Unlike Herodotus, Thucydides rejected telling crowd-pleasing stories and concentrated on the facts of important events . He avoided writing about myths, oracles, and superstitions. He recognized that even eyewitnesses could not always be reliable sources. In general, he tried hard to be accurate, fair, and unbiased.
How was Thucydides different from others?
Answer: His “History of the Peloponnesian War” set a standard for scope, concision and accuracy that makes it a defining text of the historical genre. Unlike his near-contemporary Herodotus (author of the other great ancient Greek history), Thucydides’ topic was his own time .
Why is Thucydides considered the father of history?
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 deities, as outlined in his introduction to his work.
What type of writing is Herodotus and Thucydides?
Herodotus and Thucydides are the first Greek historians credited for documenting history. Not only are Herodotus and Thucydides credited for writing the first accounts of ancient Greek history, but they each shaped the future of historical writing in their own unique ways.
What is Thucydides famous for?
Thucydides is the author of History of the Peloponnesian War , a sweeping contemporary account of the nearly three-decade conflict between Athens and Sparta for dominance of the Greek world. The eight-volume work is regarded as one of the finest works of history ever written.
Should I read Herodotus or Thucydides first?
Before Herodotus, the Greeks had no word for history in the sense of writing a narration of past events in prose. Therefore, the Roman writer Cicero was correct when he called Herodotus the “Father of History.” Herodotus may have been the first Western historian, but Thucydides was the first modern one .
What is Thucydides profession?
| Thucydides | Occupation Historian, general | Notable work History of the Peloponnesian War | Relatives Oloros (father) |
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Who is Herodotus and what is his significance?
Herodotus is undoubtedly the “Father of History .” Born in Halicarnassus in Ionia in the 5th century B.C., he wrote “The Histories.” In this text are found his “inquiries” which later became to modern scholars to mean “facts of history.” He is best known for recounting, very objectively, the Greco-Persian wars of the ...
What did Thucydides say about the Peloponnesian War?
In his opening lines, Thucydides says he wrote about the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, “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.” At the time, Athens was a great sea power with a democratic political ...
Who is the greatest historian of all time?
- — Henry Adams. (1838-1918) Collected works: 12+ ...
- — 170. Edward Gibbon. (1737-1794) ...
- — 213. Henry Buckle. (1821-1862) ...
- — 249. Herodotus. (484-425BC) ...
- — 349. Oswald Spengler. (1880-1936) ...
- — 527. Bede. (672-735) ...
- — 569. Thucydides. (460-395BC) ...
- — 611. Livy. (59BC-17AD)
Why is Thucydides important today?
To historians, for example, he is a vital source for ancient Greek history , but has also been seen as a model for history-writing in general; to political theorists, however, he is a pioneering political theorist, and the originator of ‘realist’ approaches to understanding political life.
What is meant by Thucydides Trap?
The Thucydides Trap, also referred to as Thucydides’ Trap, is a term popularized by American political scientist Graham T. Allison to describe an apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon.
How long does it take to read Herodotus?
The average reader will spend 15 hours and 53 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).
What is the philosophy of Herodotus?
Herodotus believes in divine retribution as a punishment of human impiety, arrogance, and cruelty , but his emphasis is always on human actions and character rather than on the interventions of the gods, in his descriptions of historical events.
Is Histories by Herodotus worth reading?
While it is undeniable that Herodotus makes some mistakes in his work, his Histories are generally reliable and scholarly studies in all disciplines concerning his work (from archaeology to ethnology and more) have continued to substantiate all of his most important observations.
Why did Sparta fight Athens?
The primary causes were that Sparta feared the growing power and influence of the Athenian Empire . The Peloponnesian war began after the Persian Wars ended in 449 BCE. ... This disagreement led to friction and eventually outright war. Additionally, Athens and its ambitions caused increasing instability in Greece.
