Amazon.com
Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War is one of the greatbooks in the Western tradition, as well as its first true historical narrative. Editor RobertStrassler has annotated this classic text to make it more accessible to modern readers and added dozensof maps for easy reference. A helpful introduction places Thucydides in proper historicalcontext and a series of short appendices focus on particular aspects of life and war during theperiod. But the bulk of the book itself, where Thucydides chronicles the long struggle betweenAthens and Sparta, enjoys an unexpected freshness on these pages--partly due to Strassler's magnificent editorial labors, but mostly because it's a great story resonant with heroes, villains, bravery, desperation, and tragedy. Every library should have a copy ofThucydides in it, especially libraries on military history, and The Landmark Thucydides iswithout question the best version available.Book Description
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 most famous work in the Western historical tradition. Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than 2,000 years, The Peloponnesian War is a mine of military, moral, political, and philosophical wisdom.

However, this classic book has long presented obstacles to the uninitiated reader. Robert Strassler's new edition removes these obstacles by providing a new coherence to the narrative overall, and by effectively reconstructing the lost cultural context that Thucydides shared with his original audience. Based on the venerable Richard Crawley translation, updated and revised for modern readers. The Landmark Thucydides includes a vast array of superbly designed and presented maps, brief informative appendices by outstanding classical scholars on subjects of special relevance to the text, explanatory marginal notes on each page, an index of unprecedented subtlety, and numerous other useful features.

In any list of the Great Books of Western Civilization, The Peloponnesian War stands near the top. This authoritative new edition will ensure that its greatness is appreciated by future generations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (51)

Landmark Indeed
Like the Landmark Herodotus, this version of Thucydides; work is unparalleled. The maps and the notes, not to mention a brief synopsis of each chapter makes the work fit in its own context.
A must by for any ancient historian.

A Tale for all times
No, my title is not just playing off some "American Dream" story. Thucydides is considered to be the first moder historian. He wrote about the Greek wars, while studying human nature, and it produced this masterpiece which can honestly be considered a blueprint for all future wars and why people fight it because he was not just telling the "what's" of this great war, but the "why's." If you want to know the history of the Pelopennesian War, this book is for you. If you want to understand why people fight wars - throughout history - this book is for you. If you are a student of human nature, this book is for you.

A must have on the shelf of every student of history, philosophy, sociology, or liberal arts!

Fantastic
This edition of Thucydides is by far the best edition of any piece of classical writing I have ever come across.The maps are simply fantastic.This edition is especially impressive when compared against the Penguin edition which has maps that are simply horrible.Without good maps Thucydides is incomprehensible.With these maps the narrative is remarkably clear and surprisingly readable.The intro and appendices are impressive as well.The soft cover binding isn't that great (as others have pointed out) but that doesn't bother me.

Excellent Edition. Terrible Paperback Binding.
This is an excellent edition. There are some quibbles with the translation, but that's to be expected.

The worst part of this book is the paperback binding! Almost everyone in my class had the pages begin to separate within the first few weeks of use.

Buy this edition, but get the hardcover.

The Ultimate Source
Looking at the rating this book gets, there really is no reason to add my 5 stars to it, but I find that writing a review increasingly means countering some other reviewer's (perceived) unfairness, rather than adding yet another redundant cheer to the meriad praises presented here.

Case-in-point:one reviewer thought that the various place names became confusing.Perhaps, but what can be done?That's the way it happened.Personally, I found this edition's many maps very helpful in increasing my overall understanding of the geography of the many greek poleis that before were just names in various confusing texts.I also highly recommend that while reading this book, one keeps on hand a copy of "A Guide to the Ancient World" by Michael Grant (available here also) to look up the various cities and islands as they are mentioned to add dimension and a sense of immediacy to the narrative.

Another reviewer thought Thucydides' prose to be dry.I disagree.His historian's straight-to-the-point narrative style actually adds power to the events he describes, I feel, precisely because he isn't trying to play things up.Reality needs no embellishments.Book 7 describing the Athenian's failed invasion of Sicily actually becomes almost harrowing at one point because of this.Take Alkibiades, for instance.He comes across as a real A-hole, but not because of any colorizing on the part of Thucydides' narrative.Thucydides just relates what the man did, rarely delving into his motivations, and the actions speak for themselves.

