The Peloponnesian War

Written around twenty-five centuries ago, this remains the seminal work of history, political science, man as he is, war, and diplomacy. The author expressly intended that it be “a work for all time,” and so it remains. Moreover, it serves still as an example of a civilization ruining itself, as Europe did in the Great War. Thus, it continues to warn.

I actually started to read Thucydides in Greek before I read all his work in English! But whether you do that or choose Martin Hammond’s lucid translation, this is a magnificent account of the terrible Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta and their rival political systems. Thucydides fought as a general on the Athenian side but was exiled by the democracy for a commanding an unsuccessful campaign. He used his new leisure time to write a work that he said was not designed to meet the taste of an immediate public but to last forever. He is an acute analyst… show more.

Widely regarded as the first detailed written account of a plague outbreak. Thucydides describes an infection that struck Athens in 430 BC -it may have been typhoid or Ebola. His description of the flailing of doctors in response, and of subsequent social disorder became a model for later writers. The plague was a big factor in Athens’ defeat by Sparta.