The first fifty-one chapters of Book Four cover activity that occurred in 425BC. I’ll focus on the Athenians setting up fortifications at Pylus (as spelled in my version, “Pylos” in most modern texts) and their siege of the Spartans on the island of Sphacteria. All quotes come from the Thomas Hobbes translation. Pylus can be […]

The last chapters of Book Three, from Chapters 86 to 116, reflect a change in strategy in the war for Sparta and Athens and Thucydides’ narrative changes to follow the activity. Also, as the war progresses, new characters emerge as significant players in the history. There is a lot going on in this short section […]

Map of Greece Corcyra (Corfu) is located toward the upper left (c1) Plataea isn’t depicted, but is southwest of Thebes (E4) Picture sourceThe post’s 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 […]

Map of ancient Greek world Picture sourceThis post looks at the first fifty chapters of Book Three, covering the revolt of Lesbos (with a focus on Mytilene) and the remarkable Athenian speeches of Cleon and Diodotus. All quotes come from the Thomas Hobbes translation unless otherwise noted. And you can’t imagine the restraint I’ve had […]

The Athenian empire (and surrounding areas) around 450 BC Picture source (I’m recycling this picture since it has the cities/regions mentioned in this post)This post looks at the end of Book Two (Chapters 66 – 103), covering from Pericles’ last speech to the end of the third year of the war. All quotes come from […]

The Plague of Athens by Michael Sweerts Picture sourceThis post looks at Book Two Chapters 47 – 65, which covers part of the second year of the war (430BC). All quotes come from the Thomas Hobbes translation. I realize I’m loading up on the quotes in this post, but I hope they prove helpful. Plague […]

Bust of Pericles Inscription: “Pericles, son of Xanthippus, Athenian” Picture sourceThe question I’m focusing on in Book One centers on Thucydides’ claim for the reason for the Peloponnesian War. Not that I’m hoping to resolve the actual reasons…it’s more like I’m trying to understand Thucydides’ outlook…knowing where to take him with a grain of salt […]

The Athenian empire (and surrounding areas) around 450 BC Picture source Pentecontaetia (Greek, “the period of fifty years”) is the term used to refer to the period in Ancient Greek history between the defeat of the second Persian invasion of Greece at Plataea in 479 BC and the beginning of the Peloponnesian War. (from Wikipedia) […]

Chalcidice in northern Greece(For those that followed Herodotus, Xerxes’ canal northwest of Mount Athos is noted)Picture source “For they love innovation, and are swift to devise, and also to execute what they resolve on. But you on the contrary are only apt to save your own; not devise any thing new, nor scarce to attain […]

Map of ancient Greek world Picture source This was the first cause that the Corinthians had of war against the Athenians: namely, because they had taken part with the Corcyræans in a battle by sea against the Corinthians, with whom they were comprised in the same articles of peace. I’ll apologize about the length of […]

Bust of Thucydides Picture source Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote the war of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians as they warred against each other, beginning to write as soon as the war was on foot; with expectation it should prove a great one, and most worthy the relation of all that had been before it: conjecturing […]

But Thucydides is one, who, though he never digress to read a lecture, moral or political, upon his own text, nor enter into men’s hearts further than the acts themselves evidently guide him: is yet accounted the most politic historiographer that ever writ. The reason whereof I take to be this. He filleth his narrations […]