Explore classical history, mythology, language, and literature, and learn more about the many fascinating figures of the ancient world. History of the peloponnesian warbook 6 wikisource, the. To read this book is to appropriate a solid understanding of the causality of the events, but also to begin to understand the minds and hearts of the ancient greeks, after all thucydides was one. Although unfinished and as a whole unrevised, in brilliance of description and depth of insight this history has no superior. Jul 23, 2017 if you found this article interesting, you can read online a few of the first paragraphs of thucydides history, either just 1. See introduction for an explanation of the sourcebook s goals. He was a fierce proponent of democracy, although the form this. He thus had opportunity to acquaint himself with both the. After his death, thucydidess history was subdivided into eight books. The history of the peloponnesian war full audiobook 12. The reader is aided by frequent crossreferences and succinct comments on thucydides choices regarding selection and placement of material. Links to full texts of books available at this and other sites will be listed here.
History of the peloponnesian war book by thucydides. The first edition of the novel was published in 411, and was written by thucydides. See introduction for an explanation of the sourcebooks goals. Thucydides and the ancient simplicity by gregory crane. The peloponnesian war was really three conflicts 431421, 4154, and 4404 bce that thucydides was still unifying into one account when he died some time before 396 bce. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war is one the best books ever written on war.
Thucydides writes a speech called pericles funeral oration. Ancient greek civilization ancient greek civilization the peloponnesian war. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read history of the peloponnesian war. His history of the peloponnesian war recounts the fifthcentury bc war between sparta and athens until the year 411 bc. Pericles funeral oration rex wagner translation youtube. The speech was delivered by pericles, an eminent athenian politician, at the end of the first year of the peloponnesian war 431404 bc as a part of the annual public funeral for the war dead. The main characters of this history, ancient history story are. Covering the conflict between sparta and athens and their respective allies in the 5th century bce this is a fascinating insight into ancient greek politics, war and society in a crucial period of greeces history. That part of our history which tells of the military achievements which gave us our several possessions, or of the ready valour with which either we or our fathers stemmed the tide of hellenic or foreign aggression, is a theme too familiar to my hearers for me to dilate on, and i shall therefore pass it by. Citations in classics and ancient history the most common style in use in the field of classical studies is the authordate style, also known as chicago 2, but mla is also quite common and perfectly acceptable. Therefore, thucydidess method served to rescue his mostly oral sources. The peloponnesian war pitted athens and its allies against a league of citystates headed by sparta. The causes of the main peloponnesian war need to be traced at least to the early 430sthe great gap periodalthough if thucydides was right in his general explanation for the war, namely spartan fear of athenian expansion, the development of the entire 5th century and indeed part of the 6th were relevant. For every representation of pericleseven the ones that we have from antiquitythere is a completely opposite perspective on him.
The book is especially useful for greekless readers of ancient history, political science or international relations coming to the work of thucydides for the first time. Wellwritten and wellorganised, it is accessible to students and scholars of ancient history and literature as well as to all those interested in. Why the white house is reading greek history politico magazine. Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including oxford university, michigan state university, and university of minnesota we have also been recommended for educational use by the following publications. As populism reemerges, thucydidess insights into the power of words. The history of the peloponnesian war the internet classics. In addition to primary resources, the section on studying ancient history is valuable, offering material on using primary sources, the nature of historiography, other sources of information on ancient history, and other ancient world resource projects and historical etext. Free download or read online history of the peloponnesian war pdf epub book. Thucydides wrote his description of the plague as part of his narrative, history of the peloponnesian war, and included the section, as he says, for people to study in case it should ever attack again, to equip themselves with foreknowledge so that they shall not fail to recognize it grant, 77.
Read the funeral oration of pericles in the ancient history source book at fordham university 00316926 tutorials for question of history and general history. Thucydides was the greatest ancient historian and forerunner of modern historians. The ancient greek historian thucydides captured this drama with matchless insight in his classic eyewitness account of what was arguably the greatest war in the history of the world up to that time. It breaks off in 411, although thucydides lived on to see the final defeat of athens in 404, and appears to have been aware of several events that happened after 400. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war was a major innovation in the recounting of the. Ancient history sourcebook internet history sourcebooks. A continuation of thucydides history was written by xenophon, and is called hellenica.
