Thucydides and the Modern World: Reception, Reinterpretation and Influence from the Renaissance to the Present

Description

The ancient Greek historian Thucydides has had an enormous impact on modern historiography, political theory, international relations and strategic studies, but this influence has never been properly studied. This book brings together leading scholars from a range of disciplines to explore the different facets of Thucydides' modern reception and influence, from the birth of political theory in Renaissance Europe to the rise of scientific history in nineteenth-century Germany and the triumph of 'realism' in twentieth-century international relations theory. Its chapters consider the different national and disciplinary traditions of reading and citing Thucydides, but also highlight common themes and questions; in particular, the variety of images of the historian produced by his modern readers: the scientific historian or the artful rhetorician, the brilliant analyst of society and politics or the great narrator of political and military events, the man of experience and affairs or the man of contemplation and reflection.

Katherine Harloe is a lecturer in the Department of Classics at the University of Reading. Neville Morley is Professor of Ancient History in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Bristol.

'Some of these readings deserve a wider audience amongst classicists ... fascinating.' The Times Literary Supplement '... insightful ...' International Affairs '... a welcome contribution to our understanding of this Greek historian's place in the history of early modern political thought.' Erik De Bom, Renaissance Quarterly