在战争刚刚爆发的时候,雅典人修昔底德就开始写作伯罗奔尼撒人同雅典人之间战 争的历史著作,相信这次战争是一个伟大的战争,比过去曾经发生过的任何战争更 有叙述的价值。这是希腊人的历史中最大的一次骚动,同时也影响到大部分非 希腊人的世界,可以说,影响到了几乎整个人类。虽然对于远古时代,甚至对于我 们当代以前的历史,由于时间的遥远,我不能完全明确地知了,但是尽我的能力所 及,回忆过去,所有的证据使我得到一个结论:过去的时代,无论在战争方面,或 在其他方面,都不是伟大的时代。 Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote the history of the war between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war, and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it... Indeed this was the greatest movement yet known in history, not only of the Hellenes, but of a large part of the barbarian world--l had almost said of mankind. For though the events of remote antiquity, and even those that more immediately precede the war, could not from lapse of time be clearly ascertained, yet the evidences which an inquiry carried as far back as was practicable leads me to trust, all point to the conclusion that there was nothing on a great scale, either in war or in other matters• ࣁԩ౴ڟڟᆷݎጱ෸ײ҅ᵝَՈץคବ஛੪୏তٟ֋֢ᗔॷੰආՈݶᵝَՈԏᳵ౴ ԩጱܲݥ֢҅៪ፘמᬯེ౴ԩฎӞӻւय़ጱ౴ԩ҅ྲᬦ้݄ᕪݎኞᬦጱձ֜౴ԩๅ ํݓᬿጱհ؀̶……ᬯฎ૶ᚠՈጱܲݥӾ๋य़ጱӞེḾۖ҅ݶ෸Ԟ୽کߥय़᮱ړᶋ ૶ᚠՈጱӮኴ҅ݢզ᧔҅୽کߥԧپԒෆӻՈᔄ̶ᡱᆐ੒ԭᬱݘ෸դ҅ኜᛗ੒ԭ౯ ժ୮դզڹጱܲݥ҅ኧԭ෸ᳵጱ᭸ᬱ҅౯ӧᚆਠقกᏟࣈᎣԧ҅֕ฎੱ౯ጱᚆێಅ ݊҅ࢧ஡ᬦ݄҅ಅํጱᦤഝֵ౯஑کӞӻᕮᦞғᬦ݄ጱ෸դ҅෫ᦞࣁԩ౴ොᶎ҅౲ ࣁٌ՜ොᶎ҅᮷ӧฎւय़ጱ෸դ̶ • Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote the history of the war between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war, and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it. …Indeed this was the greatest movement yet known in history, not only of the Hellenes, but of a large part of the barbarian world--I had almost said of mankind. For though the events of remote antiquity, and even those that more immediately precede the war, could not from lapse of time be clearly ascertained, yet the evidences which an inquiry carried as far back as was practicable leads me to trust, all point to the conclusion that there was nothing on a great scale, either in war or in other matters