The Cambridge Companion to Thucydides

Polly Low (University of Durham)

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English

Cambridge University Press
09 March 2023

Literary studies: classical, early & medieval; History; Ancient history: to c 500 CE; History of ideas

Series: Cambridge Companions to Literature

Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War is one of the earliest and most influential works in the western historiographical tradition. It provides an unfinished account of the war between Athens and her allies and Sparta and her allies which lasted from 431 to 404 BC, and is a masterpiece of narrative art and of political analysis. The twenty chapters in this Companion offer a wide range of perspectives on different aspects of the text, its interpretation and its significance. The nature of the text is explored in detail, and problems of Thucydides' historical and literary methodology are examined. Other chapters analyse the ways in which Thucydides' work illuminates, or complicates, our understanding of key historical questions for this period, above all those relating to the nature and conduct of war, politics, and empire. Finally, the book also explores the continuing legacy of Thucydides, from antiquity to the present day.

Edited by: Polly Low (University of Durham)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 227mm, Width: 151mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 600g
ISBN: 9781107514607
ISBN 10: 1107514606
Series: Cambridge Companions to Literature
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 09 March 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Introduction Polly Low; Part I. Context and Methods: 2. Establishing a new genre: Thucydides and non-historiographic memory Jonas Grethlein; 3. Thucydidean self-presentation Thomas Beasley; 4. Thucydides' use of evidence and sources P. J. Rhodes; 5. Rhetorical history: speeches in Thucydides Emily Greenwood; 6. Prolegomena to the Peloponnesian War: Thucydides Book 1 Jeffrey Rusten; 7. Time and foresight in Thucydides Rosaria Vignolo Munson; 8. Labouring for truth in Thucydides Elizabeth Irwin; Part II. Themes and Content: 9. Thucydides and war Jason Crowley; 10. Thucydides on empire and imperialism Polly Low; 11. Ethnicity in Thucydides Maria Fragoulaki; 12. Thucydides and leadership Sarah Brown Ferrario; 13. Thucydides on democracy and the others Ryan Balot; 14. Justice and morality in Thucydides Paul Woodruff; Part III. After Thucydides: 15. Thucydides in Greek and Roman historiography Luke Pitcher; 16. Thucydides in Byzantium Scott Kennedy and Anthony Kaldellis; 17. Thucydides in the Renaissance and Reformation Kinch Hoekstra; 18. Narrative of Thucydides and the nineteenth-century discipline of ancient history Alexandra Lianeri; 19. 'What really happened': varieties of realism in Thucydides' History Joel Alden Schloesser; 20. Translating Thucydides Jeremy Mynott.

Polly Low is a Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at Durham University. Her publications include Interstate Relations in Classical Greece (Cambridge, 2007) and (as editor) The Athenian Empire (2008).

Reviews for The Cambridge Companion to Thucydides

'The chapters of the Companion are informative, concise (about fifteen pages), well written, and accessible to non-specialists. In addition to the lengthy general bibliography, each essay includes a discursive Further Reading section. The volume also includes an index locorum and a subject index. All of these features make The Cambridge Companion to Thucydides a desirable addition to libraries, including (given its reasonable price) private libraries.' Paula Debnar, Histos: The Online Journal of Ancient Historiography '... assembles engaging and valuable essays from an impressive list of contributors in the fields of classics, ancient history, and political theory ... this volume is an excellent, accessible place to start in understanding the richness of Thucydides's work ... Recommended.' J. D. Lyons, Choice