Historian Thucydides, father of historical criticism
Thucydides lived in the fifth century BC, around 460-400 BC. He is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, ancient historians. Thucydides chronicled the Peloponnese War, which took place between the two largest powers in Greece, Athens and Sparta, from 431 to 404 BC. He participated in this war, but he failed in a military mission, so he was removed from his position and expelled from the city of Athens to live in Thrace for 20 years. Thucydides decided to record the news of those wars, so he visited the sites of military battles to see closely the role of natural factors that played an important role in them. The victory of this or that party. He was also looking for people who participated in the battles to ask them about what they saw, but he did not take everything he heard, but rather clarified the matter until he verified the accuracy of the news.
It can be said that with Thucydides and with the book The Peloponnesian War, the method or methodology arose, as well as the intelligence of the historian. In other words, criticism arose, criticism of sources, and scientific research also arose.
After his death, Greek and Roman historians and intellectuals took up this book and it became very famous. Thucydides was called the father of historical criticism. Thucydides lived in the second half of the fifth century BC, when Greek thought began to take realistic steps, moving away from imagination and relying on intellectual foundations used Logical sciences as a means to reach real goals.
Historical writing in the ancient world
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