Sources for Thucydides

Thucydides's main source of information was his own eyewitness accounts of the events of the Peloponnesian War, which he recorded in his history. However, he also drew on a variety of other sources, including:

  • Oral histories: Thucydides interviewed people who had participated in the war, including soldiers, generals, and politicians. He also collected stories from people who had witnessed the war firsthand.
  • Written documents: Thucydides consulted a variety of written documents, including treaties, laws, decrees, and speeches. He also used poetry and other works of literature to learn more about the war.
  • Archaeological evidence: Thucydides visited many of the battlefields and other sites of the war. He also examined artifacts, such as weapons and armor, to learn more about the war.

Thucydides was a careful and critical historian. He weighed the evidence carefully and tried to be objective in his account of the war. He also tried to understand the motivations of the people involved in the war and to explain the causes and consequences of the war.

Thucydides's history is a valuable source of information about the Peloponnesian War. It is also a classic work of history that continues to be studied by scholars today.

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