It is a truth universally acknowledged that Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War is one of the greatest history books of all time. In this eight-week course we will read this book and discuss the features of it that interest us in an attempt to reach two ends. First, we want to understand the story that the historian presents. Second, we will analyze how he organizes his presentation so that we can learn as much as possible about the important lessons the war’s story offers — and thus makes his book great.

The Peloponnesian war was fought between the ascendant naval empire of democratic Athens and the traditional, land-based military oligarchy of Sparta, which had its own allies. It lasted from 431 to 404 BCE. When the war began, Athens was riding high on one of the most astonishing bursts of artistic, intellectual, and political creativity in human history. Thucydides was history’s representative in this surge. Sparta, in contrast, was a state almost exclusively focused on its army. Boys were separated from their families at a young age and trained as soldiers. A man’s highest goal was courageous service in battle.

Thucydides divided his book into eight sections. We will read one a week. Every week I will provide you with a roster of topics to think about. We will discuss these topics or any others you bring up to address the questions I suggested at the start.