What did Thucydides say about the Peloponnesian War?
In his opening lines, Thucydides says he wrote about the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, “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.” At the time, Athens was a great sea power with a democratic political …
What did Thucydides do in the Peloponnesian War?
With his History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides chronicled what was perhaps the most momentous event of the ancient Greek world. He explored the major personalities on each side of the conflict and examined the political origins of the clash between Sparta and an ascendant Athens.
What connection does Thucydides have to the Peloponnesian War?
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”.
Was the Peloponnesian War recorded by 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.
Why did Thucydides write about the Peloponnesian War?
In the first sentence of his History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides wrote that he began writing about the war because he believed “it would be a great war, and more worthy of relation than any other that had preceded it.” He went on to identify what he believed to be the “real cause” of the war.
Why did the Peloponnesian War Start Thucydides?
A number of sources of friction sparked the hostilities, notably Athenian intervention in a quarrel between Corinth (Sparta’s ally) and her colony Corcyra, but the real reason for the conflict, according to the Athenian historian Thucydides, was the rise of Athens to greatness, which made the Spartans fear for their …
What did Thucydides write about?
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.
How do you think about war Thucydides?
‘How to Think About War’ is a collection of six speeches from Thucydides’ History that cover a wide range of Ancient Greek foreign policy, among them the decision to go to war, alliances, peace talks, whether or not to show mercy, changes in public opinion, the economic and emotional costs of war, and many others.
Who is Thucydides and why is he important?
Thucydides, the ancient Greek historian of the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens, has long been considered the father of both scientific history and political realism.