scipio_africanus's review against another edition
4.0
Had its ups and downs. Interesting at parts and a bit of a slog in others. Not as good as Herodotus in my opinion. One can appreciate what Thucydides was trying to do being true to history and trying to avoid myth and legend ETC. Still glad I read it and can cross it off the list.
eb00kie's review against another edition
4.0
Many thanks to the Gutenberg Project for the free ebook.
mora55's review against another edition
So technically I didn't read ALL of this (thank goodness) but I certainly read enough of it and spent enough TIME on it that I am going to mark it as read because it is my right.
It was so dense and I literally retained none of it except "plague". The lecturing professor would explain all these things and tell us about the "humor" and "irony" and I'd be like "whoa! totally didn't get that but maybe this isn't as dry and awful as I thought!" And then I'd go to read the next chunk of assigned reading and completely rescind that statement.
It was so dense and I literally retained none of it except "plague". The lecturing professor would explain all these things and tell us about the "humor" and "irony" and I'd be like "whoa! totally didn't get that but maybe this isn't as dry and awful as I thought!" And then I'd go to read the next chunk of assigned reading and completely rescind that statement.
puntifexmaximus's review against another edition
I've read sections in English and Greek over the years. It's some of the hardest Greek out there.
muhly22's review against another edition
4.0
Thucydides says early in his book that he intended to write a "possession for all time." Two words: Mission Accomplished.
One of the real treats is to read Herodotus prior to reading this book. Thucydides represents a radical break with the Greek (and Western) historical tradition that preceded him, and that's clear from a comparison of the two writers.
One of the downsides to the book is the way it suddenly drops off with about 7 years left to go in the war. You don't get to see the conclusion and eventual Spartan victory. But what he does give you is ridiculously detailed, and even in translation reads like a modern writer wrote it.
One of the real treats is to read Herodotus prior to reading this book. Thucydides represents a radical break with the Greek (and Western) historical tradition that preceded him, and that's clear from a comparison of the two writers.
One of the downsides to the book is the way it suddenly drops off with about 7 years left to go in the war. You don't get to see the conclusion and eventual Spartan victory. But what he does give you is ridiculously detailed, and even in translation reads like a modern writer wrote it.