My only complaint is a small one:the latinized transliterations (Laurium instead of Laureion, Mycalyssus instead of Mykalyssos, etc.).I also wonder about the accuracy of the various speeches recited here.I get the impression that they all have Thukydides' style, but that is my personal feeling (about a subject which various historians far more knowledgeable than I are still arguing about) and has nothing to do with the edition which I bought after comparing it to the others on the shelf.This is truly the finest one.

I figure that if one is interested in the subject matter, then it is a fascinating read.A general reader probably wouldn't purchase a book such as this.As for someone wanting to delve deeply into ancient history, the modern historians' works are essential, but eventually he will have to delve into the primary sources and make up his own mind.

Along with this book I also highly recommend Donald Kagan's "the Peloponnesian War" and Victor Davis Hansen's "a War Like No Other".Read these three and there is nothing else of significance on the subject of the Peloponnesian war, really. ... Read more

Book Description
Thucydides' great history of the war between Athens andSparta from 431 to 404 B.C. persists as one of the most brillianthistories of all times. This watershed event in Athenian civilizationconcerns not only military prowess, but also perennial conflicts betweenmight and right, between imperial powers and subject peoples.Extraordinary writing, scrupulous methods, and keen political insightmake this account a joy to read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (50)

Translations of Thucydides
There are three main translations of Thucydides available for the English reader:

Thomas Hobbes' 1628 version. Although made over 300 years ago this translation is still considered a classic by many in the English-speaking world. His vigorous and lively Jacobean English prose will enchant those more literary minded souls, but Hobbes version has been noted for some inaccuracies due to the lack of proper understanding of the original Greek language text.

William Smith's 1754 translation. Most know of Crawley and Hobbes works but Smith's excellent 18th century version has been almost forgotten. Smith's prose is as majestic and virile as Hobbes while avoiding the sometimes vapid modernity of Crawley and Warner. While a bit hard to read for most modern readers Smith's prose is worth the effort if you stick with him. Some things were not meant to be "dumbed down".

Rex Warner's Penguin edition. This is the version offered here. Warner is excellent for those who want to avoid the archaic and more challenging prose of Hobbes, Smith, or Crawley. He is very clear and lucid in his rendition of the text. For those of you who are first embarking on your exploration of Thucydides I would recommend this edition.

A Masterpiece
A true masterpiece of historical literature.As modern today as it was when written.Any understanding of human and national behavior is incomplete without a thorough understanding of Thucydides' magnificient work.One of those works you could read every year of your life and never quite come to terms with the totality of the lessons it contains.

Great Book
I am a total history buff and this book has really expanded my knowledge. Great to use in class to gain that upper hand in the philosophical arguments. I highly suggest you pick it up.

Good version of Thucydides
This is one of the early classic "histories" written.Of course, Herodotus had written his "History" before.But his acceptance of the role of gods in history renders Thucydides' hard-headed accounts of the Greek internecine warfare a further advance in historiography.Thus, we begin to experience something like a real history in this volume (and that does not denigrate the real contributions of Herodotus).

This is a nice volume.The Introduction by M. I. Finley sets the stage; the translation by Rex Warner is (as far as I can tell) serviceable.The work of Thucydides comes through in this collaboration.

Thucydides' focus is on the origins of this bloody inter-Greek war.The forces of Athens (and her allies) against Sparta (and her allies) is the center of this work.He notes the cause (page 49): "What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta."This is, as noted earlier, a fairly hard-headed view of history.To use contemporary terms, the author was something like a "realist."

Some major parts of the work. . . .One of these is the funeral oration by Pericles, the Athenian leader.He spoke of what made Athens special.His death, according to Thucydides, was harmful to the Athenian cause. He says (page 163): "For Pericles had said that Athens would be victorious if she bided her time and took care of the navy, if she avoided trying to add to the empire during the course of the war, and if she did nothing to risk the safety of the city itself.But his successors did the exact opposite. . . ."

This work has much of interest in it.Just one example.The Melian dialogue featured a debate between the Melians and Athenians.The Melians argued that morality was on their side.The Athenians acknowledged the argument, but also noted that they had the numbers and the weapons.This is an early debate between two schools of thought in international relations--idealists versus realists.The hard-nosed attitude of the Athenians won out in this case. . . .

