WORLD HISTORY

HISTORY

ANCIENT GREECE

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Who is considered the greatest historian of the ancient world because he stressed the importance of accurate facts and left the gods out of explanations of events?
A
Socrates
B
Homer
C
Thucydides
D
Herodotus
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Thucydides has been dubbed the father of “scientific history” by those who accept his claims to have applied strict standards of impartiality and evidence-gathering and analysis of cause and effect, without reference to intervention by the gods, as outlined in his introduction to his work.

Detailed explanation-2: -One of the greatest ancient historians, Thucydides (c. 460 B.C.–c. 400 B.C.) chronicled nearly 30 years of war and tension between Athens and Sparta. His “History of the Peloponnesian War” set a standard for scope, concision and accuracy that makes it a defining text of the historical genre.

Detailed explanation-3: -Thucydides’ History teaches only by narrative, but it is a narrative that tells us more than the story of the Peloponnesian War. It tells us about man and politics in general. In this sense, Thucydides’ intention and practice go beyond those whom we today call historians.

Detailed explanation-4: -He believed that the lessons of history on human nature could only be appreciated through the study of war and politics. Thucydides himself was critical of Herodotus’ research interests and historical methods and he believed what Herodotus had produced was fiction rather than true history.

Detailed explanation-5: -Why is Thucydides important? Thucydides is the author of History of the Peloponnesian War, a sweeping contemporary account of the nearly three-decade conflict between Athens and Sparta for dominance of the Greek world. The eight-volume work is regarded as one of the finest works of history ever written.

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