By any standard, the dominant theme of the text is a critical presentation of the history of the Peloponnesian war. Indeed, the tight focus on the war (coupled with a rigorous standard of investigation) is the very reason the text has persisted for two and a half thousand years. This theme is highlighted by several narrative components, including a strict and defined chronology, a neutral point of view, and a nearly complete discounting of supernatural causative agents. While Book One does consider a period of roughly fifty years prior to the outbreak of war, it retains a tight focus on political and military events which Thucydides deems contributing factors to the war—generally, the building of the Athenian empire and the Spartan response. Books Two through Eight are tightly focused on events in the.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 766 words. This
study guide contains 19,236 words (approx. 64 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our History of the Peloponnesian War Access Pass.
