Athens, sparta, and the politics of history in this paper i report on a comparative study of the ways in which elementary and middle school students learn about athens and sparta. Textbooks are still universally used, usually as an element in a lesson that dominated by teacher discourse. The history was divided into separate books by later scholars, but is now, in its modern form. Classicists need to stop making books like this one come on, all your technically literate students can find a program to parse impossible verb forms or weve been diligent enough to actually learn the forms, learn a thing or two from modern language departments and start writing commentaries that treat greek idiom, syntax and nuance. 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. Bohn, 18391845, also by thomas hobbes, homer, and william molesworth page images at. While never once referring to him by name, thucydides accused herodotus of fabulation, storytelling, and a writing style that pandered to his immediate audience.
The history of the peloponnesian war the internet classics. Thucydides called his account of two decades of war between athens and sparta a. 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. Common types of primary sources include works of literature, historical documents, original philosophical writings, and religious texts. The feebleness of antiquity is further proved to me by the circumstance that there appears to 1 have been no common action in hellas before the trojan war. This facet of the work suggests that thucydides died whilst writing his history and more so, that his death was unexpected. I think his statements reveal both professional and personal motivations.
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. In the tradition of greek historical writing thucydides does not betray influence but rather shows radical innovation. Oct 29, 2009 i wondered what the author meant when he said that thucydides was writing a revisionist history since he was the first one writing a history of the peloponnesian war. Ideas such as those enunciated by the hippocratic school were unquestionably floating about in the hellenic world as early as the middle of the fifth century b. These books are good resources on the nittygritty of writing in history. Chapter i the state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war 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. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war my work is not a piece of writing designed to meet the taste of an immediate public, but was done to last forever. The eighth book of thucydides history microform, london and new york, macmillan and co. Thucydides has 383 books on goodreads with 72718 ratings. List of books and articles about thucydides online. The writing history series publishes accessible overviews of particular fields in history, focusing on the. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
Thucydides and the idea of history new directions in. 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. In this first respect as a contribution to classical reception studies and intellectual history it is an original and pivotal study, all the more so for its transnational and transcultural focus. A comprehensive guide to the peloponnesian war pdf created. The peloponnesian war started in 431 and ended in 404 bce. 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. The history of the book became an acknowledged academic discipline in the 1980s. Chapter i the state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war. Although named the father of history, herodotus wrote in a literary style, rather than the accurate telling of the facts. Eight bookes of the peloponnesian warre by thucydides. We can only examine what thucydides himself tells us in his history.
Chapter xii seventh year of the war occupation of pylos surrender of the spartan army in sphacteria next summer, about the time of the corns coming into ear, ten syracusan and as many locrian vessels sailed to messina, in sicily, and occupied the town upon the invitation of the inhabitants. Popular history writing remains a male preserve, publishing study. 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. The history of the peloponnesian war, by thucydides 431 bc. His history includes several direct and indirect attacks on his immediate predecessors, most notably on homer and herodotus. Literature and writing, though connected, are not synonymous. The early 5th century bce produced several prose narrativesnow preserved only in fragmentsof genealogies beginning with the mythical past or of. Here he sets up the conditions that led to the outbreak of the peloponnesian war in 431 b. 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. Historical context for history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides. Such compilations among which may be reckoned the works of livy. History of the peloponnesian war flashcards quizlet. Rethinking athenian democracy the harvard community has made this article openly available. History of the peloponnesian war american university of beirut.
The conflict, fought between the athenianled delian league and the spartanled peloponnesian league, signaled the end of athenian dominance in greece at the close of the fifth. He had two goals in mind to revise what he thought were errors in contemporary thought on the subject and to leave an objective record for future readers. A primary source is a work that is being studied, or that provides firsthand or direct evidence on a topic. List of books and articles about thucydides online research. His objectivity and lack of digressive storytelling mark him out from previous historians such as herodotus, and thucydides began a new era of historical writing. German, french, english and north american traditions of reading and receiving thucydides are all represented. I wondered what the author meant when he said that thucydides was writing a revisionist history since he was the first one writing a history of the peloponnesian war. Further inadequacies can be found throughout the history, especially when the search for truth seems to have become subordinate to artistic considerations.
K agan wrote this apologia a defence of the athenian historian thucydides almost as a extended afterword for kagans own account of the. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. Thucydides and the science of history by charles norris. The history of the peloponnesian war, comprised of eight books, presents the wars duration through accounts of events and speeches, a device thucydides adopted from the greek historian herodotus. Thucydides cambridge texts in the history of political.
