What did Thucydides invent?
Abstract: Thucydides self-consciously invented a new form of inquiry, which can reasonably be called “social and political science.” His intellectual goal was a new understanding of power and its relationship to human agency and the deep structures of human society.
What is Thucydides famous for?
One of the greatest ancient historians, Thucydides (c. 460 B.C.–c. 400 B.C.) chronicled nearly 30 years of war and tension between Athens and Sparta. His “History of the Peloponnesian War” set a standard for scope, concision and accuracy that makes it a defining text of the historical genre.
What is the difference between Herodotus and Thucydides?
Herodotus wrote about the wars between Persia and Greece. Thucydides wrote about the civil war between Athens and Sparta. Together these ancient Greek writers became the first true historians in Western civilization. We know little about the personal life of Herodotus.
What was unique about Thucydides?
Thucydides is the author of History of the Peloponnesian War, a sweeping contemporary account of the nearly three-decade conflict between Athens and Sparta for dominance of the Greek world. The eight-volume work is regarded as one of the finest works of history ever written.
What did Thucydides believe?
Thucydides believed that the Peloponnesian War represented an event of unmatched importance. As such, he began to write the History at the onset of the war in 431 BC. He declared his intention was to write an account which would serve as “a possession for all time”.
Who is more accurate Herodotus or Thucydides?
There has been a great deal of focus on the differences between Herodotus and Thucydides. Both men have been granted the ‘father of history’ accolade, but chronologically Herodotus must be the winner of the distinction as Thucydides picks up where he leaves off.
What is meant by Thucydides Trap?
Thucydides Trap, or Thucydides’s Trap, is a term popularized by American political scientist Graham T. Allison to describe an apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon.
Why is Thucydides called the father of scientific history?
Thucydides has been dubbed the father of “scientific history” by those who accept his claims to have applied strict standards of impartiality and evidence-gathering and analysis of cause and effect, without reference to intervention by the deities, as outlined in his introduction to his work.
Is Thucydides Trap real?
Historian Arthur Waldron likewise argued that Kagan and Harvard classics scholar Ernst Badian had “long ago proved that no such thing exists as the ‘Thucydides Trap'” with regards to the Peloponnesian War.
What did Thucydides believe in?
Some have called Thucydides “the father of scientific history”, believing he applied strict standards of impartiality in evidence-gathering and analysing cause and effect without reference to intervention by the deities.
What is the meaning of Thucydides?
ancient Greek historian
Definitions of Thucydides. ancient Greek historian remembered for his history of the Peloponnesian War (460-395 BC) example of: historian, historiographer. a person who is an authority on history and who studies it and writes about it.