Primary Source Analysis: History of the Peloponnesian War

          The author of the source was Thucydides. Thucydides was a wealthy Athenian general in the war. He lived through the Peloponnesian war, despite the plague that spread during that time, and eventually wrote a primary source book about the war itself. He was unbiased, and he only believed in rational thinking. Nothing supernatural interested him. It was in the year of 404 BC that the battle ended. During this time, the source was produced. Before the war started up until 10 years after it ended, he wrote his book. The plague that evolved continued to get worse and worse. This happened due to the fact that they were all so compacted together in a small area. They did this because they wanted to stay behind their wall to keep themselves protected from their enemies. It became very devastating to the people, causing numerous amounts of them to loose parts of their bodies in the process. If they weren't strong enough through holding up with the fever that followed, the enormous head ache, and anything else that came with it, then they died. Doctors at the time caught the plague faster than anyone else due to the fact of them trying to heal the sick. This source was created for any future generations coming after the time it was created. Because it was made during the time that it actually happened, it affects the reliability of it in a great deal. The reason the source was created in the first place was to give information for the future people, and give some details about everything that happened. Having been through this experience, and being a survivor through it all is an incredible thing. Letting the world know about it can help them get an idea of how and what the war was like and give further information. The main idea is to help people after his time understand better and know what happened during the war. In conclusion, Thucydides wrote this source to conclude information about events that he went through and what they were like.

"For my own part, I will deliver but the manner of it and lay open only such things as one may take his mark by to discover the same if it come again, having been both sick of it myself and seen others sick of the same."