Thucydides
![Plaster cast bust of Thucydides (in the [[Pushkin Museum]]) from a Roman copy (located at [[Holkham Hall]]) of an early fourth-century BC Greek original](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Thucydides_pushkin02.jpg)
Thucydides has been called the father of the school of political realism, which views the political behavior of individuals and the subsequent outcomes of relations between states as ultimately mediated by, and constructed upon, fear and self-interest. His text is still studied at universities and military colleges worldwide. The Melian dialogue is regarded as a seminal text of international relations theory, while his version of Pericles' Funeral Oration is widely studied by political theorists, historians, and students of the classics. More generally, Thucydides developed an understanding of human nature to explain behavior in such crises as plagues, massacres, and wars. Provided by Wikipedia