Genealogy Books - The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics)

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Summary: Great Book
Comment: I am a total history buff and this book has really expanded my knowledge. Great to use in class to
gain that upper hand in the philosophical arguments. I highly suggest you pick it up.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Good version of Thucydides
Comment: This is one of the early classic "histories" written. Of course, Herodotus had written his
"History" before. But his acceptance of the role of gods in history renders Thucydides' hard-headed
accounts of the Greek internecine warfare a further advance in historiography. Thus, we begin to
experience something like a real history in this volume (and that does not denigrate the real
contributions of Herodotus).

This is a nice volume. The Introduction by M. I. Finley
sets the stage; the translation by Rex Warner is (as far as I can tell) serviceable. The work of
Thucydides comes through in this collaboration.

Thucydides' focus is on the origins of
this bloody inter-Greek war. The forces of Athens (and her allies) against Sparta (and her allies)
is the center of this work. He notes the cause (page 49): "What made war inevitable was the growth
of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta." This is, as noted earlier, a fairly
hard-headed view of history. To use contemporary terms, the author was something like a
"realist."

Some major parts of the work. . . . One of these is the funeral oration by
Pericles, the Athenian leader. He spoke of what made Athens special. His death, according to
Thucydides, was harmful to the Athenian cause. He says (page 163): "For Pericles had said that
Athens would be victorious if she bided her time and took care of the navy, if she avoided trying to
add to the empire during the course of the war, and if she did nothing to risk the safety of the
city itself. But his successors did the exact opposite. . . ."

This work has much of
interest in it. Just one example. The Melian dialogue featured a debate between the Melians and
Athenians. The Melians argued that morality was on their side. The Athenians acknowledged the
argument, but also noted that they had the numbers and the weapons. This is an early debate between
two schools of thought in international relations--idealists versus realists. The hard-nosed
attitude of the Athenians won out in this case. . . .

In some ways, Thucydides is best
understood by reading Herodotus and then comparing the two, so that one can get a sense of one of
the first historians and then someone who adopts a different posture as historian. This is a very
good version of Thucydides (from someone who cannot read Greek, by the way). Well worth looking at
if a person is interested in the devastating Peloponnesian War.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Some strategy and a lot of history
Comment: First of all, I find it close to impossible to rate such a book as this, as it is truly great as an
insight into events that happened thousands of years ago, while the writing and accessibility of the
work clearly could have been better. Nevertheless, in my opinion this is a 5-star book, as the
detail and insight into a war that took place ~400bc is such a great read.
Thucydides shows a
himself as a great analyst of the conficts he relates, and instead of just relating the facts, he
guides us through the actors motivations and the reasons for what takes place. THAT is the value of
this book as far as I'm concerned, the strategic approach to conflict, and the massive amount of
strategy in regards to alliances and battles that we get to share through this book.
Being a
student of political philosophy I read this book because of my fascination with Thomas Hobbes
(Allthough not the Hobbes-translation). It will be hard for anyone to understand Hobbes through this
though, and I must question the usefulness for most of such a linkage on the whole. There is also a
lot of history in this book that will interest a lot of you (Those that are like me), rather little,
but one gets through it, and when one is done with the book I truly feel I have gotten a great
lecture in strategy and conflict!

Customer Rating:

Summary: The birth of political writing
Comment: while thucydides' work offers a detailed recounting of the battles the peloponnesian war, its power
lies not in its historical chronology, but in its political debates and portrayal of political
actors.

while the peloponnesian war seems to be a clinical recounting of historical
events, there is no doubt that thucydides offered up ethical diagnoses by intentionally portraying
some of the primary figures in flattering, and not-so-flatting lights. alcibaedes and cleon, for
example, are the archetypal self-interested political actors who allow their love of personal honor
to trump both national interest and morality. alcibiades, who offered the original promise for
victory at syracuse, deflects to sparta and exposes athens' battle plans -- which no doubt
contributed to their ultimate defeat. cleon is the human embodiment of folly. on the other hand,
thucydides presents nicias and pericles as the spokespeople for public commitment and self
sacrifice.

most importantly, the peloponnesian war offers a glimpse inside political
debates, both internal and between city-states. thus readers witness the weighing of national self
interest, pragmatism, and ethics - the often contradictory elements which survive in political
debate today. thucydides prophesized, and correctly so, that the peloponnesian war would be a
"possession for all time."

Customer Rating:

Summary: How many Carmarinaean hoplites were at the siege of Syracuse - and other trivia.
Comment: Thucydides is known as the great-grandaddy of history, sharing that title with Herodotus but
generally accepted as being the more objective of the two. And while Herodotus keeps us entertained
with beguiling if largely unbelievable tales of lands he probably never saw, Thucydides renders a
cold, calculated, intensely detailed snapshot of events in which he was a minor player. Thus 'The
History of the Peloponnesian Wars' is at once, very believable and very dry. If you are interested
in a good story about the fall of the Athenian empire you've come to the wrong place (albeit perhaps
the only good source). If you are an archaeologist or historian trying to determine the number of
Carmarinaean hoplites at the siege of Syracuse, Thucydides is a treasure trove.
/>Thucydides, covers the approximately thirty years of the Pelopponesian wars. The wars, which
effectively pitted the Athenian empire, formed of Athens and its mostly Ionian 'involuntary' allies,
against the Spartan's and their more voluntary, if less democratically governed allies. The war
grinds on for years without major event until the Athenians try to conquer Syracuse and Sicily.
They ultimately fail, and, when the Persian empire intervenes on the side of Sparta, are stripped of
their empire and ultimately defeated. The resulting book is full of details - not of character or
daily life but of places and people. It's not an easy read.

That's not to say
there aren't a few moving tales amongst the vast welter of place names, personal names, ship lists
and roll calls. The story of the Mytilenian debate, in which the conquered Mytilene population is
nearly massacred by a decree rescinded at the last second is definitely worth a read. The sad fate
of the Athenian army after the long siege of Syracuse is also gripping, as is the escape from the
siege of Plataea of two hundred men.

If you are an academic, this book is full of a
lot of useful material on the Athenian empire, Sicily, Persia and Greece in the 4th century B.C. I
imagine you could spend a lifetime cross-correlating names and places with other early documents and
inscriptions. This edition is not particularly well stocked with scholarly resources, coming as it
does with a brief introduction, four short appendices, few footnotes, and only a brief bibliography
and index. You might be better off with the four volumes of the Loeb Classical Library's
Thucydides. If you are taking a course in classical Greek history this might suffice.
/>Since I am not an academic but read history for interest's sake only, I found the book slow,
pedantic and over-absorbed with details. If you are very interested in this time period but not
willing to slog through a lot of factual detail I would suggest you read a modern book on Greek
history. If, like me, you feel the need to read the source material, I would suggest you get a
really good atlas of classical history, familiarize yourself with the history of the time period
fully and only then attempt Thucydides.

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