The History of the Peloponnesian War Classic Reprint Thucydides Thucydides 9781332892440 Books
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Excerpt from The History of the Peloponnesian War
This edition of Thucydides is based on the text of L Dindorf's edition, Leipzig, 1824. Indeed, with the single exception of punctuation, which has been modified, as will be explained in the sequel, there has been no departure from Dindorf's text, the readings which seemed to be pre ferable being referred to in the notes which accompany this edition. In preparing the notes, I have made free use of 1, Poppo's edition, xi. Vols. Leipzig, 182l~1840. 2, Goeller's, Leipzig, 1836. 3, Haack's, Leipzig, 1820. 4, Kruger's, Berlin, 1846. 5, Bothe's, Leipzig, 1848. 6, Di dot's, Paris, 1833. Oxford, 1821. 8, Arnold's, Oxford, 1840. 9, Bloomfield's, London, 1842. I have also derived much assistance from Betant's Lex. Thucyd. Now in a course of publication.
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The History of the Peloponnesian War Classic Reprint Thucydides Thucydides 9781332892440 Books
Reading The Peloponnesian War is like using a time machine. Thucydides fought in the war as a general but was then exiled by Athens. As an exile, he traveled freely during two more decades of the war and spoke to witnesses on both sides. His account of the war has great immediacy, and the reader has the sensation of being spoken to directly from a distance of 2,400 years.Thucydides exhibits a deep understanding of politics. For example, he describes a relationship between state power and tyranny: "... as the power of Hellas grew, and the acquisition of wealth became more an object, the revenues of the states increasing, tyrannies were by their means established almost everywhere... ." These tyrannies could suppress dissent by distributing economic benefits: "For the love of gain would reconcile the weaker to the dominion of the stronger." At the beginning of the war, Athens was a democracy that subjugated others through an empire; near the end of the war, democracy in Athens itself is subverted by an oligarchic conspiracy.
He also has a lot to say about the short-sightedness and irrationality of men. During a debate in Athens over strategy, Thucydides says, "Oracles of the most various import were recited by the collectors, and found eager listeners in one or other of the disputants. And of the Athenians' ambition to invade Sicily: "So thoroughly had the present prosperity persuaded the citizens that nothing could withstand them, and that they could achieve what was possible and impracticable alike, with means ample or inadequate it mattered not. The secret of this was their general extraordinary success, which made them confuse their strength with their hopes."
Above all, this is a war story, and it is filled with accounts of raids, sieges, routs and pursuits, and naval battle. These accounts are pretty stirring, and an attentive reader could learn a lot about military science from the book.
I read the free Kindle edition, translated by Richard Crawley, with the e-text prepared by Albert Imrie. There is nothing in either the translation or the Kindle implementation to complain about, but there are no maps. You can find reasonably usable historical maps of the Peloponnesian war online.
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The History of the Peloponnesian War Classic Reprint Thucydides Thucydides 9781332892440 Books Reviews
"History of the Peloponnesian War" is, superficially, merely an account of a war that happened centuries ago, the Peloponnesian War, between Athenas and Sparta. Of course, you might think that the subject is trivial to you. After all, how important can a book like that be?. Well, if you were to think that, you would be enormously mistaken.
To start with, this book is a milestone you need to be aware of. Thucydides, its author, is very possibly the first modern historian. He tried to explain the causes of the Peloponnesian War, without reducing its complexity by saying that the gods had motivated it. Thucydides doesn't follow the easy path; instead, he searches those causes in human nature, and in power. He doesn't weave tales, but tries to write History.
It is rather astonishing how objective this Athenian was when he analyzed the war, and all that happened immediately before it. He examines methodically many events, paying special attention to facts. The author also gives his opinion from time to time, but he doesn't judge whether an action is good or evil he merely shows that those that have power can use it as they see fit. Due to that, Thucydides is called by many the first realist theoretician. I was especially taken aback by how well he expresses his ideas regarding the fact that "power makes right" in the Melian debate. I don't agree with him, but I cannot deny that he makes a powerful case, and that his point of view is shared nowadays by many noteworthy thinkers.
It is important to point out that in "History of the Peloponnesian War" you will find a painstaking account of many things that actually happened, but also some speeches that weren't made by the actors, but could have been made by them. To explain that more clearly Thucydides wrote some political dialogues and monologues that allow us to understand some aspects of the conflict (and many of his ideas) better. The introduction to this edition also highlights that the author sometimes made up some of the speeches (from the data he had), and was present when others were pronounced. My favorite speech is the one made by Pericles, in honor of the men who died during the war. In that discourse, he explains why those men fought and died to defend Athens, and what Athens meant not only for Athenians but also for Greece.
This book isn't easy to read, but it is well-worth the effort. The translation is quite good, so that will make your task a little easier. If you don't feel like reading this book all at once, try to read it little by little. The results will be the same, but you won't feel dismayed by the need of finishing it immediately.
Also, if you can, try to relate some of Thucydides themes to our modern world. You will find that easier that you might think, and it will make you pay more attention to what you are reading. You are likely to be very surprised, for example, at how similar some of nowaday's justifications for taking advantage of power without paying attention to justice are to those that Thucydides already made a long time ago. On the whole, I highly recommend this book )
Belen Alcat
Reading The Peloponnesian War is like using a time machine. Thucydides fought in the war as a general but was then exiled by Athens. As an exile, he traveled freely during two more decades of the war and spoke to witnesses on both sides. His account of the war has great immediacy, and the reader has the sensation of being spoken to directly from a distance of 2,400 years.
Thucydides exhibits a deep understanding of politics. For example, he describes a relationship between state power and tyranny "... as the power of Hellas grew, and the acquisition of wealth became more an object, the revenues of the states increasing, tyrannies were by their means established almost everywhere... ." These tyrannies could suppress dissent by distributing economic benefits "For the love of gain would reconcile the weaker to the dominion of the stronger." At the beginning of the war, Athens was a democracy that subjugated others through an empire; near the end of the war, democracy in Athens itself is subverted by an oligarchic conspiracy.
He also has a lot to say about the short-sightedness and irrationality of men. During a debate in Athens over strategy, Thucydides says, "Oracles of the most various import were recited by the collectors, and found eager listeners in one or other of the disputants. And of the Athenians' ambition to invade Sicily "So thoroughly had the present prosperity persuaded the citizens that nothing could withstand them, and that they could achieve what was possible and impracticable alike, with means ample or inadequate it mattered not. The secret of this was their general extraordinary success, which made them confuse their strength with their hopes."
Above all, this is a war story, and it is filled with accounts of raids, sieges, routs and pursuits, and naval battle. These accounts are pretty stirring, and an attentive reader could learn a lot about military science from the book.
I read the free edition, translated by Richard Crawley, with the e-text prepared by Albert Imrie. There is nothing in either the translation or the implementation to complain about, but there are no maps. You can find reasonably usable historical maps of the Peloponnesian war online.
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