Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War

Understanding the history of Athens in the all important years of the second half of the fifth century BC is largely dependent on the legacy of the historian Thucydides. Historical studies tend to assess Thucydides' account as infallible. George Cawkwell challenges that received wisdom, advancing original and controversial views of Thucydides' account of the Peloponnesian War; his misrepresentation of Alcibiades and Demosthenes; his relationship with Pericles; and his views on the Athenian Empire. Cawkwell's comprehensive and accessible analysis of Thucydides and his historical writings is persuasive, and is an immensely valuable addition to the scholarship and criticism of a rich and popular period of Greek history.