Customer Reviews
An alternative view from Herodotus of 'history' - By: Roman Clodia, 26 Jul 2006 
Thucydides follows self-consciously on from Herodotus as a 'historian' but takes a very different tack. Partly this is due to their place in history: Herodotus was the product of a triumphant Athens leading the mediterannean world after shockingly defeating the huge Persian invasion of Greece, while Thucydides lives through the decline of Athens from her high point under Pericles through to her final defeat under Sparta. A critic of Athenian democracy & the rise of the demagogues, Thucydides is also a participant in the 37 years long war, as strategos (General) who was defeated at Amphipolis & exiled from Athens. What is amazing is his ability to stay detached & analytical, despite his personal involvement in events.
This is a heart-breaking story of the decline of a great city-state through her own folly, & a good antidote to alll the people who still claim classical Athens as the high point of civilisation - yes, there was a lot that was great, but Athens was also guilty of horrendous massacres, putting whole islands of fellow Greeks to death or to be sold into slavery.
A wonderful 'must read' for anyone interested in ancient history, politics, democracy, war, & human nature - & it also includes a portrait of the maverick, brilliant & ruthless Alcibiades & shows him to be a product of his times.
Unmissable.
Cannot recommend this book too highly - By: Marshall Lord, 11 Jun 2006 Who should read this book ?
* Anyone who wants to understand how free societies can descend into tyranny:
* Anyone who does not realise that merely holding free elections is not enough to preserve a society worth living in, especiallly if you don't combine democracy with the rule of law:
* Anyone who needs to understand how two or more nations can stumble into a war devastating to both:
* Anyone who imagines that genocide & ethnic cleansing were limited to our own era:
* Anyone interested in reading one of the first works of true history ever written.
In other words this history of a terrible war nearly two & half thousand years ago is as relevant in the first decade of the third millenium as it was when it was written, four centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ.
If I had to nominate one historical work for my son & daughter to read, I would think carefully between this volume, Suetonius's "The 12 Caesars", & Herodotus's "Histories", but Thucydides "History of the Peloponnesian war" would edge it.
The Wordsworth Classics version includes an introduction by Lorna Hardwick which I found most helpful in understanding the importance of Thucydides & the context in which his writing needs to be understood.
You cannot take every word in this book for granted, but Herodotus & Thucydides came closer to an objective search for truth than any writer whose works survive & was writing before them or for centuries afterwards.
The story of the tragic wars, initiallly between Athens & Sparta, which decimated Greek civilisation between 431BC & 404 BC is absolutely gripping, & Thucydides brings the story to life for me.
This translation by Richard Crawley was written more than 130 years ago, & slightly revised by R.C. Feetham in 1903. Despite being more than a century old, I found the translation to be accessible & easy to understand. I understand from those who know more about history than I do that Crawley's translation is now preferred by current experts to the rival Victorian translation by Benjamin Jowett which provides more of a general sense of Thucydides' writing but is less good at conveying the detail.
The most irritating thing about Thucydides book is that it stops suddently in the middle of a sentence in 411 BC, shortly after the overthrow of democracy in Athens & the Athenian naval victory at the Dardanelles. E.g. well before the actual resolution of the conflict between Athens & Sparta, let alone the subsequent struggle between both cities & Thebes.
If, like me, this leaves you wanting to learn more about what happened next, your best bet is to read Xenophon's "A history of my times" which was deliberately written to follow on from Thucydides, to such an extent that it actuallly starts with the words "And after this."
The reputation of Xenophon among historians as a reliable source has falllen dramaticallly over the past few decades, & he is undoubtedly not in the same class as Thucydides as a historian, but he certainly is in the same class as a storyteller & he does complete the story of the war.
The father of modern history? - By: Laconfiraux, 08 Jun 2006 Far too often, Herodotus takes this title, & it reallly should be applied to Thucydides rather than him. Do not get me wrong, Herodotus is a fascinating read, & as such is highly recommended, but this, in my eyes, is the first, true, history.
As the title suggests, this is a history of the Peloponnesian War, (of which there were actuallly three at the minimum), & sadly, his narrative breaks off half way through the final war, after covering a period from roughly 480 BC at the end of the Persian Wars, right up to around about 411BC. The period from 480 to 432, covering the successes of the Greeks in freeing Ionia from Persia, the foundation of the Delian League & the first Peloponnesian war, is sadly very poor, & it can be very hard to make out what is going on, often due to his pro Athenian bias. However, from 432 with the outbreak of the first Archidamian war, he is first class.
Having just studied this text as part of an Ancient History A level, i can recommend it whole heartedly. Though not as easy to read as other writers of the Classical period, he is certainly an author who should be read just because. Combined with Herodotus' "Histories" & Xenophon's "A history of my times", you can cover the whole period & gain a fascinating insight into the views & lives of those in Ancient Greece
A generally decent translation of an historical book - but.. - By: , 16 Jan 2006 
...there is one thing that alll potential readers, particularly those seeking to learn about the Peloponnesian war, should bear in mind.
Contrary to the claim made in the blurb for this book, Thucydides' account is not by any means a perfect 'factual record' of the conflict. While it certainly contains much factual information, & is extremely important for better understanding the war, Thucydides is not as accurate as some historians might hope. We know that much of what he wrote was incorrect, & that many of the speeches he included were little more than creative writing, & as such the reader should always take care not to put too much faith in him.
It's also worth noting that, despite his "contempt for myth & romance", Thucydides' history is filled with tragic elements, & the events at Syracuse are narrated with particularly tragic language used.
Which, to me, only serves to make the book much more interesting.
A far less dry history than many might have you believe, Thucydides' works are a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in Ancient Greece, the Classical World, or simply history in general, & this accessible version comes highly recommended - just don't believe too much of the blurb!
A perfect publication for the non-professional reader - By: , 07 Dec 2005 The History of the Peloponnesian War is an incredible book. Not only an amazing story, but probably the best text for the study of International Relations ever written. Enough said on the book - read it. The Penguin edition is rather 'free' in its translation which makes it a less heavy read that some of the other copies available & I would recommend it to anyone reading it for the first time. For students however, the Strassler translation, while more expensive, is much more useful as it contains commentary & many maps.
