Favorite Ancient Historian

[Praxus]

I'm going with Polybius. He was perhaps the greatest writer of the history of the rise of the Roman (Republican) Empire.

I enjoyed reading most of the rest (or soon will enjoy) and the only one I didn't really enjoy reading was Thucydides, though I believe it has more to do with the dark topic he discussed, rather then his actual writing style.

[cape_royds]

Polybius is very good, but Thucydides is brilliant.

His account of the development of civil strife on Corcyra should be on everyone's reading list, since so much civil strife follows that pattern in all eras.

And the devastating ironies he puts in Pericles' mouth for the Funeral Oration are for all time. "Our city is an education for Greece..." And oh how Thucydides meant that history to be an education for the dear reader!

[cato]

Had the most fun reading Annabasis. +1+ for Thycydities, though. 2 words:Melian Diologue.
Cato

[Kansas Bear]

No Plutarch?

[astralis]

where's sima qian?

[Shek]

I voted for T-Diddy, although that's more because he's one of the more recent reads of mine among this group, and also because I am not well read in the classics as well - only a handful plus under my belt.

Of course, if you look at my signature, that vote shouldn't be a surprise ;)

[IDonT]

Another Eurocentric poll

[glyn]

Another Eurocentric poll

Which ancient American historian do you propose?

[astralis]

glyn,

well, doesn't necessarily need to be american- plenty of chinese and indian scholars, for example.

[glyn]

glyn,

well, doesn't necessarily need to be american- plenty of chinese and indian scholars, for example.

I'm sure that there are, but how many were as well placed to observe and record events as the more celebrated Greeks and Romans?

[RustyBattleship]

For a more contemporary historian I have to go with Harold Lamb. I have read all his books (paperbacks that were within budget) on The Crusades, Alexander the Great, Ghenghis Khan, Omar Khayam.

His style of writing history is writing it as a novel and not cut and dry facts and figures. Extremely easy AND enjoyable to read.

For example, in The Crusades, he explains how and why the German Crusaders adopted the black cross bordered in white. I always wondered where that came from.

[Thiseas]

Polybius is very good, but Thucydides is brilliant.

His account of the development of civil strife on Corcyra should be on everyone's reading list, since so much civil strife follows that pattern in all eras.

And the devastating ironies he puts in Pericles' mouth for the Funeral Oration are for all time. "Our city is an education for Greece..." And oh how Thucydides meant that history to be an education for the dear reader!

Thucydides is said to be the world's first war corresponted.
Herodotus was the world's first true historian.
He wrote the (HI) story of the world around him at the time.
And did so by traveling and see thinks by himself.
So i vote for the traveller :)

[IDonT]

I'm sure that there are, but how many were as well placed to observe and record events as the more celebrated Greeks and Romans?

Many...

You can start here.
Classic of History - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zhan Guo Ce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Records of the Grand Historian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Twenty-Four Histories - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

FYI..the Chinese have more surviving written historical records than in the Greco-Roman world.

Just because you do not know about it...does not mean they are not "celebrated".

[glyn]

.

Many...

You can start here.
Classic of History - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zhan Guo Ce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Records of the Grand Historian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Twenty-Four Histories - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

FYI..the Chinese have more surviving written historical records than in the Greco-Roman world.

But they do not go back as far.
Are you basing your views entirely on what Wiki has to say?

Just because you do not know about it...does not mean they are not "celebrated".

I recall that one Emperor had all books from earlier times burnt. They are lost to the world. They would almost certainly have contained much valuable information.

[IDonT]

But they do not go back as far.

Goes back further, to the Xia and Shang Dynasties (2100 BC)

Are you basing your views entirely on what Wiki has to say?

No..but they do conveniently put their sources on the page.

I recall that one Emperor had all books from earlier times burnt. They are lost to the world. They would almost certainly have contained much valuable information.

Some were lost, but few survive. That was one of worst travesties in ancient times, the burning of books. Same thing happened to the Library of Alexandria.

Also, new text are still being found that validates what was written or brings in new information.

Harvard Gazette: Ancient script rewrites history

AN intact version of the art of war was discovered in a tomb dated around 250 BC. The first group included 13 fragment chapters from Sunzi's The Art of War, and 5 undetermined chapters; the second group were the 16 chapters of Sun Bin's Art of War, which had been missing for at least 1,400 years; the third included the 7 original and lost chapters from the Six Strategies (before this significant find only the titles of the lost chapters were known); the fourth and fifth included 5 chapters from the Weiliaozi and 16 chapters from the Yanzi; the rest of the groups included anonymous writings.

There are also many other books that were destroyed in the Library of Alexandria that we only know the titles of. Hopefully, in the future, archaeology may rediscover them again.