Thucydides

Dive into the tumultuous world of ancient Greece with Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, a masterpiece that stands as one of the earliest and most influential works in historical writing.

Compiled by Thucydides, an Athenian historian and general during the Peloponnesian War....

Historians universally agree that Thucydides was the greatest historian who has ever lived, and that his story of the Peloponnesian conflict is a marvel of forensic science and fine literature....

The rivalry between two of the dominant city states of Ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta, erupted into a war lasting nearly 30 years and was to have a dramatic effect on the balance of power in the area. Between 431 and 404 BCE, the two cities battled it out on land and sea, aided by their...

Why do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right? For nearly 2,500 years, students, politicians, political thinkers, and military leaders have read the eloquent and shrewd speeches in Thucydides' History of the...

The Peloponnesian War broke out in 431 B.C. and continued intermittently for 27 years....

Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War is one of the most famous, influential, and moving works of genuine history in our traditions....

Following the annual tradition, Pericles delivers his speech at the public funeral for the victims of war. Even though designed to glorify and commemorate the dead, Pericles soon turns his oration into an ode to Athens celebrating the many achievements of this proud city....