The History of the Peloponnesian War is a history of war of two factions, one led by Athens, the other led by Sparta. It was written by a former Athenian general, Thucydides. The account of the war is generally considered a classic in large part because Thucydides took a very objective approach to his scholarship, in this respect, he might be considered the first historian. Here Donald Kagan analyses the war and the rise and fall of a great empire. For three decades in the fifth century b.c. the ancient world was torn apart bya conflict that was as dramatic, divisive, and destructive as the world wars of the twentieth century: the Peloponnesian War. Donald Kagan, one of the world’s most respected classical, political, and military historians, here presents a new account of this vicious war of Greek against Greek, Athenian against Spartan. The Peloponnesian War is a magisterial work of history written for general readers, offering a fresh examination of a pivotal moment in Western civilization. With a lively, readable narrative that conveys a richly |