For on the spot where miltiades is entombed near koilei, there also has thucydides been entombed. This is the second volume of a threevolume historical and lite. Hornblower strikes an acceptable balance between summarizing scholarly debate and repeating material treated more fully elsewhere. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of scientific. Hornblower illuminates these ancient texts and makes the excitement as accessible and immediate as much more contemporary thrillers like the federalist papers. His history of the peloponnesian war recounts the fifthcentury bc war between sparta and athens until the year 411 bc. Simon hornblower planned to produce a full historical and literary commentary on thucydides surviving work and that the oxford university press would publish it. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of scientific history by those who accept his claims to have applied strict standards of impartiality and evidencegathering and analysis of cause and effect, without reference to intervention by the deities, as outlined in his introduction to his work. Thucydides assuredly has much to say about the balance of power and the outbreak of war, his famous statement cannot be interpreted in isolation, nor, indeed, is it scientific in any contemporary sense. Examining thucydides allusions to earlier writers raises several interesting questions. In other ways too, the thucydides that surfaces from h. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, the third book. The life of thucydides by marcellinus translated by w. The dialectical logic of thucydides melian dialogue by hayward r.
Simon hornblower is professor of classics and ancient history, university college london. A commentary on thucydides simon hornblower oxford. Allen thucydides, an athenian, was the child of olorus, 1 and his own family was thracian because olorus, his father, also had a name from thrace. Simon hornblower planned to produce a full historical and literary commentary on thucydides surviving work and that the oxford university. There, i argued that thucydides provides his readers with a. This volume completes simon hornblowers most excellent commentary on thucydides. A commentary on thucydides a c o m m e n t a r y on thucydides simon hornblower volume ii books ivv.
The proems both historians employ a tripartite preface, combining similar elem ents. One of the benefits of a full commentary is that it is so easy to examine his remarks on other sections of thucydides. Jaffe a thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy graduate department of political science university of toronto 2012 this project illuminates thucydides political thought through a novel. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides. Simon hornblowers commentary, by translating every passage of greek commented on for the first time, allows readers with little or no greek to appreciate the detail of thucydides thought and subjectmatter. It supplements and makes notable advances on the continuation of the work of a. Hornblower, a commentary on thucydides i oxford 1991 63, notes that the. Thucydides selfconsciously invented a new form of inquiry, which can reasonably be called social and political science. Thucydides may have been alluding to simonides lost poem on the battle of salamis. Hornblower is tempted to wonder whether it is thucydides, rather than his.
It is also meant to be used with the abridged edition of liddell and scotts greekenglish lexicon, which reliably contains nearly all of the vocabulary of book i of thucydides. Thucydides has recreated the events by combining objective. Thucydidean themes is a collection of seventeen essays by simon hornblower on the great fifthcentury bc greek historian thucydides. You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at. He is the author and editor of many books see books by the same author.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Of the three books covered in this volume, book i presents thucydides aims in writing the work and the historical background to the war. Fourth and fifth years of the war revolt of mitylene. For afterwards all greece, as a man may say, was in commotion. The dialectical logic of thucydides melian dialogue by. A handbook to the reception of thucydides wiley online library. The history of the peloponnesian war, by thucydides 431 bc.
Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than 2,000 years, the peloponnesian war is a mine of military, moral, political, and philosophical. Pdf thucydides is an important author for any discussion of the. The state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war. The third and final volume of the only commentary in english by a single author on the complete writings of thucydides, the great fifthcentury bc historian of the peloponnesian war. Reviewdiscussion simon hornblower, a commentary on thucydides, volume ii.
Project gutenberg s the history of the peloponnesian war, by thucydides this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. The substance of this paper was first given in 1979 as a talk at the university of maryland, college park. Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than 2,000 years, the peloponnesian war is a mine of military, moral, political, and. Firstly, one must ask about the point of alleged allusions. Badian speaks of thucydides and his contempt for established greek religion. To start, it requires the historys involved first book as. Hornblower has also pointed out how thucydides uses an unusual number of epic.
Simon hornblowers commentary, by translating every passage or phrase of greek commented on, for the first time allows the reader with little or no greek to appreciate the detail of thucydides thought and subjectmatter. Thucydidean themes simon hornblower oxford university. War thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war between the peloponnesians and the athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war and more worthy of relation. My only criticism is that a 3 volume set at 325 dollars a volume seem painfully underwritten. With an english translation by charles forster smith see other formats. What important information about sicily did the athenians not know. In thucydides, the context is provided by the text, and we must go beyond the words of the speakers to that setting to understand not only their words, but their broader goals. Only then can we make any inference about the lessons thucydides might want us to draw from his account. Based on the venerable richard crawley translation, updated and revised for modern readers. What thucydides does not tell us simon hornblower the most surprising feature of thucydides account is that one thing is missing. Simon hornblower s commentary, by translating every passage of greek commented on for the first time, allows readers with little or no greek to appreciate the detail of thucydides thought and subjectmatter. Hornblower finds evidence of thucydides tight narrative focus on the events in melos and the preparations for sicily in 416 in the contrast between his failure to mention the olympic games of that year and his full description of the quarrel arising from the games of 420 5.
