The best books on learning ancient greek five books expert. Thucydides is the author of one of the earliest and most influential works in the history of political thought. Ben earley was a doctoral student on the bristol thucydides. Cameron is professor of greek and latin and director of the great books program at the university of michigan.
Greek and latin texts with facing vocabulary and commentary. I did a interesting experiment by reading several translations of thucydides at the same time i have a history degree so theres that. You will have to look up the occasional grammatical concept, which can be frustrating. Thucydides has 383 books on goodreads with 73279 ratings. This is the second volume of a threevolume historical and literary commentary on thucydides, the great fifthcentury bc greek historian. To benefit such an audience a grammatical commentary should untangle complicated syntax, point out idiomatic expressions, and offer some help with perplexing forms. Library of congress cataloginginpublication data cameron, h. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides. The state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war. This is the second volume of a threevolume historical and literary commentary on.
Chapter i the state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war between the peloponnesians and the athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it. Thucydides melian dialogue provides text, commentary and vocabulary for book v, chapters 84116 of the histories. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of scientific history due to his strict standards of evidence. His commentary authoritatively accounts for the last one hundred years of evolving grammatical and linguistic theory as they apply to the seminal work of thucydides. A commentary on thucydides hardcover simon hornblower. Thucydides book 1 summary the peloponnesian war an. This is the first volume of a twovolume historical and literary commentary on the eight books of thucydides, the great fifthcentury b. For elegance, i recommend the 1998 translation by steven lattimore. Annotated and illustrated, focus classical commentarys thucydides reader contains passages from books iviii of the histories with introductory material, commentary, and grammatical notes for each. Introduction thucydides cambridge university press. The rise of the athenian empire from thucydides book i. Thucydides or whoever the author may be had never read a greek grammar. The older school commentaries, as my students found, were distressingly stingy with grammatical help.
The work is a mixture of realia, grammatical commentary often. A students grammatical commentary has 2 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. Camerons commentary is sure to be useful to any student trying to make sense of thucydides grammar. Once the grammatical labyrinth is understood, the student should be urged to retranslate into smoother english prose. To benefit such an audience a grammatical commentary. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book i. Cameron the university of michigan press ann arbor. Thucydides divides his history into summers and winters, thus. The national endowment for the humanities provided support for entering this text. The first book of thucydides is a compact masterpiece. Thucydides book i the university of michigan press.
Mar 15, 2012 an annotated and illustrated thucydides reader containing passages from books iviii of the histories with introductory material for all eight books of the histories, commentary and grammatical notes. He carefully crafted a story that he wanted the audience to accept. This study guide consists of approximately 49 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of history of the peloponnesian. Offers a better way to read thucydides through the explanation of grammar and a. This is the first volume of a twovolume historical and literary commentary on the eight books of. Minos is the first to whom tradition ascribes the possession of a navy. At the beginning of the war, athens controlled a vast maritime empire. The rise of the athenian empire, from thucydides, book i. Id read so many pages in one translation and switch to another. A students grammatical commentary, by howard don cameron, nowadays, will certainly not force you to consistently purchase in the establishment offline. Thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war between the peloponnesians and the athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war, and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it. His commentary authoritatively accounts for the last.
This is all that thucydides wrote about his own life, but a few other facts are available from. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book i, chapter 4. The audience of this commentary comprises firsttime readers of thucydides, by which cameron means seniors and graduate students preface. Volumes iiiii paged continuously the ten years war books iiiii and. The peloponnesian war was a chaotic, messy conflict between athens and sparta that dragged on for nearly 30 years. This valuable commentary addresses the most famous part of thucydidess narrative. Cameron is a renowned expert in greek and comparative grammar and has written this handbook for all levels of classical students and scholars. Cameron assumes everyone has smyths greek grammar at hand, which is unreasonable. What is the best translation of the peloponnesian war by. Through a comparative analysis of the multiple renderings of book 1. This valuable commentary addresses the most famous part of. Dec 07, 2016 contrary to mcphersons assessment, thucydides has to be read more critically rather than accepted as trustworthy. Thus the winter ended, and with it ended the fifth year of this war, of which thucydides was the historian.
