Thucydides and Pindar: Historical Narrative and the World of Epinikian Poetry

Thucydides and Pindar: Historical Narrative and the World of Epinikian Poetry

Simon Hornblower argues for a relationship between Thucydides and Pindar not so far acknowledged in modern scholarship. He argues that ancient critics were right to detect stylistic similarities between these two great exponents of the "severe style" in prose and verse. In Part One he explores the background of epinikian poetry and athletics, the values shared by the two authors, and religion and colonization myths, and presents a geographically organized survey of Pindar's Mediterranean world, exploiting onomastic evidence. Part Two includes an analysis of Thucydides' account of the Olympic games of 420 BC; discussions of the four components of Thucydides' history in their relation to Pindar; statements of method, excursuses, speeches, and narrative, especially the Sicilian books; and a stylistic-literary comparison of Thucydides and Pindar. `Review from previous edition No one has ever written a book like this before. No one but Simon Hornblower could write such a book now.' TLS`The results are exhilarating and breathless. The reader is dragged not only all over Pindar and Thucydides but also in and out of a great deal of modern scholarship, whose virtues and vices are gently pointed out along the way.' TLS A masgisterial new study by one of the great Thucydides scholars alive Simon Hornblower is Professor of Classics and Ancient History at University College London.