The fourthcentury and hellenistic reception of thucydides jstor. The war marks a turning point in ancient greek history as the golden age of greek dominance is changed in the region. Hornblower, simon 1987, thucydides, johns hopkins university press, isbn 9780801835292, oclc 15252903 hornblower, simon 1994, greek historiography, clarendon press, isbn 9780198149316, oclc 29564218. Written in the 5th century bc, the events of the war between the peloponnesian and delian leagues are detailed by thucydides. Thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war between the peloponnesians and the athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it. Simon hornblower the third and final volume of the only commentary in english by a single author on the complete writings of thucydides, the great fifthcentury bc historian of the peloponnesian war contains many new interpretations of wellknown passages and problems, as well as providing full bibliographical orientation in the copious modern literature on thucydides. Books ii and iii describe the main this is the first volume of a threevolume historical and literary commentary on the eight books of thucydides, the great fifthcentury bc historian of the peloponnesian war. Aftermath of sicilian expedition, sections 12 the beginning of the sicilian expedition 415 bce 1. Born in 1949, he was educated at eton college, where he was a kings scholar, at jesus college, cambridge, where he took a firstclass in part i of the classical tripos in 1969, and at balliol college, oxford, where he took firstclass honours in literae humaniores in 1971 ba and hence subsequently ma and a dphil in 1978 with a thesis entitled maussollos of karia. Thucydides can easily be counted, and even these cannot understand certain passages without a linguistic commentary dion.
If this is the same lichas whose death is mentioned at thuc. Homer in the british museum herodotus at the austrian parliament. Chapter xxiv nineteenth and twentieth years of the war revolt of ionia intervention of persia the war in ionia when the news was brought to athens, for a long while they disbelieved even the most respectable of the soldiers who had themselves escaped from the scene of action and clearly reported the matter, a destruction so complete not being thought credible. Ii 1996 of a historical and literary commentary on the history of the first 20 years of the twentysevenyear peloponnesian war between the athenians and spartans and their respective allies written by the great fifthcentury bc historian thucydides. Jul 18, 2018 written in the 5th century bc, the events of the war between the peloponnesian and delian leagues are detailed by thucydides. Chapter xviii seventeenth year of the war the sicilian campaign affair of the hermae departure of the expedition the same winter the athenians resolved to sail again to sicily, with a greater armament than that under laches and eurymedon, and, if possible, to conquer the island. Thucydides other traps ndu press national defense university. Greek text with english translation includes index vol.
Thucydides called war a savage schoolmaster, and he offered his carefully crafted history to reduce the blood bill of learning. Buy a commentary on thucydides slp by hornblower, simon isbn. I have argued in detail elsewhere ober 1998, chapter 2 that thucydides was a stern critic of core aspects of athenian democracy. Thucydides intended his work to be an everlasting possession and the continuing importance of his work is undisputed. When hornblower notes the density of homeric echoes in the epic sicilian. This is the first volume of a threevolume historical and literary commentary on the eight books of thucydides, the great fifthcentury bc historian of the. Thucydides and his predecessors newcastle university. A commentary on thucydides by simon hornblower, hardcover. I reading thucydides offers the agreeable feeling as of turning a lock with a key. Snjaffe outbreak of war university of toronto tspace. In the introduction to volume ii, hornblower recognized the strengths of gomme and stated his areas of difference, which were his desire to address an. Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than. The leagues were led by sparta and athens respectively.
The peloponnesian war, part i lecture 17, thucydides, the revisionist historian of the peloponnesian war, key words revisionist romantic element human nature possession forever world war i allied nations central powers germany austria russia france england bolshevik government tsarist regime a. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book i. Not that arnold gommes oxford commentary was above reproach, or addressed and resolved all questions. The chapters are arranged thematically, in three main parts general. The landmark thucydides includes a vast array of superbly designed. The landmark thucydides includes a vast array of superbly designed and presented maps, brief informative appendices by outstanding classical scholars on subjects of special relevance to the text, explanatory marginal notes on each page, an index of unprecedented subtlety, and numerous other useful features. Thucydides called his account of two decades of war between athens and sparta a possssion for all time, and indeed it is the first and still most famous work in the western historical tradition. Thucydides called his account of two decades of war between athens and sparta a possession for all time, and indeed it is the first and still the most famous work in the western historical tradition. Nov 28, 1991 of the three books covered in this volume, book i presents thucydides aims in writing the work and the historical background to the war. Thucydides addressed a version of the democratic advantage puzzle, and did so in a way that anticipates some important modern developments in social science. Contains many new interpretations of wellknown passages and problems, as well as providing full bibliographical.
Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than 2,000 years. Thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war between the peloponnesians and the athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war and more worthy of relation. This the third volume of trilogy on thucydides hardly disappoint. Princetonstanford working papers in classics thucydides and the invention of political science version 1. The presentation of recent scholarship is fair, clear and comprehensive. Most still assume that he died sometime around 400 b. History of the peloponnesian warbook 3 wikisource, the. The similarities and differences between thucydides and modern his. Athens sends a huge fleet to sicily and suffers disaster.
Simon hornblower is professor of classics and grote professor of ancient history, university college london. He quite effectively addresses the role of strategic assessment, the importance of domestic politics in conflict, the complexities of alliances and diplomacy, and the interplay of land and sea warfare. The war marks a turning point in ancient greek history as the golden age of. His intellectual goal was a new understanding of power and. This is the first volume of a twovolume historical and literary commentary on the eight books of thucydides, the great fifthcentury b.
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