History of the peloponnesian war ebook written by thucydides. From the eighteenth century onwards, the ancient greek writer thucydides c 460 c 395 bce was viewed as the most important classical historian. The reinvention of history, donald kagan, penguin, 2010 2009, 257pp this book by the current eminent historian of the peloponnesian war is about the first great study of that war, written by the preeminent historian of the subject, thucydides. The accounts of the corcycran revolution, the socalled melian dialogue in which athens shows itself to be somewhat. Being exiled because he had during the archidamian war been unable to defend amphipolis against the spartan commander brasidas, the former athenian general thucydides wrote the history of the wars fought between athens and sparta in the years 431404. Thucydides s history of the peloponnesian war breaks off before the story is over. The trump team is obsessing over thucydides, the ancient historian who wrote a seminal tract on war. 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. Read the funeral oration of pericles in the ancient. And so ended the second year in the peloponnesian war of which thucydides wrote the history.
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. 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. Strassler pantheon, 2008 is richly illustrated and filled with accounts by experts on everything from designs of ships to ancient measurements but the translation leaves much to be. Thucydides history ends with the recounting of an intellectual stalemate that, a century later, motivated platos greatest work. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 648 pages and is available in paperback format. In this speech, he discusses the peloponnesian war and praises democracy. This is a period of history which included such great writers as plato, sophocles, euripides and aristophanes none are more enlightening on the politics of the times than our exiled historian. Thucydides and the great plague of athens have a lot to. Cranes sophisticated claim for the continuing usefulness of the. Whilst herodotus, a nearcontemporary of his, is often hailed as the father of history, thucydides himself has been dubbed the father of scientific history. Jun 04, 2015 thucydides was very reliable with his informations because he was looking for a reliable testimony of events.
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 has been dubbed the father of scientific history due to his strict standards of evidence. Materials for his biography are scanty, and the facts are of interest chiefly as aids to the appreciation of his lifes labour, the history of the peloponnesian war. He has written poems, novels and critical essays, has worked on films and broadcasting, and has translated many works, of which xenophons history of my time and the persian expedition, thucydides the peloponnesian war, and plutarchs lives under the title fall of the roman republic and moral essays have been published in penguin classics. What can thucydides and the plague of athens teach us in.
The best books on thucydides five books expert recommendations. The older view that he was probably born in or about 471 b. Thucydides and the idea of history new directions in. Thucydides was an athenian general and historian, most notable for his work known as the history of the peloponnesian war. Pericles funeral oration internet history sourcebooks fordham. The history of the peloponnesian war continued to be modified well beyond the end of the war in 404, as exemplified by a reference at book i. Still, his history of the peloponnesian war is one of the greatest texts from antiquity. He believes that democracy allows people to advance in a society based on earning something, not just based on money or inheritance. 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.
Finding the deeper meaning with plato and thucydides. Jul 26, 2018 but, supposed rivalry aside, it would be unfair and churlish to dwell on the limitations or bias of such a great and innovative source as thucydides. A dramatic reading of pericles funeral oration as it appears in thucydides history of the peloponnesian war. His work was the first recorded political and moral analysis of a nations war policies. The ancient athenian historian thucydides folds it into his history of the peloponnesian war, his massive account of the decadeslong struggle. This was given to athenians in honour of those who had lost their lives fighting for. A comprehensive guide to the peloponnesian war book. Materials for his biography are scanty, and the facts are of interest. The period in which he led athens, in fact, has been called the age of pericles due to his influence, not only on his citys fortunes, but on the whole of greek history during the 5th century bce and even after his death. The history was divided into separate books by later scholars, but is. In his work, xenophon tried to idealize lacedaemonian. It was written by thucydides, an athenian historian who also served as an athenian general during. History of the peloponnesian war by thucydides books on.
Thucydides history has been enormously influential in both ancient and. On inventing speeches internet history sourcebooks fordham. In addition to primary resources, the section on studying ancient history is valuable, offering material on using primary sources, the nature of historiography, other sources of information on ancient history, and other ancient world resource projects and historical etext sites, as well as help searching the internet. The peloponnesian war thucydides recounts culminated in spartas surprisingly late victory over the athenians and ended a power dynamic that. Thucydides internet history sourcebooks fordham university.
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. The history of the peloponnesian war is an account of the peloponnesian war in ancient greece, fought between the peloponnesian league led by. Jun 12, 2017 thucydidess history of the peloponnesian war breaks off before the story is over. The first hand reports of speechs are quite interesting.
