii cambridge university press, on sophocles oedipus the king bryn mawr commentaries, and the birth of comedy, translations of the most important fragments of two centuries of ancient. The narrative is arranged according to summers and winters and follows the order of events. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war 8 vols. That was a regular occurrence in athens after the end of the persian wars. The conflict, fought between the athenianled delian league and the spartanled peloponnesian league, signaled the end of athenian dominance in greece at the close of the fifth.
One of the greatest ancient historians, thucydides c. Jun 12, 2017 a fragment of the fourth book of the history of the peloponnesian war. In thucydides, the history of the peloponnesian war, there are many themes that are illustrated throughout various passages. Thucydides, greatest of ancient greek historians and author of the history of the. The nature of the plague described by thucydides in book 2, chapter 49, has long been discussed both by medical and by classical scholars.
Analysis of the history of the peloponnesian war, by. See all books authored by thucydides, including history of the peloponnesian war, and the landmark thucydides. We catch a glimpse of it in thucydides book ii, with pericless funeral oration, where he lays out this vision of the ideal city. Hey policy wonks, this is how you should read thucydides. Thucydides bilingual anthology studies thucydides in print table of contents book 1 chapter i. Thucydides thucydides was an athenian general born in 460bc and died in 400bc he recorded a military and political history in his book history of the peloponnesian war he like herodotus has been dubbed the father of history. Herodotus, greek author of the first great narrative history produced in the ancient world, the history of the grecopersian wars. Thucydides believed that the peloponnesian war represented an event of unmatched importance. Herodotus herodotus was born in the small ionian greek town of halicarnassus. In 430, the second year of the peloponnesian war, he caught and survived the horrible plague which he described so graphically. By these and similar words pericles endeavoured to appease the anger of the athenians against himself, and to divert their minds from their terrible situation. On a side notethis book might be a bit challenging to follow for someone that doesnt have much background on ancient greek history, but with that being said david mccallion did a fantastic job with narrating this book and didn. 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.
And now the war between the athenians and peloponnesians and the allies of both 1 actually began. Greek text with english translation includes index vol. Such a life had been characteristic of them, more than of any other hellenic. A comprehensive guide to the peloponnesian war, and more on. The revival of the funeral oration and the plague in. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book ii, chapter 65. Pericles funeral oration book 2, chapters 3446 so as the spartans withdrew from attika to winter quarters after their first invasion of the war, the athenians gave a public funeral for those who died fighting for them in the year, the oration being given by the. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book ii. Please look over our study guide questions below as you read through books 4 and the opening chapters of book 5 chs.
Pericles funeral oration from the peloponnesian war book 2. Thucydides the peloponnesian war part 2 going postal. Thucydides awareness of his predecessor appears in his inclusions for example. Thucydides was the famous greek author of the peloponnesian war. The history of the peloponnesian war book 1 chapter 2. He began the task at the very outset of the war, in the belief that it would be great and noteworthy above all the wars that had gone before, inferring this from the fact that both powers were then at their best in preparedness for war in every. Some have argued for independent publication of thucydides book 1, or 1 through 5. Of numerous suggested identifications none has found general approval. Thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war waged by the peloponnesians and the athenians against one another. Modern interest in the classical greek historian thucydides stems in large part from. It scrutinises not only the standard historical context but also the literary and philosophical.
Thucydides and plato had conflicting methods in their attitudes toward the good life. The best books on thucydides five books expert recommendations. See more ideas about greek history, warrior quotes, stoic quotes. 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.
Mar 21, 2020 statue portrait of historian thucydides outside the austrian parliament in vienna. Thucydides books list of books by author thucydides. Thucydides, in my very limited greek experience, is an author idiosyncratic in his style, difficulties and rewards. Pelop war book 2 cambridge greek and latin classics rusten. In greek, the words rendered as foreseeing, surprise and po. Pdf thucydides historiae vol i books i iv download ebook. Yale professor of classics kagan thoroughly examines thucydides life and work to successfully demonstrate that the athenian historian was the first to utilize a truly professional i. Instead, he mentions thebes and the thebans only twice in book one 1. Thucydides peloponnesian war, steven lattimore translation. E in a noble family, which was linked to athens and its leaders. He wrote the introduction and notes for the oxford worlds classics translation of thucydides and is writing a book on thucydides for bloomsbury. Although thucydides records the speech in the first person as if it were a word for word record of what pericles said, there can be little doubt that he edited the speech at the very least.
Feb 01, 2021 overall, the book does a good job in showing how thucydides text has been reduced to a few sound bites, such as the strong do what they want, and the weak suffer what they must, and that these ideas are not necessarily reflective of thucydides thought or the events of greek history in the fifth and fourth centuries bce. Thucydides the history of the peloponnesian war books. Thucydides spends the first of the eight books of his history. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war book 2. Free herodotus and thucydides greek historians essay. History the socalled funeral oration given by pericles in book 2.
Thucydides lone book is his account of the 27year war pitting a coalitionled by sparta against athens and its allies a war in which thucydidesfought. Every adult male citizen, regardless of social standing, could speak. The best books to better understand thucydides, greek general and author of the history of the peloponnesian war. Historical causation in herodotus the histories and. Henceforward the struggle was uninterrupted, and they communicated with 2 one another only by heralds. Thucydides and the plague of athens what it can teach us now. Beginning of the peloponnesian warfirst invasion of attica funeral oration of pericles theban forces try to take the city of plataea, but are routed from the town. Thucydides, greatest of ancient greek historians and author of the history of the peloponnesian war, which recounts the struggle between athens and sparta in the 5th century bc. His work was the first recorded political and moral analysis of a nations war policies. Thucydides goes into great detail about various battles, speeches, as well as life on both sides of the conflict.
Thucydides description of the great plague at athens the. As such, he began to write the history at the onset of the war in 431 bc. Thucydides was connected through family to miltiades and cimon. For the student of history, political philosophy or greek prose, thucydides is a must read. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, volume i. Written by one of the fathers of western history, thucydides history of the peloponnesian war is a landmark literary and scholarly achievement documenting the pivot point in the golden age of athenian democracy. Shutterstock plague narratives about 270 years after the iliad, or thereabouts, plague is the centrepiece of two great classical athenian works sophocles oedipus the king, and book 2 of thucydides history of the peloponnesian war. Thucydides bilingual anthology studies thucydides in print. Professor rustens commentary aims to assist the students to learn to read thucydides.
History of the peloponnesian war by thucydides, rex warner translator, moses i. This edition, like its companions thucydides ll and iv, is intended primarily for undergraduates and candidates taking alevel examinations. And not contented with ideas derived only from words of the advantages which are bo. Pericles funeral oration book 2, chapters 3446 so as the spartans withdrew from attika to winter quarters after their first invasion of the war, the athenians gave a public funeral for those who died fighting for them in the year, the oration being given by the leading athenian statesman and general of the time, pericles. The funeral oration was recorded by thucydides in book two of his famous history of the peloponnesian war. Following on from his first two books, rhodes completes his edition of thucydides books on the archidamian war, providing an introduction thucydides history and on the peloponnesian war, greek text with selective critical apparatus and facing translation, and a commentary which should be useful both to specialists and to readers with little. Styles of rhetoric and political leadership in thucydides classics.
1597 748 1523 136 1694 1698 1474 973 178 93 1531 314 1747 397 1218 615 139 1521 1739 1201 979 1291 1231