What was Thucydides known for?
What was Thucydides known for?
One of the greatest ancient historians, Thucydides (c. 460 B.C.–c. 400 B.C.) chronicled nearly 30 years of war and tension between Athens and Sparta. His “History of the Peloponnesian War” set a standard for scope, concision and accuracy that makes it a defining text of the historical genre.
Who is the father of historiography?
Herodotus
Herodotus has been called the “father of history.” An engaging narrator with a deep interest in the customs of the people he described, he remains the leading source of original historical information not only for Greece between 550 and 479 BCE but also for much of western Asia and Egypt at that time.
How were Herodotus and Thucydides different?
Unlike Herodotus, Thucydides rejected telling crowd-pleasing stories and concentrated on the facts of important events. He avoided writing about myths, oracles, and superstitions. He recognized that even eyewitnesses could not always be reliable sources. In general, he tried hard to be accurate, fair, and unbiased.
Why Herodotus is known as the father of history?
Because he wrote a book. Because he inquired about the Greco-Persian wars. Because he was the first historian to systematically record the events that happened.
What did Thucydides believe?
Thucydides believed that the Peloponnesian War represented an event of unmatched importance. As such, he began to write the History at the onset of the war in 431 BC. He declared his intention was to write an account which would serve as “a possession for all time”.
What is Thucydides trap theory?
Thucydides Trap, or Thucydides’s Trap, is a term popularized by American political scientist Graham T. Allison to describe an apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon.
Who is the greatest historian of all time?
Herodotus was born a Persian subject sometime between 490 and 484 B.C. in Halicarnassus, in southwestern Asia Minor. He died in the Greek colony of Thurii, in southern Italy, around 425 B.C. In Thurii, he wrote much of The History.
Who was a better historian Thucydides or Herodotus?
There has been a great deal of focus on the differences between Herodotus and Thucydides. Both men have been granted the ‘father of history’ accolade, but chronologically Herodotus must be the winner of the distinction as Thucydides picks up where he leaves off.
What was Thucydides book called?
History of the Peloponnesian War
Thucydides is the author of History of the Peloponnesian War, a sweeping contemporary account of the nearly three-decade conflict between Athens and Sparta for dominance of the Greek world. The eight-volume work is regarded as one of the finest works of history ever written.
Did Thucydides believe in democracy?
He did not approve of the democratic commoners nor of the radical democracy that Pericles ushered in, but considered democracy acceptable when guided by a good leader. Thucydides’ presentation of events is generally even-handed; for example, he does not minimize the negative effect of his own failure at Amphipolis.