Said to have taken lessons in oratory from antiphon of rhamnos, the inventor of oratory and there are some signs. This book is a standard text for any college course in reading thucydides in greek. Pharrformatted platos philebus now available as pdf and on amazon. In undertaking this life, lots of people consistently attempt to do and get the most effective. A handbook to the reception of thucydides wiley online library. The number of people who can understand the whole of thucydides can easily be counted, and there are parts of it not even these can manage without a grammatical commentary. At last, a commentary that allows the student of greek to approach thucydides as a great historical author and as a bold prose stylist, rather than as a cryptographic puzzle.
Sheets, herodotus book 1 bryn mawr classical commentaries. His commentary authoritatively accounts for the last one hundred years of evolving grammatical and linguistic theory as they apply to the. Page 387 olorus, the author of this history, who was at thasos, a parian colony, about a halfdays sail from amphipolis, and urged him to come to their aid. The format of the major section of the text prints portions of the text.
He made himself 1 master of a great part of what is now termed the hellenic sea. Reading selections of herodotus, thucydides, and xenophons hellenika to help students increase their understanding of classical greek historical prose. History of the peloponnesian warbook 3 wikisource, the. A students grammatical commentary, by howard don cameron. He hoped his massive narrative would be a possession for all. As kagan reveals in his book after a lifetime of study of the long war between the greeks, our man thucydides was human after all. Each student will be assigned a selection of scholarly articles and books to read about a particular topic on thucydides or the peloponnesian war e. Sheets, herodotus book 1 bryn mawr classical commentaries david asheri, alan lloyd, aldo corcella, a commentary on herodotus books iiv oup 2011.
Aug 22, 2019 i did a interesting experiment by reading several translations of thucydides at the same time i have a history degree so theres that. Thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war between the peloponnesians and the athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war, and more worthy. The format of the major section of the text prints portions of the text on the top of the righthand page, commentary for that portion below, and vocabulary for the portion on the lefthand page. Thucydides, book vi, from the text of bekker, with notes chiefly grammatical and explanatory. Cameron thucydides book i students grammatical commentary. A student s grammatical commentary university of michigan press, 2003. Annotated and illustrated, focus classical commentarys thucydides reader contains passages from books iviii of the histories with introductory material, commentary, and grammatical notes for each of the eight books. Cameron thucydides book i students grammatical commentary free ebook download as pdf file. Speeches play an important role in thucydides history, but remember. Classen 180591 did two or more editions of each volume of his eightvolume commentary on thucydides. Best known for his account of the peloponnesian war, thucydides c. A students grammatical commentary, by howard don cameron, nowadays. Thucydidess melian dialogue and sicilian expedition. A students grammatical commentary is an attractive book, with fonts easy on the eye.
Id read so many pages in one translation and switch to. Chapter i the state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war thucydides, an athenian, wrote the history of the war between the peloponnesians and the athenians. But how can caesars commentary on batde benefit modern students. It was written by thucydides, an athenian historian who also served as an athenian general during. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war is a key text in the.
Or are these books almost companions to the grammar books that youve cited. The history of the peloponnesian war the internet classics. A commentary on thucydides simon hornblower oxford. Sep 30, 2003 at last, a commentary that allows the student of greek to approach thucydides as a great historical author and as a bold prose stylist, rather than as a cryptographic puzzle. An annotated and illustrated thucydides reader containing passages from books iviii of the histories with introductory material for all eight books of the histories, commentary and. Chapter xii seventh year of the war occupation of pylos surrender of the spartan army in sphacteria next summer, about the time of the corns coming into ear, ten syracusan and as many locrian vessels sailed to messina, in sicily, and occupied the town upon the invitation of the inhabitants. An easytoreference, complete glossarynew to the second editionis also included. A students grammatical commentary has 2 available editions to buy at half price. My commentary regularly refers to the unabridged lexicon of liddell, scott, and jones to. Thucydidess most popular book is history of the peloponnesian war. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides, part of the internet classics archive. Offers a better way to read thucydides through the explanation of grammar and a glimpse into the history of classical scholarship. Commentary by thucydides 1989, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. This study guide consists of approximately 49 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more.
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