It’s an Old Story, but a New History of the Peloponnesian War

Demetrios Liappas

The title of Lawrence A. Tritle’s book begs the question: Do we really need a new history of the Peloponnesian War? The answer, sadly, is that we do. Despite loud proclamations to the contrary, the end of history has not yet arrived, so our generation too needs to revisit Thucydides’ classic text to throw a light on our priorities and concerns. This A New History of the Peloponnesian War does not, of course, aim to replace Thucydides’ book. In the original, the canvas is huge, the dramatic levels intense and the personalities bigger than life. Thucydides lived well beyond the end of the war (404 B.C.) but his history ends abruptly with the events of 411/410 B.C. His is a difficult work to read as even a cursory comparison of many translations would attest.

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March 17, 2011