From the travels of herodotus, the father of history, the events of the peloponnesian war according to thucydides and xenophon, to the farreaching campaigns of alexander the great, explore the ancient world with the contextual tools you need to more fully comprehend events and people of centuries ago. Thucydides work has been continued by xenophon, who wrote the history of greece. Ancient history encyclopedia receives a small commission for each book sold through. It was written by thucydides, an athenian historian who also happened to serve as an athenian general during the war. He was acclaimed not only as a vital source for reconstructing antiquity but as a purveyor of timeless political wisdom. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book ii. Pdf history of the peloponnesian war book by thucydides. History today has much sterility about its revelations, this is inspriational, the struggle for democracy so many years before today, the abuses it. This is particularly true of euripides whom i regard as a 21st century dramatist and the history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides. A fragment of the fourth book of the history of the peloponnesian war. Ancient origins articles related to thucydides in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends.
His history of the peloponnesian war was a defining text of the historical genre. History of the peloponnesian war everymans library. The internet ancient history sourcebook has expanded greatly since its creation, and now contains hundred of local files as well as links to source texts throughout the net. Thucydides wrote about the civil war between athens and sparta.
Pericles internet history sourcebooks fordham university. One of the greatest ancient historians, thucydides c. In china, for instance, ban zhao stepped in to complete a mammoth history of the han dynasty, titled han shu, after her. The problem with periclesand this has been one of the criticisms of the azoulay book is that for every ancient source, theres another saying, thats just a myth or that source is biased. Thucydides references homer frequently as a source of information, but.
Thucydides probably did understand that he was dramatizing his history by adding in dramatic speeches or greek myth, since in the forward of his book he says that he will be attempting to provide a nonromantic view of history free from myth. Pericles funeral oration is a famous speech from thucydides history of the peloponnesian war. He also selectively adds speeches and two person dialogue only in locations where it will be politically. Apr 14, 2020 primary source in a database example from ancient and medieval history online. The peloponnesian war 431404 bc, known as the attic war to ancient greece, as recounted by thucydides in history of the peloponnesian war, lasted 30 years and was primarily between the. The internet ancient history sourcebook has expanded greatly since its creation. The internet ancient history sourcebook is a companion to the internet medieval sourcebook and the internet modern history sourcebook. It is also very long and hard to digest without proper context, particularly for the first time reader. Thucydides is generally regarded as one of the first true historians. The sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copypermitted texts related to medieval and byzantine history. The history of the peloponnesian war is a historical account of the peloponnesian war 431404 bc, which was fought between the peloponnesian league led by sparta and the delian league led by athens.
However, thucydides history was never finished, and as such, ends midsentence in the winter of 411 bce. The people were migratory, and readily left their homes whenever they were overpowered by numbers. After detailing the armed conflict between the athenians and the spartans and their respective allies between. It was written by thucydides, an athenian general who served in the war. The greatest of all greek historians was the athenian general thucydides 455400 b. Aug 22, 2018 though rare, female historians also populated the ancient world. What i love about the best ancient greek literature is how startlingly modern it could be. Thucydides on history discuss thucydides description of the plague. Thucydides and the ancient simplicity includes a thoughtprovoking discussion questioning currently held ideas of political realism and its limits. Not only are the major political incidents and battles covered but there are a plethora of side stories, speeches, and details on other contemporary powers, notably, persia. It was written by thucydides, an athenian historian who also served as an athenian general during the war. See main page for a guide to all contents of all sections. Internet ancient history sourcebook world history to 1700.
After detailing the armed conflict between the athenians and the spartans and their respective allies between 431 and 404 bce, the eight book text ends abruptly in the middle of a chapter as if, one day, the writer simply dropped his pen and left his desk, never to return. Historical sources for the study of ancient greece short. As a general in the peloponnesian war he failed 424 bc to prevent the surrender of the city of amphipolis to the spartan commander brasidas and was exiled until the end of the war. The roman empire and qing dynasty are now only ruins, but theres far more to discover about the ancient world. History of the peloponnesian war, volume i thucydides. Ancient greek civilization the peloponnesian war britannica. The history of the peloponnesian war kindle edition. The period of thucydides pentecontaetia in ancient greece.
Chapter xviii seventeenth year of the war the sicilian campaign affair of the hermae departure of the expedition the same winter the athenians resolved to sail again to sicily, with a greater armament than that under laches and eurymedon, and, if possible, to conquer the island. 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 expedition against plataea. The state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war. Funeraloration1 back to ancient history sourcebook. Internet ancient history sourcebook internet history sourcebooks. The medieval sourcebook is both a classroom resource and the largest collection of online medieval texts. Pericles funeral oration from the peloponnesian war book 2.
1246 1436 1345 888 511 263 678 381 1 1482 562 780 934 464 266 752 229 1227 879 535 576 331 1103 81 1332 737 956 72 363 1270 281 477 389 480 1412 836