Thucydides - History of the Peloponnesian War : Books III - V

A Companion to the Penguin Translation of Books III - V of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War with Introduction and Commentary by N. K. Rutter.

Thucydides boasted that his account of the Peloponnesian War between the Athenians, the Spartans and their respective allies was "a possession for ever." Certainly, his work is no bare chronicle of events. It explores themes of lasting significance concerning relations between states and political behaviour withing states, under the severe stresses of a long war. "Books III-V," covering the years 428 to 416 B.C., contain some of Thucydides' finest narratives and analyses, whether he is exposing tyrannical and cynical behaviour on both sides of the conflict, the horrors of civil strife, or the manipulation of a sovereign citizen-assembly by an unscrupulous politician.

This commentary elucidates for non-Greek speakers the historical and literary aspects of an account that has always been regarded as a supreme example of historical writing.