Thucydides was an Athenian historian born around 460 BCE [1]. The son of Olorus, he possessed Thracian mining wealth and served as a general in 424 BCE during the Peloponnesian War [1][2]. His failure to defend Amphipolis resulted in a twenty-year exile, which allowed him to gather information from both sides of the conflict with greater impartiality [1][2]. He likely returned to Athens after 404 BCE and died sometime after 400, leaving his great work unfinished [1][2].

His sole surviving work is the History of the Peloponnesian War (Ἱστορίαι), an unfinished account in eight books covering the conflict from its origins to 411 BCE [1][2][3].

Thucydides is considered the founder of scientific history, establishing a new standard for accuracy and critical evidence by rejecting myth and divine causation in favor of analyses of human nature and political power [1][2][3]. His rigorous method and insights into political rhetoric, power dynamics, and the psychology of war have made his history a foundational text in historiography, political theory, and international relations [1][2].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Thucydides): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/thucydides/ 2. Encyclopædia Britannica (Thucydides): https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thucydides-Greek-historian 3. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Thucydides): https://iep.utm.edu/thucydi/