In some ways, Thucydides is best understood by reading Herodotus and then comparing the two, so that one can get a sense of one of the first historians and then someone who adopts a different posture as historian.This is a very good version of Thucydides (from someone who cannot read Greek, by the way).Well worth looking at if a person is interested in the devastating Peloponnesian War.

Some strategy and a lot of history
First of all, I find it close to impossible to rate such a book as this, as it is truly great as an insight into events that happened thousands of years ago, while the writing and accessibility of the work clearly could have been better. Nevertheless, in my opinion this is a 5-star book, as the detail and insight into a war that took place ~400bc is such a great read.
Thucydides shows a himself as a great analyst of the conficts he relates, and instead of just relating the facts, he guides us through the actors motivations and the reasons for what takes place. THAT is the value of this book as far as I'm concerned, the strategic approach to conflict, and the massive amount of strategy in regards to alliances and battles that we get to share through this book.
Being a student of political philosophy I read this book because of my fascination with Thomas Hobbes (Allthough not the Hobbes-translation). It will be hard for anyone to understand Hobbes through this though, and I must question the usefulness for most of such a linkage on the whole. There is also a lot of history in this book that will interest a lot of you (Those that are like me), rather little, but one gets through it, and when one is done with the book I truly feel I have gotten a great lecture in strategy and conflict! ... Read more

Book Description
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. Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than 2,000 years, The Peloponnesian War is a mine of military, moral, political, and philosophical wisdom.

However, this classic book has long presented obstacles to the uninitiated reader. Written centuries before the rise of modern historiography, Thucydides' narrative is not continuous or linear. His authoritative chronicle of what he considered the greatest war of all time is rigorous and meticulous, yet omits the many aids to comprehension modern readers take for granted -- such as brief biographies of the story's main characters, maps and other visual enhancements, and background on the military, cultural, and political traditions of ancient Greece.

Robert Strassler's new edition amends these omissions, and not only provides a new coherence to the narrative overall but effectively reconstructs the lost cultural context that Thucydides shared with his original audience. Based on the venerable Richard Crawley translation, updated and revised for modern readers, The Landmark Thucydides includes a vast array of superbly designed and presented maps, brief informative appendices by outstanding classical scholars on subjects of special relevance to the text, explanatory marginal notes on each page, an index of unprecedented subtlety and depth, and numerous other useful features. Readers will find that with this edition they can dip into the text at any point and be immediately oriented with regard to the geography, season, date, and stage of the conflict.

In any list of the Great Books of Western Civilization, The Peloponnesian War stands near the top. This handsome, elegant, and authoritative new edition will ensure that its greatness is appreciated by future generations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Greatest of All Greek Historians
The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history.This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master storyteller does not just cover the battle scenes; he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans.Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

I never before recommended reading an abridged work of history; however, Paul Woodruff does the best job of abridging Thucydides that I have ever come across in historical texts.He gives you the basic narrative and makes sure to include all of the important orations and debates from the original work.

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides."

Philosophy; Tragic History; and Greek Geopolitics
I agree with the first reviewer: this book is a great condensation of Thucydides' work. The book is editted to retain all of Thucydides' great insights into human nature, power, and politics, but summarized in a way where all of the essential details of the story are left in place.

With its sweeping description of events in various areas of the Greece, and its dramatic portrayal of historic figures: the book works as a great description of the nature of politics, democracy and war, and at the same time an engaging study of leadership, and the men who were perported to be great during these times.

Daniel Clausen
danielclausen.com

A Great Distillation of Thucydides' Genius
I can't think of another abridgment of a classic more after my own heart.I am a passionate believer in reading all of Thucydides, but this book is still the ideal way to get to know what is great about the historian.(And, as our democracy is at war & struggles with imperial entanglements, Thuc. is more relevant than ever.)

Basically, Woodruff has an unerring instinct for where Thucydides (not a mere fact-compiler, but one of antiquity's great thinkers) is at his sizzling & profound best.The introduction is a marvelous piece of criticism and analysis: in merely 24 pp. it acquaints the reader with Thucydides' important ideas.The idea of this book is to give you 185 pp. to read cover-to-cover (if not in a single sitting!--what are you waiting for?--do it, and blow your mind).Woodruff's connecting summaries & brief introductory comments to each excerpt make sure that readers will experience the whole coherently.

