This man has to be admired for his realistic concepts of why and how wars are declared. His impartiality and evidence gathering included the true analysis of all wars. It completely avoids any reference to social conditions or state policies and places the blame for wars on the nature of man and not influences outside of human behavior – like, ‘the gods made me do it’. His reports have stark accuracy as he explains the true motives and beliefs about war. One of his most splendid passages is an account of Pericles’ funeral oration, in honor of the men who died in the first year of the Peloponnesian war.

It is speculated that Thucydides was influenced by the methods and thinking of early medical men like Hippocrates of Kos.

Thucydides (460-400 BC) was born in Alimos, south of Athens, and was the greatest of ancient historians. His family was partly Thracian.

As a general in the Peloponnesian war he failed (424 BC) to prevent the surrender of the city of Amphipolis to the Spartan commander, Brasidas, and for that he was exiled from Athens until the end of the war. But, he, vehemently, claimed it was not his fault. His exile, however, gave him the prime opportunity to become more acquainted with important Athenians and Spartans and thus acquired first hand information for his prime work, the history of the Peloponnesian War (411 BC). This marked the beginning of a new style of reporting events that gave more clarity and attention to facts. The outstanding feature of his writings was the impartiality with which he puts words into the mouths of important people to display their motives and beliefs about war. Thucydides understood human nature well, enabling him to explain how humans behave in crises such as plagues, massacres, and civil war.

Not much is known about his personal life excepting that he briefly does mention in his writings his nationality, birthplace, and his parent’s background. His father’s name was Olorus, a name that was connected with Thracian royalty. He was related to General Miltiades, a leader of the old aristocracy before it was replaced by democracy. Thucydides’ family owned a large estate in Thrace that contained gold mines. That prosperity created ties with important people like chieftains and kings.  As a child of 10, or 12, his father took him to the agora where they listened to a lecture by Herodotus, a historian of note. Thucydides was so impressed, so moved by the account he heard that he had to approach Herodotus and he spoke with him, praising and lauding him on so wonderful an oration. Approaching his father, Herodotus told him, “Olorus, take notice. Your son yearns for knowledge.”

In his exile, Thucydides, returned to Thrace and with his ample income he was able to concentrate full time on his writings on history and do research that included trips in which he reported many facts previously unknown to the general public. Although well connected, he resented his exile and funded his own investigations. According to Pausanias someone named Oenobius had passed a law allowing Thucydides to return to Athens when the war ended on 404 BC. His reporting also gives an account of Thucydides’ murder on his way back to Athens, where his tomb was placed near the Melite Gate. This cannot be considered as fact since there is evidence that he lived as late as 397 BC or later. Tradition has it that Polemon, an Athenian philosopher and geographer, had asserted that he discovered a tomb erected in Thrace  on Thucydides’ cousin, Cimon’s family plot. So, there is no clear evidence on where or how his life ended. Like his predecessor, Herodotus, known as ‘the father of history’, Thucydides placed high value on eyewitness accounts, including his own experiences as a general in the war. He, especially, did not acknowledge divine intervention in any human affairs, recognizing that democracy needed proper leadership, since the wrong leadership can be dangerous to democracy.

It is said that Thucydides was so touched, so affected by the violence war inevitably brings, like the atrocities that occurred in Corcyra (probably Kerkira) it moved him to create the phrase, “war is a violent teacher” (πόλεμος βίαιος διδάσκαλος). Wouldn’t it be wonderful if today’s leaders, worldwide, would adopt the same thinking?