Thucydides: The Peloponnesian War Book II

The second book of Thucydides’ history is of particular literary interest, containing as it does such important sections as the funeral oration, the account of the plague at Athens and the obituary of Pericles. Professor Rusten’s commentary aims to assist the students to learn to read Thucydides. It scrutinises not only the standard historical context but also the literary and philosophical one, and devotes special attention to the exceptionally complex structures and techniques of language which make Thucydides the most difficult as well as most profound of ancient historians. The introduction surveys biographical interpretations of the text, suggests a new approach to fictive elements in the speeches, and sketches the chief features of Thucydidean style. This edition is intended primarily as a textbook for undergraduates and students in the upper forms of schools (both introduction and commentary are meant to be accessible even to less advanced students of Greek), but any Greek scholar will find it rewarding.

List of maps; Preface; Introduction; Commentary; Appendix; Bibliography; Addenda; Indexes.

‘Never before has the reader had explained to him with such clarity and penetration exactly what Thucydides’ Greek means and why … Rusten’s treatment of the Funeral Speech … is a tour de force … For those who want really to get to grips with Thucydides’ language and are qualified to do so, Rusten is indispensable.’

– JACT Review