The Peloponnesian War Charlton Griffin UNABRIDGED

The Peloponnesian War Vol. 1 pt1.mp3 - 68kbps - 7 hours 32 minutes 19 seconds - 222MB The Peloponnesian War Vol. 1 pt2.mp3 - 69kbps - 7 hours 14 minutes 32 seconds - 214MB The Peloponnesian War Vol. 2 pt1.mp3 - 68kbps - 5 hours 58 minutes 06 seconds - 174MB The Peloponnesian War Vol. 2 pt2.mp3 - 67kbps - 5 hours 31 minutes 16 seconds - 160MB Total 26 hours 16 minutes 15 seconds - 772MB Ripped from Audible.com, second-highest audio quality (not AAX format) Unabridged, narrated by Charlton Griffin, uses Benjamin Jowett's translation. Historians universally agree that Thucydides was the greatest historian who has ever lived, and that his story of the Peloponnesian conflict is a marvel of forensic science and fine literature. That such a triumph of intellectual accomplishment was created at the end of the fifth century B.C. in Greece is, perhaps, not so surprising, given the number of original geniuses we find in that period. But that such an historical work would also be simultaneously acknowledged as a work of great literature and a penetrating ethical evaluation of humanity is one of the miracles of ancient history. For in the pages of Thucydides we find examples of every ethical and political problem ever faced by democratic governments in the last 2,400 years. And it was all organized and written with a breathtaking skill and dramatic intensity which have never been equaled. In complete contrast to the furious passions which raged around him, Thucydides described events with a cool detachment and an absolute impartiality that is little short of miraculous. The Peloponnesian War is organized into eight parts ("books"). This recording uses the highly esteemed translation of Benjamin Jowett. There are several essays preceding and following the work. Volume 1 begins with a brief digression into early Greek history to set the stage on the eve of war. Thucydides explains how Athens came to be an imperial power and how the Peloponnesian confederacy, led by Sparta, became estranged. We learn how Sparta was dragged unwillingly into the conflict by Corinth in 431 B.C. and how Pericles set the strategy by which Athens was to conduct the war. We follow as the antagonists conduct raids, engage in shifting alliances, and devastate one another's territory. The plague at Athens and the Spartan disaster at Pylos are just a few of the highlights. Volume1 ends with the efforts of the brilliant Spartan general, Brasidas, in the full tide of success. If ever a tragedy of Olympian proportions could be ascribed to an historic event, it would surely be appropriate to use that term in relation to the great city state of Athens. John Ruskin referred to the Peloponnesian War as "the suicide of Greece". It is an apt phrase. For never in history has a community reached such sublime heights of civilized life only to plummet to ignominious defeat within a single lifetime. In one of the great coincidences of history, Thucydides was enabled to observe this event, and commit to paper the most accurate, dramatic, and beautifully expressive history that has yet been written...of his era, or any other. Volume 2 opens with the Spartans and Athenians pursuing their grim struggle. As the war continues to drain both sides materially and emotionally, a truce is finally arranged after the deaths of thousands, including the great Brasidas and Pericles. But the Athenians are persuaded by a young Alcibiades to launch an expedition against Syracuse in Sicily. In what has been hailed as the finest description of an historical event ever recorded, Thucydides provides posterity with a lucid and horrifying chronicle of the incredible folly and incompetence of the ill-fated Sicilian Expedition. When the magnificent Spartan general, Gylippus, slips into the besieged city of Syracuse, his mere presence tips the scales. Listen as the tragedy unfolds and Athens, reeling from the catastrophe, valiantly rebuilds her forces and continues the relentless struggle. In the face of odds that appear increasingly hopeless, Athens somehow finds the resolve to maintain the conflict. This audiobook uses Benjamin Jowett's translation.

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AndarielHalo (2011-04-22)

Forgot to add: This is an ACTUAL AUDIOBOOK of Thucydides' work, NOT a lecture or a work by another author.

wetmouse (2011-04-24)

Which means it will be incredibly boring unless you yourself are an incredible bore.

wetmouse (2011-04-24)

"Historians universally agree that Thucydides was the greatest historian who has ever lived."
That is the most ignorant statement I have ever read! Historians don't universally agree on anything. Thucydides was an important early historian - perhaps the most important, but his non-academic approach would get him kicked out of any first year history degree program in the Western World. Even a plagiarist like Stephen Ambrose was a better historian!

AndarielHalo (2011-04-24)

Why the hell are you commenting here if you think audiobooks are an incredible bore?

imbackagain0101 (2011-04-30)

get a life wetmouse!!!!!!!!!!