Thucydides: A Very Short Introduction

Abstract

Thucydides: A Very Short Introduction analyses the remarkable history of the war between Athens and Sparta composed by the Athenian Thucydides, who fought in it. In 432 bce, Sparta declared war on Athens, a war that would last until Athens finally fell in 404. A highly educated Athenian aristocrat, Thucydides suspected the magnitude of the conflict he saw unfolding and recorded its course while exploring the causes of the war in the context of human nature. Placing Thucydides within the intellectual traditions of his day unveils his connections to thinkers like Herodotus, Homer, and the tragedians. This study examines not only Thucydides’ thought and writing but the complex dynamics of the war that changed the Greek world forever.