Thucydides

(OK. 460 - OK. 400 BC. E.)
Thucydides belonged to that group of ancient thinkers, whose youth coincided with the 'golden age' of Athenian democracy (cm. Ancient Greece). This is largely determined the direction of his work. He came from a noble family, was the grandson of the Thracian king Olora. Thucydides received an excellent education, he studied philosophy, rhetoric, works of Homer, Herodotus, the works of an outstanding representative of Ionian natural philosophy, Anaxagoras and the founder of scientific medicine Hippocrates. Although the origin Thucydides belonged to the aristocracy, who stood in opposition to the leader of the radical democracy Pericles, still a young man he moved to the side of Pericles, fell under the charm of his personality. Apparently, this explains the early enthusiasm for politics: As early as 424 g. BC. e. Thucydides was elected to the board of ten strategies and during the Peloponnesian War was under the command of a squadron of the Athenian fleet to protect Amphipolis. In this battle the Athenian fleet was defeated, and Thucydides was exiled for 20 years.

His only work 'History', he began to write during the war. Tendency to scientific understanding of the world allowed the historian to write a truthful book about the war, its horrors and sufferings of people, the tragic mistakes of politicians, which led to the needless deaths of young people of Athens. 'Genius of objectivity' named Thucydides not accidentally. His history of the Peloponnesian War is based on documents, personal impressions, which enabled him to give a true picture of war. In the 'Stories' Thucydides analyzed in detail the reasons and causes of war - conflict between Corinth and Athens because of Corfu, Halkidiki and Epidamna; sequentially, chronologically accurate to describe the events of the war. This is not typical of the ancient theological explanation of the lesions.

. Truly amazing creation of human thought makes 'History' 'direct speech' historical persons: Pericles, Kleena, Nicias, Alcibiades, and many others, she took a quarter of the works
. This method met and Herodotus, Thucydides but skill manifested in the fact that the 'speech' to reflect the true nature of people.

. Thucydides - thin analyst (his analysis so reliable, that to date information used by Thucydides in writing scientific papers and textbooks of history)
. Thus, the reasons for the defeat of Athens Thucydides explained by the fact that politicians put their own selfish interests above the interests of the state, committed fatal strategic and tactical errors. Perhaps the historian revealed only part of the causes and factors determining the eventual outcome of the Peloponnesian War.

Death prevented complete the work of Thucydides, a description of the events of the war brought to 410 g. BC. e. But the first time in the world of historiography attempted to write about the war objectively and impartially. Consequently, the 'History' of Thucydides is considered the top of ancient historiography. The writing was already appreciated in antiquity. Latest edition of the book of Thucydides was carried out at us in 1981