Although the term peloponnesian war was never used by thucydides, one of the conflicts most important historians, the fact that the term is all but universally used today is a reflection of the athenscentric sympathies of modern historians. It is evident that the plague and the civil war serve as a foil to the peloponnesian war itself since, similarly, anarchy thrives where there is no adherence to convention. 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. The state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war. The civil war stasis of 427 bce in corcyra was particularly bitter, with two main factions democratic and oligarchic committing atrocities and the citizens of corcyra, thereafter, gained a reputation for being quarrelsome independents. The murderous conflict among the contending classes and factions on corcyra, in which families found themselves torn apart, has found its echo all too often in the. Many of us have read thucydides history of the peloponnesian war and some of us have enjoyed it and others have struggled mightily. Thucydides book 1 summary the peloponnesian war an. The best overall study of the peloponnesian war is donald kagans book. In the international sphere, thucydides history deals with the war between sparta and athens. Meanwhile, the forty ships of the peloponnesians that had gone to the relief of the lesbians, and which we left flying across the open sea, pursued by the athenians, were caught in a storm off crete, and scattering from thence made their way to peloponnese, where they found at cyllene thirteen leucadian and ambraciot galleys, with brasidas, son. The model of stasis 178 includes a brief introduction and the first. Ciscos assertion that the kind of warfare practiced by the federal military during 186165 turned americaand arguably the whole worldback to a darker age overrates the influence of the american civil war p.
While the historian formally distinguishes this period from the war itself, he lavishes a large amount of time and energy on the events in book 1. Oct 04, 2019 this civil war was between corcyrean democrats and oligarchs, the former sympathetic to athens and the latter sympathetic to the lacedaemonians. Sep 22, 20 45 in his account of the events on corcyra in the early years of the peloponnesian war, however, thucydides presents us with the course and consequence of a real case civil war. Thucydidess most popular book is history of the peloponnesian war. During the three speeches of the section, he sets up a dichotomy with one faction on one side and the other faction on the other. In the debate at sparta, thucydides is clearly trying to show how different the spartans and the athenians are from each other. Thucydides, as he himself tells us, was an athenian and lived. In thucydides, the history of the peloponnesian war, there are many themes that are illustrated throughout various passages. What thucydides teaches us about war, politics, and the human. Corcyra modern corfu and also known as kerkyra located in the ionian sea is one of the northern most greek islands and was an important polis or citystate in the archaic and classical periods. Sep 09, 2008 thucydides treated it as common human behavior in his account of the corcyrean civil war in ancient greece. Aug 09, 2017 his most recent book is democracy beyond athens. I would next recommend the landmark edition of thucydides. Thucydides historiography is selfconscious in the sense that the author is aware of the potential reverberations of the war on neighboring countries and the future of hellas.
Power, prestige, and the corcyrean affair in thucydides 1. It was written by thucydides, an athenian historian who also served as an athenian general during the war. As thucydides tells us, there was nothing people would not do, and more. Thucydides peloponnesian war, steven lattimore translation. Some scholars do not accept that thucydides wrote the thebans here, and suppose that. Reading kagan is great preparation for taking on thucydides.
The goal of this book is to examine thucydides techniques of presenta. The history of the peloponnesian war the internet classics. Disease to human nature in thucydides wareh wiki fandom. Jan, 2011 map of greece corcyra corfu is located toward the upper left c1 plataea isnt depicted, but is southwest of thebes e4 picture source. A catalogue record for this book is available from the british library. The incomplete text recounts the history of the peloponnesian war and famously ends midsentence several years prior to the conclusion of the war. Seventeenth year of the war the sicilian campaign affair of the hermae departure of the expedition. Possessing a significant naval fleet and controlling access to the adriatic, the island was often fought over by larger citystates such as corinth and athens in the classical period and was a roman.
Books by thucydides author of history of the peloponnesian war. He dedicated his career to the deep study of this conflict and his book is a modern masterpiece. In 1947, george marshall doubted seriously whether a man can think with full wisdom and with deep convictions regarding certain of the basic issues today. But as we have seen, one can get the analogies wrong. Although, the references to this disease were made quite obvious by thucydides in book six and seven by using out of context medical terminology, in book three thucydides portrays the effects of. Thucydides has 384 books on goodreads with 74129 ratings. The legitimacy of the empire is explored in several passages, notably in the speech at 1. The ancient greek historian of the peloponnesian war, who lived almost 2,500 years ago, makes the title of graham allisons prominent new volume, destined for war. The corinthcorcyra war was partly the result of the longstanding hostility between corinth and corcyra. The great historian merits this because his analysis of the causes of the ancient war between the athenians and the spartans provides the.
