In
contrast to the looser Herodotus, his near contemporary, Thucydides sought to record an "objective
truth" of the great war between Athens and Sparta, in the 5C BC. He consulted multiple sources and
carefully judged what to include and what not to include, in accordance with his evolving idea of
what really happened. While some of the forms, such as made-up speeches, differ from what we would
do today, he set a new standard for accuracy. THe result is a work of genius, the first serious
attempt at writing history rather than merely storytelling.

Reading this is not always fun.
There are long sections that are lists of occurences, with references to individuals who appear and
disappear without followup. But there are also penetrating analyses of remarkable characters, such
as Perikles, Alcidiades, and other great generals, who became reference points to the present day.
Thucydides also covered political science - how institutions actually functioned - in new ways, with
demonstrations of how the unleashing of passions led to their corruption or distortion. Finally,
there are chilling sections with timeless insight in human conduct in war, with the full horror of
the breakdown of all order and law.

THis translation is also emminently readable, far better
than the rigid and more literal one I first read in college. THucydides is quite eloquent in this
version. There is also a good introduction to put the work in perspective.

However, for those who are assigned to
read Thucydides in a classroom or for those interested in the classical studies or the origins of
Western Civ, you will not regret having read Thucyides. Along with Herodotus' Histories, it is the
foundation of modern historical writing and research (i.e., the telling of events from first hand
knowledge or from original sources). Both Herodotus and Thucyidides were not above making up
speeches out of whole cloth, but the events that they recounted were all based on actual accounts
(although Herodotus was more willing to recount seemingly fantastical tenth hand accounts and
therefore can be seen as a bridge between the myth-telling of Homer and the more rigorous history of
Thucydides).

As stated above, Thucydides does obviously make up some of the speeches, but given
the recent controversy over the authorized biography of Ronald Reagan, it seems that some modern
historians are also guilty of this and Thucydides did his work before academic standards were
created to say that this shouldn't be done.

Along with an account of the actual events of the War
which is most interesting to classicists and military historians (neither of which I am, so I will
not comment further on this), Thucydides gives us timeless lessons in politics, the risks of relying
on luck and international relations/diplomacy. He also gives us his take on the dangers of too much
democracy and mob rule (although he is likely biased on this issue since, although he was a general
during the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians voted to banish him after one battle).

So, to some up,
Thucydides History is not for the casual reader, but is an extremely interesting work and is a
must-read for those interested in classical history.