What they would have liked best would have been to throw themselves into cold water; as indeed was done by some of the neglected sick, who plunged into the rain-tanks in their agonies of unquenchable thirst; though it made no difference whether they drank little or much. In most cases also an ineffectual retching followed, producing violent spasms, which in some cases ceased soon after, in others much later. The causes of the main Peloponnesian War need to be traced at least to the early 430s—the Great Gap period—although if Thucydides was right in his general explanation for the war, namely Spartan fear of Athenian expansion, the development of the entire… As for the first, they judged it to be just the same whether they worshipped them or not, as they saw all alike perishing; and for the last, no one expected to live to be brought to trial for his offences, but each felt that a far severer sentence had been already passed upon them all and hung ever over their heads, and before this fell it was only reasonable to enjoy life a little. Thucydides is considered the greatest ancient Greek historian and is the author of History of the Peloponnesian War, which details the 5th-century conflict between Athens and Sparta.His work was the first to record a history using "modern" methods and the first moral and political analysis of a country's war policies. The period demonstrates the inherent complexity in understanding the concept of strategy, a concept that remains devoid of a coherent, agreed, and universal … Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Suddenly falling upon Athens, it first attacked the population in Piraeus- which was the occasion of their saying that the Peloponnesians had poisoned the reservoirs, there being as yet no wells there- and afterwards appeared in the upper city, when the deaths became much more frequent. Many scholars investigating the war… A Wikipedia article about this author is available.. Thucydides, contrib. Athens’ defeat was perhaps the worst casualty in a war that crippled Greek military strength, and thus the most culturally advanced Greek state was brought into final eclipse. That year then is admitted to have been otherwise unprecedentedly free from sickness; and such few cases as occurred all determined in this. The State of Greece from the earliest Times to the Commencement of the Peloponnesian War Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote the history of the war between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, 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. : The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury (11 volumes; 1839-1845), by Thomas Hobbes, also contrib. Thucydides’s account of the Peloponnesian War provides for a range of lessons about the nature of strategy applicable to a wide audience. Thucydides & The Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War was a conflict between Athens and Sparta—the two leading ancient Greek city states—and their respective allies. His work was the first recorded political and moral analysis of a nation’s war policies. Gill is a Latinist, writer, and teacher of ancient history and Latin. 'The greatest historian that ever lived' Such was Macaulay's verdict on Thucydides (c. 460-400 BC) and his history of the Peloponnesian War, the momentous struggle between Athens and Sparta as rival powers and political systems that lasted for twenty-seven years from 431 to 404 BC, involved virtually the whole of the Greek world, and ended in the fall of Athens. These knew what it was from experience, and had now no fear for themselves; for the same man was never attacked twice- never at least fatally. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. This I can the better do, as I had the disease myself, and watched its operation in the case of others. This caused the greatest mortality. Updates? Why? Overview. Each stood at the head of alliances that, between them, included nearly every Greek city-state. Thucydides is on a roll these days. 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