The class conflict at corcyra in 427 bc, as narrated by thucydides in his history, is emblematic of the violent civil strife that shook many cities throughout the greek world after the outbreak of the peloponnesian war. During the explanation of the corcyrean civil war in book three thucydides also refers to this disease. And the winter ended, and with it ended the sixteenth year of this war of which thucydides is. The state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war thucydides claims that the peloponnesian war was. For pericles war strategy, see just below, the first incursion into attica. He says, later on, one may say, the whole hellenic world was convulsed by revolution thucydides 3. I see the corcyrean conflict as comparable to the programmatic encounter between croesus and solon in book 1 of herodotus work. History of the peloponnesian warbook 6 wikisource, the. The peloponnesian war 431404 bc was an ancient greek war fought by the delian league led by athens against the peloponnesian league led by sparta. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of scientific history due to his strict standards of. Analysis of the history of the peloponnesian war, by. My two favorite sections of this book are the civil war in corcyra, which t. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides, part of the internet classics archive. By examining thucydides extensive, but too often ignored, accounts of the spartan regime, the statesmen pericles, brasidas, hermocrates, nicias, and alcibiades, the corcyrean civil war, and the debate between cleon and diodotus, this volume reminds us not only that there is much more to thucydides thought than the frequently excerpted.
For example, when we read thucydides account of the devastating civil war in corcyra, with. Thucydides history of the pelopponesian war 431 bce from book iii, concerning the corcyrean revolution. His history of the peloponnesian war recounts the fifthcentury bc war between sparta and athens until the year 411 bc. Defeated in the assembly, the freed prisoners whom thucydides will presently label oligarchs 3. The peloponnesian war was fought in ancient greece from 431 to 404 bc between the athenian empire and the peloponnesian league, an alliance of citystates led by sparta.
Bury remarks, the peloponnesians would have considered it the attic war. This is an exact reproduction of a book published before 1923. That being the case, can anyone here recommend a translation that is aimed more at the general reader and less at the serious historian. Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than 2,000 years. This civil war was between corcyrean democrats and oligarchs, the former sympathetic to athens and the latter sympathetic to the lacedaemonians. The peloponnesian war started in 431 and ended in 404 bce. The history of the peloponnesian war, book 1 thucydides on. What thucydides teaches us about war, politics, and the. Thucydides, the peloponnesian war, book 1, chapter 1. An essay concerning human understanding concerning civil.
Contemporary analysis of thucydides history of the. 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. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides 431 bc translated by richard crawley book i. Some scholars do not accept that thucydides wrote the thebans here, and suppose that it was the spartans, their allies, that carried out these acts. The incomplete text recounts the history of the peloponnesian war and famously ends midsentence in 411 bc, several years prior to the conclusion of the war. The first unabridged translation into american english, and the first to take into account the wealth of thucydidean scholarship of the last half of the twentieth century, steven lattimores translation sets a new standard for accuracy and reliability. Popular government in the greek classical age cambridge, 2011.
Granting the reader the perspective of the speakers and. He has written about thucydides and causes of the peloponnesian war in the oxford handbook of thucydides oxford, 2017. Designed for students with little or no background in ancient greek language and culture, this collection of extracts for the history of the peloponnesian war includes those passages that shed most light on thucydides political theory famous as well as important but lesser known pieces frequently overlooked by nonspecialists. For the corcyrean conflict as programmatic, see crane 1992 4. 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. The corinthcorcyra war of 435431 bc began as a dispute between corinth and her colony corcyra, but the athenians were soon dragged into the conflict, and it contributed to the outbreak of the great peloponnesian war the corinthcorcyra war was partly the result of the longstanding hostility between corinth and corcyra. Thucydides and the ancient simplicity uc press ebooks collection. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of scientific history by those who accept his claims to.
Although, the references to this disease were made quite obvious by thucydides in book six and seven by using out of context medical terminology, in book three thucydides portrays the effects of the disease on human nature. The book also comes across tacitly as ethnography, given the authors intent to provide a cultural context relevant for discussing military issues. The corinthcorcyra war of 435431 bc began as a dispute between corinth and her colony corcyra, but the athenians were soon dragged into the conflict, and it contributed to the outbreak of the great peloponnesian war. The ancient greek historian of the peloponnesian war, who lived almost 2,500 years ago, makes the title of graham allisons prominent new volume, destined for. The posts title comes from leo strauss essay on thucydides and it describes perfectly the short section in book three, chapters 51 85, covering the fall of plataea and the civil strife in corcyra. The ancient greek historian of the peloponnesian war, who lived almost. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases. In the war between athens and sparta, both sides struggled to win friends and defeat enemies in the various independent poleis of greece. One major theme can be found in book 2, chapter 53, where thucydides describes the situation in athens after it had been stricken with plague during the peloponnesian war. Map of greece corcyra corfu is located toward the upper left c1 plataea isnt depicted, but is southwest of thebes e4 picture source.
Thucydides begins with very specific details about the revolution at corcyra, but then goes on to use it as an example of the revolutions that occurred during the remaining portion of the war. History of the peloponnesian war, by thucydides book viii the news was brought to athens, but the athenians could not believe that the armament had been so completely annihilated, although they had the positive assurances of the very soldiers who 1 had escaped from the scene of action. 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. Thucydides traces the development of athenian power through the growth of the athenian empire in the years 479 bc to 432 bc in book one of the history 1. The opening book, with its shifts from one period to another, its grand thematic. Athens and allies formed the delian league sparta and allies formed the peloponnesian league thucydides died in 400 bce. Introduction chapters 1 through 23 the dispute over epidamnus, 435433 b. What is the pentecontaetia in thucydides history of the peloponnesian war. Thucydides and internal war by jonathan price hereafter p.