Thucydides cambridge texts in the history of political thought kindle edition by thucydides, mynott, jeremy, mynott, jeremy. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides alibris. Historical context for history of the peloponnesian war by. Guidebook for history textbooks authors on a common path new approaches to writing history textbooks in europe and the arab and islamic worlds. One of the greatest ancient historians, thucydides c. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. In writing his history of the peloponnesian war, thucydides looked for human causes behind results and refused to credit the gods with responsibility for the acts of human beings. Mckenzie rhodes college memphis, tn 38112 the first historians. It is eight books that chronicle the war between sparta and athens that began in 431 b. Thucydides wrote a history of the peloponnesian war between athens and sparta and is widely credited as the first modern historian.
But already it is in serious need of revision because of its late publication and of extension to cover a wider range of the development of the books of micah and isaiah. The absence of romance in my history will, i fear, detract somewhat from its interest. Thucydides thucydides ignored social, economic and cultural matters and excluded topics that he felt unable to write about, such as women. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
His history of the peloponnesian war recounts the fifthcentury bc war between sparta and athens until the year 411 bc. He referred to it simply as a writing, probably because the greek word for inquiry,historia, which herodotus had used, had not yet become a common term for an inquiry into or a narration of some part of the human past. Thucydidess most popular book is history of the peloponnesian war. Concepts,theories and practice using oral history in community history projects practices in oral history the history of project management lessons from history the. Seventeenth year of the war the sicilian campaign affair of the hermae departure of the expedition. Essay thucydides historical method 886 words bartleby. And so ended the second year in the peloponnesian war of which thucydides wrote the history. The english works of thomas hobbes of malmesbury, london, j. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of scientific history by those who accept his claims to. View herodotus, thucydides, and historiography research papers on academia.
The history was divided into separate books by later scholars, but is now, in its. The history of the book starts with the development of writing, and various other. Marius and storey are specifically targeted at undergraduates and focus on the basics. Eight bookes of the peloponnesian warre internet archive. Books on history writing harvard university history department. The syracusans contrived this chiefly because they saw. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book ii. Dover it came about that in 1980 i was involved in a sequence of events likely to be of interest to future historians of the british establishment.
Feb 03, 20 seventeenth year of the war the sicilian campaign affair of the hermae departure of the expedition. Thucydides did not give his work a title or call it a history. Teaching thucydides athens, sparta, and the politics of. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war 8 vols. The history of the book as a field of study within the humanities pdf. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. A wikipedia article about this author is available thucydides, contrib the english works of thomas hobbes of malmesbury 11 volumes. History of the peloponnesian war american university of. Written by one of the fathers of western history, thucydides history of the peloponnesian war is a landmark literary and scholarly achievement documenting the pivot point in the golden age of athenian democracy. The product of thucydides research is the history of the peloponnesian war. The first book of thucydides is a compact masterpiece. Apr 19, 2012 the history was divided into separate books by later scholars, but is now, in its modern form, divided into eight books. History and world history history on filmfilm on history history. However, thucydides history was never finished, and as such, ends midsentence in the winter of 411 bce.
Antonovas book beats other history writing guides because it addresses virtually every type of historical writing assignment. Aimed at all kinds of people who write history academic historians, public. Books by thucydides author of history of the peloponnesian war. After his death, thucydidess history was subdivided into eight books. This first kind of reflective history is most nearly akin to the preceding, when it has no farther aim than to present the annals of a country complete. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy. The state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war.
The history of literature is the historical development of writings in prose or poetry that attempt. Thucydides and the idea of history new directions in classics. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading thucydides cambridge texts in the history of political thought. Reprint, with a new introduction and bibliography by thomas wiedemann.
Strasslers edition of the famous richard crawley translation of thucydides is a remarkable work, not only because of its intrinsic merit but also because it is quite simply unique. The early 5th century bce produced several prose narrativesnow preserved only in fragmentsof genealogies beginning with the mythical past or of traditional stories centered on one particular geographic area. Herodotus, thucydides, and historiography research papers. He referred to it simply as a writing, probably because the greek word for inquiry,historia, which herodotus had used, had not yet become a common term for an inquiry into or a narration of some part of the human past in the following centuries, greek, roman, and.
Instead of writing history, we are always beating our brains to discover how history ought to be written. Thucydides is quite often seen as the first historian to use modern ideals with regards to his methodologies and ideologies, including the way that he uses eye witnesses as sources and crossexamines them, and the way. I show that in contrast to the dominant lesson drawn from the story by international. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book i, chapter 3.
Strasslers edition of the famous richard crawley translation of thucydides is a remarkable work, not only because of its intrinsic merit but also because it is. Thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the wa. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings.
History of the peloponnesian warbook 6 wikisource, the. This paper analyses history textbooks as a genre in. K agan wrote this apologia a defence of the athenian historian thucydides almost as a extended afterword for kagans own account of the peloponnesian war. With great economy, he analyzes the origins of largescale wars. This term is a later addition and is used in modern translations. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book i. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Books in the series succinctly explain central concepts to demonstrate the ways in which they have.