In the opening book of his seminal work, Thucydides lays the groundwork for his detailed chronicle of the Peloponnesian War, a brutal conflict between Athens and Sparta. Known for his rigorous approach to historical accuracy, Thucydides explores the causes of the war, key political maneuvers, and the underlying tensions between the Greek city-states. His analysis provides timeless insights into power, politics, and human nature.

Thucydides (c. 460-395 BCE) was a Greek historian dubbed the father of "scientific history" because of his strict standards of evidence-gathering and analysis of cause and effect without reference to intervention by the gods.