My one quibble is that I'd like to have the defeat of the Sicilian Expedition & its aftermath in all its gruesome detail, but this would have almost doubled the size of the book and defeated the purposes I've praised above.For a complete translation, try Lattimore (also pub. by Hackett)--or, if 17th c. English doesn't bother you, Hobbes' translation is a real treat to savor. ... Read more

Book Description
The classic history of war between Athens and Sparta. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Greatest of All Greek Historians
The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history.This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master storyteller does not just cover the battle scenes; he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans.Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides."

Good source for history class
I used this book for an introductory History class.It is a great supplement to the study of the Greek periods.It has a nice glossory in the back for unusual terms, as well as helpful maps.Some of the text is a bit dry, but the reading is not very difficult.

Lessons for Modern Times
The history of the Peloponnesian is a brilliant account of a classic war that began as a preemptive attack on Athens by Sparta to prevent the domination of the Greeks by the Athenians.The war began in the year 427 BC and ended 27 years later with the defeat of Athens by Sparta.This history however is only up to the 21st year of the war.Although there are several translations of the work I selected the translation by Thomas Hobbes the 17th century philosopher. It is the first done in the English language.Thucydides was a soldier on the Athenian side which in a sense puts a lie to the common notion that it is the winners of war who write history.The war was finally won by Sparta, powerful on land, and an oligarchy with a communal outlook on life defeating Athens with the strongest navy in the world, and a democracy with an individualistic outlook on life.Ironically it is Sparta's eventual mastery of the sea that defeated the Athenians.Whether or not this bodes ill for America remains to be seen.History is not over.

Thucydides relates not only the battles of the war in some detail describing tactics and the individuals involved, but also the strategy and the politics.There is intrigue, treason, broken alliances, and hubris.The winners of a battle rarely show mercy and treason is dealt with harshly with often entire towns put to the sword or enslaved.Among the combatants there is respect for the strong and contempt for the weak.Truces are often held to bury the dead because the dead are respected by all.

Unlike Homer's Illiad written about one thousand years earlier Thucydides does not mention the gods as having a say in the outcome of the war.While religion is a factor it is not a determining factor in the conduct and outcome of the war.One could argue that Thucydides is a secular account of history whereas Homer is a more religious account.

Thucydides should be mandatory reading and study for all white males between the ages of 16 and 18 of above average IQ.The History will prepares them for war and instill in them the desire and willingness to defeat the enemy.It teaches contempt for the enemy which is a valuable attitude in war.Pericles funeral oration to the Athenians is the most inspiring and most moving speech ever given.The resemblance of this speech to the Gettysburg address is obvious and leads one to conclude that if Pericles could inspire Abraham Lincoln in his thinking then Thucydides' History did so likewise and influenced the strategy and the eventual outcome of the Civil War including the period of reconstruction. The contrast between the Spartan outlook on life and that of the Athenians to the adversaries in all subsequent wars up to the present war on terror is striking indeed.There are lessons still to be learned from the Peloponnesian War and woe to those that fail to learn these lessons.

Get the Real Story
No book has kept me up at night or occupied my thoughts in the past decade more than Thucydides.The story told here is stunningly and disturbingly relevant for any American.Sparta vs Athens seems an allegory for the conflict between traditional America, of our first hundred years or so, and modern, progressive America from about 1900 onward.Its no allegory of course, and the realization that history repeats itself gives the work an importance that no book can match.

I recall in college taking one of those Intellectual History survey courses required of incoming freshman.We were all assigned to read Perikles funeral oration as an example of how like our society Athens was and of course, how noble that likeness made the two societies.We weren't, of course, assigned the entire book, just the oration out of context.When I finally got around to reading Thucydides years later, I thought back to that course and wanted my tuition money back!

Read the original text.Political writers and propagandists of all stripes make reference to Thucydides to give weight to their views.Don't trust their interpretations.Read for yourself and decide.Skip the commentaries and translations and go right to page one of the text.

Need to Love History to get through this.
A classic that directly connects today's people with the those thousands of years ago.A true time machine that lends incite into human nature and conflict that exist even today.I found this book to be a great mirror that we can see ourselves in if one cares to change names and places to find similarities.

Although very long and documentary in style, it is a Maciavellian account of the human societal animal.When one puts history like this into perspective with the growth of city states into nation states, one can see that although we may advance technologically - people haven't really changed all that much.

