Thucydides' Mythistoricus

This volume is part of a series of key monographs on topics central to the study of the classical world. Thucycdides is often credited with being the father of "scientific history" and is seen as having produced a factual account of the Peloponnesian War, in contrast to the more anecdotal approach of previous writers. However, this volume comes to the conclusion that Thucydides' work is in fact an historical tragedy, a dramatised version of the facts. It begins with an analysis of Thucydides' account of the origin of the war, which he finds unsatisfactory. This book questions his feelings and comes to the conclusion that Thucydides view was suffused by a tragic view of human nature. This edition contains an introduction tracing the reception of the book, first published in 1907, along with a selection of relevant bibliography.