Events at Pylos and Sphacteria

by Thucydides, Malcolm Campbell (Editor)

This is part four of a four-unit prose reading course designed for beginners in Greek and other learners wishing to consolidate their reading skills. Particular attention is paid to idiomatic usage (both in Greek and English), word order and the use of particles and particle-combinations, while practical guidance is given on mastering the verbal systems and other features of the language which beginners generally find problematic. The four units may be studied in succession as part of a progressive course, but each unit is sufficiently self-contained to permit the persuit of particular interests.

Genres: Classics

93 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 1997

About the author

Thucydides (c. 460 B.C. – c. 400 B.C.) (Greek Θουκυδίδης ) was an Athenian historian and general. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of "scientific history" by those who accept his claims to have applied strict standards of impartiality and evidence-gathering and analysis of cause and effect, without reference to intervention by the gods, as outlined in his introduction to his work.
He also has been called the father of the school of political realism, which views the political behavior of individuals and the subsequent outcomes of relations between states as ultimately mediated by, and constructed upon, fear and self-interest. His text is still studied at universities and military colleges worldwide. The Melian dialogue is regarded as a seminal text of international relations theory, while his version of Pericles' Funeral Oration is widely studied by political theorists, historians, and students of the classics.
More generally, Thucydides developed an understanding of human nature to explain behavior in such crises as plagues, massacres, and wars.