The Reception of Thucydides

The work of Thucydides of Athens, the History of the Peloponnesian War, was written in the fifth century BC. It was a product of the unique environment of Classical Age, describing the long military conflict between Athens and Sparta. It is recognized as a milestone in the development of historiography. From its first publication in antiquity, until the present day, the History constantly fascinates professional and layman readers alike. The book The Reception of Thucydides in the Theory and Practice of Hellenistic Historiography explores the significance of that work for the generations of historians and other authors in the Hellenistic age (323-31 BC), i.e. in the period that came right after the Classical Age. Until recently, classical scholars thought that the interest in Thucydides was minimal until the first century BC. This book argues that such view is an unjustified generalization. It is the first monograph that fully treats the question of the fate of the History in the Hellenistic world. The book is divided into six chapters. The first chapter provides a general introduction to the History and the question of its reception. Next, in the second chapter, all explicit evidence of the use of Thucydides from fourth century BC onwards is investigated in detail. Together with the papyrological evidence of his readership, this part aims at assessing the probable dissemination and popularity of the History in the period in question. Chapter three offers a fresh reading of the famous so-called methodological chapter, in which Thucydides defines the principles of his task as a historian. This forms a basis for the considerations that follow, namely how Hellenistic historians were potentially inspired by those principles. In chapter four, the remaining pieces of the special treatises about theory of historiography, wherever Thucydides is mentioned, are studied. Chapter five demonstrates that in antiquity certain parts of the History were highly regarded for their literary qualities and emotional force. Although Thucydides was celebrated for his sober and rational mind by modern readers, but it was not necessarily how he was seen by his ancient recipients. The last chapter is a conclusion and summary of the books findings. In sum, the book covers many facets of Thucydides reception in the Hellenistic age. It shows that Thucydides was neither rejected nor abandoned in those times, attracted great deal of readership and was highly valued in some circles of readers. With this book, both scholars and advanced students shall receive an absorbing survey of manifold aspects of Thucydides in particular, and of historical writing in the Hellenistic age in general.