Thucydides, << thoo SIHD ih `deez,` >> a Greek historian of the 400’s B.C., is famous for his History of the Peloponnesian War. In this work, he describes a war between Athens and Sparta. The war took place from 431 to 404 B.C., but the History is unfinished and ends at 411 B.C.
Thucydides thought the war worth recording because, in his opinion, it was the greatest the Greeks had ever fought. He set out to produce an accurate, unbiased account of the war. He visited battlefields and talked to survivors from both sides. He also analyzed the underlying political causes of the war. Thucydides reported political speeches as a way of showing opposing viewpoints and reasons for certain actions. Many historians believe that he invented some of these speeches.
Scholars are not certain exactly when Thucydides was born and when he died. But they do know that Thucydides was a citizen of Athens, born into an aristocratic family. He fought in the Peloponnesian War and became a general. In 424 B.C., he was accused of failing to protect the city of Amphipolis and was banished from Athens. During his exile, he worked on his history. He returned from exile in 404 B.C.
