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Thoukydidou peri tou Peloponnēsiakou Polemou Biblia Oktō = Thucydidis de Bello Peloponnesiaco Libri Octo

by Thucydides

Thucydides has gone down in history as one of the best ancient historians, despite the fact that, and possibly even because, he only wrote one book: History of the Peloponnesian War. He was born sometime between 460 and 455BCE, and served as a general in 424BCE. He likely died around 400 BCE. ^[1] The History consists of eight books roughly divided into five parts or themes which cover the war between Athens and Sparta (431-404BCE) until the winter of 441/410BCE. Continuations by other historians to complete Thucydides’ history of the war are now lost, and the original portions of the eight books are also not complete. ^[2]

Thucydides intended his history to be used throughout the ages as a guide for future and an instructive and accurate record of what he viewed as the most important war thus far in Greek history. In 424, as a general or strategos, Thucydides failed to save the valuable Athenian colony of Amphipolis from Spartan attack. As a result, he was exiled and did not return to Athens until 404BCE. His absence from the bulk of the actual action of the Peloponnesian War inspired him to utilize his somewhat unbiased view “to gain first-hand information from both sides and to have a clearer perspective.” ^[3] Though Thucydides strived for “exactness,” he also used a great many speeches in his history, and admits himself that it was near impossible to have fully accurate speeches. In these situations alone, Thucydides allowed himself to trust his “historical imagination” in order to dramatically demonstrate “the workings of men’s minds and the impact of circumstance.” ^[4] His focus on accuracy is seen through the lack of divine explanations for any events, though his impartiality has been questioned especially in reference to his favorable view of Pericles and unjustifiably negative depiction of Cleon. Overall, the serious nature of the writing illuminates Thucydides’ focus on historical fact and analysis. ^[5]

Thoukydidou peri tou Peloponnēsiakou Polemou Biblia Oktō
Title page from Thoukydidou peri tou Peloponnēsiakou Polemou Biblia Oktō, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary.
Author	Thucydides
Editor	{{{editor}}}
Translator	{{{trans}}}
Published	Amstelædami: Apud R. & J. Wetstenios & Gul. Smith.
Date	1731
Edition	{{{edition}}}
Language	Ancient Greek
Volumes	{{{set}}} volume set
Pages	940
Desc.	{{{desc}}}
Location	[[Shelf {{{shelf}}}]]
	[[Shelf {{{shelf2}}}]]

Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library

Listed in the Jefferson Inventory of Wythe's Library as [Th]ucydides Gr. Lat. notis variorum. Dukeri fol. This was one of the titles kept by Thomas Jefferson and later sold to the Library of Congress in 1815. Both George Wythe's Library^[6] on LibraryThing and the Brown Bibliography^[7] list the 1731 edition published in Amsterdam. This is also the edition Millicent Sowerby's included in Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson,^[8] however, Jefferson's copy no longer exists. The Wolf Law Library chose to add the edition suggested by Sowerby, Brown, and LibraryThing.

Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy

Bound in contemporary blind-stamped Dutch vellum with spine lettered in ink. Engraved frontispiece and 2 folded plates with title-page in red and black. Contains ownership inscriptions to the front flyleaf. Purchased from Blackwell's Rare Books ABA.

View this book in William & Mary's online catalog.

External Links

Google Books

References

1. ↑ "Thucydidēs" in Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World, ed. by John Roberts (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007).
2. ↑ Ibid.
3. ↑ "Thūcy'didēs” in The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, ed. by M.C. Howatson (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).
4. ↑ "Thucydidēs"
5. ↑ "Thūcy'didēs”
6. ↑ LibraryThing, s. v. "Member: George Wythe," accessed on November 19, 2013, http://www.librarything.com/profile/GeorgeWythe.
7. ↑ Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433
8. ↑ E. Millicent Sowerby, ""Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson 2nd ed. (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1983), 1:8 [no.15].