1. Introduction to
Thucydides
D Posker-Hill
History Extension

2. Who was Thucydides?
Θουκυδίδης, Thoukydídēs
C. 460 – 400 BC
Athenian – Alimos/Halimos
“Thucydides the Athenian wrote the history of the
war fought between Athens and Sparta…”
Thuc., History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.1.

3. Features of his Work
Use of Judgement
evidence
Analysis “Set Speeches”
First Hand
Experience

4. Thematic
Focus?
• Peloponnesian Wars
• 431 to 404 BC
• Athens vs Sparta
• Athenian strategos (general) blamed
for military defeat and exiled.
• War and Politics
• “And it may well be that my history will
seem less easy to read because of
the absence in it of a romantic
element” Thuc., History of the
Peloponnesian Wars, 1.22.17-19.

5. Use of Evidence
Claims of “scientific” approach
Collating numerous sources
“And with regard to my factual reporting of the
events of the war I have made it a principle not to
write down the first story that came my way, and not
even to be guided by my own general impressions;
either I was present myself at the events which I
have described or else I heard of them from eye-
witnesses whose reports I have checked with as
much thoroughness as possible” Thuc., History of
the Peloponnesian Wars, 1.22.9-14.
The reality?

6. Judgments
Evidence Interpretation History
Doesn’t merely report the event
“But the real reason for the war is, in my
opinion, most likely to be disguised by such an
argument. What made war inevitable was the growth of
Athenian power and the fear which this caused in
Sparta.” Thuc., History of the Peloponnesian
Wars, 1.23.

7. Analysis
Military Exile and
Background Connections
Historiography Thuc., History
i.e. dealing with of the
Homes Peloponnesian
Wars, 1.10.18-
40.

8. Set Speeches
Sophist Background
Are they to be trusted?
“In this history I have made use of set speeches
some of which were delivered just before and others
during the war. I have found it difficult to remember
the precise words used in the speeches which I
listened to myself and my various informants have
experienced the same difficulty; so my method has
been, while keeping as closely as possible to the
general sense of the words that were actually
used, to make the speakers say what, in my
opinion, was called for by each situation”
Thuc., History of the Peloponnesian Wars, 1.22.1-8.

9. What are the
purposes of
Thucydides’
history?
Changing aims
and purposes
Aims and Changing
purposes of role of history
Thucydides
Purposes
of history
over time

10. How has history been
constructed and recorded
over time? Via Thucydides
Forms of historical Types of history in
communication Thucydides
Written Political
Economic
Military
Where do women fit?

11. How to study
Thucydides…
Context Aims/purposes
Type of Methodology/ies
history/research
focus
How their work has
changed from
previous/later work incl.
critics