THUCYDIDES, (Lat., from Gk. 0outa31371s, Thoukydides) ( ?-c.399 n.c.). A fa mous Greek historian, son of Olorus and Ilegesipyle, born in the Attic deme Halimus. The date of his birth is unknown, but was cer tainly not earlier than B.C. 470 no• later than 454. Conservative opinion now favors a date near the latter year. By descent he belonged to an ancient aristocratic family on one side, and on the other was connected with a line of Thracian princes. From this Thracian side of his family lie possessed gold mines in Thrace opposite the island of Thasos. He was well educated; tradition says that he was the pupil of Antiphon and Anaxagoras. In politics he favored the aristo cratic party, but his views are all marked by moderation and fairness. When the Peloponne sian War broke out, Thucydides was of an age to enable him to discern the importance of the contest and to form plans for recording its course and result. In 424 he was appointed to command a portion of the fleet off the Thracian coast, and in the same year he failed to ar rive in time to relieve Amphipolis, which was be sieged by Brasidas. For this failure he was con demned to death for treason, but left Athens and lived the next twenty years in exile. This period he spent partly on his estates in Thrace and partly without doubt in examination of the scenes of the war in Italy and Sicily. He also resided for a time at the Court of King Archelaus in Alacedonia. After the defeat of the Athenians and the restoration of the democracy in 403, Thucydides was recalled from exile. His death apparently took place about 399. Thucydides's history, which covers twenty-one years of the Peloponnesian War, was not completed by him; it breaks off in the middle of the year 41]. It is also evident that the last book did not receive its final form, but there is no reason to doubt that it comes from his hand. The present di vision into eight books was not made by the author, but by later grammarians.
Thucydides is now regarded by all as the first critical historian and the greatest historian of antiquity. Be brought to his undertaking a prac tical acquaintance with politics and military science, his natural endowments fitted him to pass impartial judgment on the events that he narrates, and he emphasizes more than once the care with which he endeavored to find out the truth. Ilis sources were for the main part ob
tained by personal observation or by questioning those who had been upon the ground ; but for the earlier period he depended upon his predeces sors. His purpose being to narrate the war, he clung closely to his subject and made few digres sions, so that we have to regret that he has noth ing to say of literature, art, or the conditions of the people. But the military movements of the time are portrayed with a vividness which has never been equaled. In form, his history is strict ly annalistic. the account being given by summers and by winters, so that his work suffers from his failure to group events effectively. His style is the older Attic. His periods are not polished or rounded out, and in his effort after brevity he often makes his meaning obscure and hard to reach. Yet his style was greatly admired in an tiquity, and became the model of many historians in the following centuries. In his characteriza tion of the leaders in the struggle between Athens and Sparta he was most successful, and fre quently employs with great skill speeches which he puts into their mouths. Of critical editions the most important are by Bekker (3 vols., Ber lin, 1821) ; Haase (Paris, 1846) ; Nude (2 vols., Leipzig, 1898-1901). There are annotated edi tions by Thomas Arnold (3 vols., 3d ed., Oxford, 1847-54) ; Bloomfield (2 vols., London, 1842 43) ; Kruger (2 vols., 3d ed., Berlin. 1861) ; and Classen (8 vols., Berlin, 1862-78; frequently re edited). English translations have been made, single volumes of the Classen edition, by Morris, Fowler, and Smith for the College Series of Greek Authors (Boston). The editions of single books are very numerous. Consult, also: the Lexicon, Thucyclidcuni by 136tant (Geneva, 1843) ; Index Thucydidcus by Von Essen (Berlin, 1887). The best English translations of the history are by Bloomfield (3 vols., London, 1629) ; Dale, in the Bohn Classical Library; and Jewett, with introduction and historical notes (2 vols., Lon don, 1881; Boston. 1883). On the speeches see Wilkins's translation (3d ed., London, 1881), and Jebb's essay in Abbott's Hcllenica (London, 1880).