The Essential Greek Historians

Includes an introduction, maps, and selections from Herodotus’ The Histories, Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, Xenophon’s The Hellenica, Aristotle’s The Constitution of Athens, The Parian Marble, Polybius’ The Histories, Memnon’s History of Heracleia, Plutarch’s Life of Alexander.

See the full Table of Contents on the www.hackettpublishing.com book title page.

‘Burstein’s The Essential Greek Historians is an excellent collection of texts representing the development of historiography in the ancient Greek world. Each text is presented in an engaging and readable translation, with an insightful introduction exploring the purposes behind its composition, the significance of its contribution to the growth of historiography as a literary genre, and the context in which its author thought and wrote. These texts include not only familiar favourites like Herodotus and Thucydides, but also sources such as The Parian Marble and Memnon’s History of Heracleia, which give a broader and richer view of the ways in which Greeks engaged with history. In one economical volume, Burstein has created an indispensable introduction to the historical thought of the ancient Greeks. No student of Greek historiography should be without it.’ - Erik Jensen, Salem State University