Reference to the history of Greece before the Peloponnesian War. The political situation. Causes and pretexts of the war. The events in Epidamnos and Potidaea. The conferences of Sparta.

Thucydides was born between 460 and 455 BC in the deme of Alimonas to a wealthy family. His youth coincided with the period of Athenian greatness. The most reliable information about his life is provided by him in his work. He was a general of the Athenians in Amphipolis, and after its conquest by the Spartans, he was exiled for twenty years (424-404 BC). During this time, he lived on the estates he owned in Thrace, but also traveled to gather or verify information for his writing.

He returned briefly to Athens after the destruction of 404, and died shortly after that year, unknown where, likely from a violent death. His work, the account of the war between Athens and Sparta, is closely linked to the intellectual and political climate of the time. Completely devoted to the principle of established truth, his writing is objective and reliable.

The narrative becomes particularly vivid with the orations, which occupy about one-fifth of his work, written in direct and fairly condensed speech.

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