Warning: Be prepared to be dragged through account after account of historical events and long speeches.Nevertheless, a classic one will be happy to read. ... Read more

Book Description
This full-scale sequential reading of Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War will be invaluable to the specialist and also to those in search of an introduction and companion to the "Histories." Moving beyond other studies by its focus on the reader's role in giving meaning to the text, it reveals Thucydides' use of objectivity not so much as standard for the proper presentation of his subject matter as a method for communicating with his readers and involving them in the complexity and suffering of the Peloponnesian War. W. Robert Connor shows that as Thucydides' themes and ideas are reintroduced and developed, the initial reactions of the reader are challenged, subverted, and eventually made to contribute to a deeper understanding of the war.

This book described earlier approaches to the "Histories," including attempts to account for the paradox of the intense emotional power of a work ostensibly so cool and detached. It demonstrates that many features previously thought to be signs of inconsistencies in Thucydides' thought or of different stages of composition are instead parts of the development of the reader's reaction to the war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The owners manual for Thucydide's Peloponnesian War
If you have to or want to read the History of the Peloponnesian War, this is the book to have by your side.Insightful, well researched and loaded with references it painstakingly walks through each of the eight books providing historical context and comment.I found it somewhat heavy on the classical interpretation of the various episodes, but all in all I ended up turning to this book more often than the Peloponnesian War.Good Work ... Read more

Book Description

Thucydides of Athens, one of the greatest of historians, was born about 471 BCE. He saw the rise of Athens to greatness under the inspired leadership of Pericles. In 430, the second year of the Peloponnesian War, he caught and survived the horrible plague which he described so graphically. Later, as general in 423 he failed to save Amphipolis from the enemy and was disgraced. He tells about this, not in volumes of self-justification, but in one sentence of his history of the war—that it befell him to be an exile for twenty years. He then lived probably on his property in Thrace, but was able to observe both sides in certain campaigns of the war, and returned to Athens after her defeat in 404. He had been composing his famous history, with its hopes and horrors, triumphs and disasters, in full detail from first-hand knowledge of his own and others.

The war was really three conflicts with one uncertain peace after the first; and Thucydides had not unified them into one account when death came sometime before 396. His history of the first conflict, 431-421, was nearly complete; Thucydides was still at work on this when the war spread to Sicily and into a conflict (415-413) likewise complete in his awful and brilliant record, though not fitted into the whole. His story of the final conflict of 413-404 breaks off (in the middle of a sentence) when dealing with the year 411. So his work was left unfinished and as a whole unrevised. Yet in brilliance of description and depth of insight this history has no superior.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Thucydides is in four volumes.

Customer Reviews (1)

Greatest Of All Greek Historians
The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history. This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master story teller doesn't just cover the battle scenes, he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans. Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

I recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides.
... Read more

Book Description
About the Series: Each Norton Critical Edition includes an authoritative text, contextual and source materials, and a wide range of interpretations-from contemporary perspectives to the most current critical theory-as well as a bibliography and, in most cases, a chronology of the author's life and work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War is the account of the war between Athens and Sparta, 432-402 B.C. It was a war that Sparta eventually won, although it was a short-lived victory as Spartan hegemony gave way to Theban dominance and ultimately to that of the Macedonians Phillip and Alexander.

Military historians will find much to enjoy here. The account involves traditional battles with massed hoplites, amphibious landings, night battles, peltasts and light-armed troops, special forces ops, siege warfare, diplomacy, etc. The descriptions of the battles of Delium (Bk. 4) and Maninteas (Bk. 5) are particularly good on this score

What caused the war? Thucydides points to the growing power of the Athenian Empire. Athens had emerged stronger after the Persian war. But it led to a policy of imperialism directed at other Greek states, which in turn caused geopolitical instability. In light of the growth of the Athenian empire, one could argue, war was practically inevitable. Imperial hubris was Athens's downfall, a danger to which not even modern superpowers are immune.

A case in point. The disastrous Sicilian expedition undertaken by Athens was a direct factor in its downfall, and is disturbingly reminiscent of the overseas military ops of modern empires, especially the current crisis in Iraq. Incidentally, in Bk 4.58-65, the decision of the Sicilians to put aside their squabbles and unite against the invader, Athens, will be familiar to students of insurgency warfare.

