The Landmark Thucydides
an illustrated, commentated, and revised edition of the Richard Crawley Translation (1874)
edited by Robert B. Strassler

Aging Ancient Greek Crime History (non-USA) Language and Linguistics Natural History Philosophy Political Science Psychology USA Modern History

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Homer's "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey": A Biography by Alberto Manguel The War That Killed Achilles: The True Story of Homer's Iliad and the Trojan War by Caroline Alexander

The Landmark Thucydides, an illustrated, commentated, and revised edition
of the Richard Crawley Translation (1874) edited by Robert B. Strassler

A 700-page book that updates Crawley's classic translation and that supplements the translation with essays, maps, annotations, and other supportive material.

Topic: the Peloponnesian War, describing the 27 years of warfare between Athens and Sparta, from 431 B.C.E. to 411 B.C.E.

Contents:

• Introduction (Victor Davis Hanson).

• Editor's note, including explanation of maps (including use of locator maps and inset maps), footnotes, and running headers, which all augment Thucydides' text.

• Calendar.

• The eight books of Thucydides' text.

• Epilogue (by Strassler) explaining that Thucydides' text breaks off in the middle of year 411 B.C.E. and thus omits related events going forward. Strassler gives a concise history up to 331 B.C.E. "when Alexander — known to use as Alexander The Great — began to rule over both Greece and Persia".

• A vitally useful "Theaters of Operation in the Peloponnesian War" (20 pages), tying the paragraphs of text to the locations of action.

• The power-house of background material is the set of essays by experts that appear in the Appendices; start by dipping into which ever of these have topics of special interest:
  1. The Athenian Government in Thucydides.
  2. The Athenian Empire in Thucydides.
  3. Spartan Institutions in Thucydides.
  4. The Peloponnesian League in Thucydides.
  5. The Persians in Thucydides.
  6. Land Warfare in Thucydides.
  7. Trireme Warfare in Thucydides. [Particularly fascinating!] Author: Nicolle Hirschfield.
  8. Dialects and Ethnic Groups in Thucydides.
  9. Religious Festivals in Thucydides.
  10. Classical Greek Currency in Thucydides.
  11. Calendars and Dating Systems in Thucydides.

• Glossary

• Bibliography of Ancient Sources.

• Concise Bibliography of Modern Sources.

• Acknowledgements.

• Index.x

• Reference Maps.

See also

• Homer's "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey": A Biography by Alberto Manguel. [Much preferable to the Hanson/Heath whining Who Killed Homer?.]
• Learn Ancient Greek:
  • Greek I: Introduction to Ancient Greek.
  • Greek II: The Saga Continues in Ancient Greek.
  • Greek III: in Ancient Greek.
• Other books on Ancient Greek and Greece (for NaNoWriMo 2007 project).
• Pilgrims and Pilgrimage in Ancient Greece.
• Who Killed Homer? the Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom
  by Victor Davis Hanson and John Heath.
• Who Killed Homer? book list.

Timeline of Foundations of Western Civilization.

See:

• Timeline of Foundations of Western Civilization from lectures by Thomas F.X. Nobel
• Lectures by Thomas F.X. Nobel from the Teaching Company.

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Copyright © 2010-2012 by J. Zimmerman (except for quotations).

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