Thucydides
460 BCE – 400 BCE Greek historian
The historian of the Peloponnesian War and founder of scientific history.
- Religion
- Greek polytheism in name, but his history seeks human, not divine, causes.
- Affiliations
- An Athenian general before exile. No secret society.
Thucydides wrote a rigorous account of the war between Athens and Sparta, insisting on evidence and cause over myth. He analyzed power, fear, and self-interest with a cold clarity that still guides political thought. His work is a foundation of international relations and realist theory.
Connections
- influenced Herodotus — Thucydides wrote in reaction to Herodotus, favoring strict factual method.