It is also curious to note the role that ethnicity played in the war, i.e. Ionian vs. Dorian, Greek vs. Barbarian, particularly since historians tell us that race & ethnicity were unimportant to the ancient Greeks.

Should we be surprised that the events described by Thucydides seem to familiar to us? Not at all. History is the study of mankind. As Thucydides knew, human nature is a constant. As the Syracusan Hermocrates says to his fellow Sicilians prior to the Athenian invasion: "...although it is human nature everywhere to dominate those who gave way, it is also in our nature to defend ourselves against attack" (Bk 4.61). War is a part of human nature, and no amount of idealistic peace-keeping missions can change that. To help us understand why, there is no better historian than Thucydides.

Greatest Of All Greek Historians
The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history. This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master story teller doesn't just cover the battle scenes, he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans. Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

I recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides.

Herodotus, I think not!
This translations is one of the best I have read.It has a very modern feel to it which makes it easy to read.Thucydides discusses his epochal conflict of the Peloponnesian War in great detail.
He approached history very differently from Herodotus.Thucydides did not include any gods in this story, which would add excitement to the book.Yet, I believe it paints a more accurate depiction of the Greeks.Thucydides even makes reference to how much better at history he is than Homer (and Herodotus)!Great read, but take your time to look over the speeches they are very important. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Leaves you wanting for more
Dont be confused by the relatively low ranking, this book is good. The only trouble is that it only contains fragments of the greatest historians ever. Though this is what the editor set out to do, you will feel cheated by not having the whole story to read.If all you want is a glimpse at what made the ancient historians so special, this is the book for you.However, chances are that you will want the complete story as well, something this collection cant offer. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This unprecedented book by one of Britain’s most admired historians describes the intellectual impact that the study and consideration of history has had in the Western world over the past 2,500 years.

Treating the practice of history not as an isolated pursuit but as an aspect of human society and an essential part of the culture of Europe and America, John Burrow magnificently brings to life and explains the distinctive qualities found in the work of historians from the ancient Egyptians and Greeks to the present, including Livy, Tacitus, Bede, Froissart, Clarendon, Gibbon, Macaulay, Michelet, Prescott and Parkman. The author sets out not to give us the history of academic discipline but a history of choices: the choice of pasts, and the ways they have been demarcated, investigated, presented and even sometimes learned from as they have changed according to political, religious, cultural, and (often most important) partisan and patriotic circumstances. Burrow aims, as well, to change our perceptions of the crucial turning points in the history of history, allowing the ideas that historians have had about both their own times and their founding civilizations to emerge with unexpected freshness.

Burrow argues that looking at the history of history is one of the most interesting ways we have to understand the past. Certainly, this volume stands alone in its ambition, scale and fascination.

Product Description
A Thucydides reader containing passages from books I-VIII of the Histories. This book should become the standard for any college course in reading Thucydides in Greek, and is also suitable for better intermediate students who want to tackle a popular but difficult author. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent way for the Greek student to read Thucydides
Thucydides, in my very limited Greek experience, is an author idiosyncratic in his style, difficulties and rewards.For the student of history, political philosophy or Greek prose, Thucydides is a must read.That said, unless one has a staggering command of Greek, tackling a raw passage of Thucydidean Greek can be an especially daunting task.

Professor Nagy's reader, the first to cover selections from all eight books with a commentary tailored to the student, is in many ways a "Greatest Hits" collection.The best passages are covered here, the Funeral Oration, the Plague, the Mytilene Debate, the Corcyrean Stasis, the Melian Dialogue, and some of the richest parts of the Sicily books.All are presented with a perceptive commentary that treads a fine line all too often ignored by a modern commentator--gives away just enough help, perhaps even a few "gimmies", and the relevant contextual information, leaving the bulk to the student, providing the maximum benefit to understanding and appreciation.

