In setting off on his quest to chronicle the long and horrible war between Athens and Sparta in an honest and unexaggerated manner, Thucydides created the first genuine and widely read historical narrative. The insight that war occurs when one nation is threatened by the rise of another has influenced countless statesmen since the book was written well over two millennia ago. The book includes so many timeless lessons that it remains an essential component of the curriculum in any international relations or war studies program.