This stimulating new study provides a narrative of the monumental conflict of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, and examines the realities of the war and its effects on the average Athenian.



A penetrating new study of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta by an established scholar
Offers an original interpretation of how and why the war began
Weaves in the contemporary evidence of Aristophanes in order to give readers a new sense of how the war affected the individual
Discusses the practicalities and realities of the war
Examines the blossoming of culture and intellectual achievement in Athens despite the war
Challenges the approach of Thucydides in his account of the war