The student seeking a solid commentary that covers more than just one (all to often Book II) of the Histories can do no better than Professor Nagy's reader. ... Read more

Product Description
This book, like its companions Thucydides I and IV, is published primarily for students approaching a book of Thucydides for the first time or studying the Peloponnesian War in a more general way.The text and notes are those of E. C. Marchant, originally published in 1891 and the introduction by Thomas Wiedemann which takes into the account the needs of the modern student and up-to-date research on Thucydides. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Greatest Of All Greek Historians
The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history. This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master story teller doesn't just cover the battle scenes, he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans. Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

I recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides.
... Read more

Book Description
Understanding the history of Athens in the all important years of the second half of the fifth century BC is largely dependent on the legacy of the historian Thucydides. Historical studies tend to assess Thucydides' account as infallible. George Cawkwell challenges that received wisdom, advancing original and controversial views of Thucydides' account of the Peloponnesian War; his misrepresentation of Alcibiades and Demosthenes; his relationship with Pericles; and his views on the Athenian Empire. Cawkwell's comprehensive and accessible analysis of Thucydides and his historical writings is persuasive, and is an immensely valuable addition to the scholarship and criticism of a rich and popular period of Greek history.Download Description
Cawkwell's comprehensive analysis of Thucydides and his historical writings is persuasive, erudite and is an immensely valuable addition to the scholarship and criticism of a rich and popular period of Greek history. ... Read more

Book Description
This is the first volume of a three-volume historical and literary commentary on the eight books of Thucydides, the great fifth-century BC historian of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Of the three books covered in this volume, Book I presents Thucydides' aims in writing the work and the historical background to the war. Books II and III describe the main events of the first five years of the war (431-426) and include Pericles' funeral oration, the plague of Athens, the revolt of Mytilene, the destruction of Plataea, and civil war in Corcyra. Thucydides intended his work to be `an everlasting possession' and the continuing importance of his work is undisputed. Simon Hornblower's commentary, by translating every passage or phrase of Greek commented on, for the first time allows the reader with little or no Greek to appreciate the detail of Thucydides' thought and subject-matter. It is the first complete commentary written by a single author this century and explores both the historical and literary aspects of the work. A full index is provided at the end of the volume. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Greatest Of All Greek Historians
David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides gently guides the reader through the historians complex narrative paving the way for making this history a very enjoyable read.This book includes a plethora of maps, definitions and cross-references to help modern readers become more immersed in the text.The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history.This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master story teller doesn't just cover the battle scenes, he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans. Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

I recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I highly recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides.
... Read more

Book Description

This book is a concise, readable introduction to the Greek author Thucydides, who is widely regarded as one of the foremost historians of all time.

Why does Thucydides continue to matter today? Perez Zagorin answers this question by examining Thucydides' landmark History of the Peloponnesian War, one of the great classics of Western civilization. This history, Zagorin explains, is far more than a mere chronicle of the conflict between Athens and Sparta, the two superpowers of Greece in the fifth century BCE. It is also a remarkable story of politics, decision-making, the uses of power, and the human and communal experience of war. Zagorin maintains that the work remains of permanent interest because of the exceptional intellect that Thucydides brought to the writing of history, and to the originality, penetration, and the breadth and intensity of vision that inform his narrative.

The first half of Zagorin's book discusses the intellectual and historical background to Thucydides' work and its method, structure, and view of the causes of the war. The following chapters deal with Thucydides' portrayal of the Athenian leader Pericles and his account of some of the main episodes of the war, such as the revolution in Corcyra and the Athenian invasion of Sicily. The book concludes with an insightful discussion of Thucydides as a thinker and philosophic historian.

Designed to introduce both students and general readers to a work that is an essential part of a liberal education, this book seeks to encourage readers to explore Thucydides--one of the world's greatest historians--for themselves.

Book Description
This book addresses the question of how and why history begins with the work of Thucydides.The History of the Peloponnesian War is distinctive in that it is a prose narrative, meant to be read rather than performed. It focuses on the unfolding of contemporary great power politics to the exclusion of almost all other elements of human life, including the divine. Western history has been largely an extension of Thucydides' narrative in that it repeats the unique methodological assumptions and concerns that first appear in his text. The power of Thucydides' text has never been attributed either to the charm of its language or to the entertainment value of its narrative, or to some personal attribute of the author. In this study, Darien Shanske analyzes the difficult language and structure of Thucydides' History and argues that the text has drawn in so many readers into its distinctive world view precisely because of its kinship to the contemporary language and structure of Classical Tragedy. This kinship is not merely a maTter of shared vocabulary or even aesthetic sensibility. Rather, it is grounded in a shared philosophical position, in particular on the polemical metaphysics of Heraclitus. ... Read more