First history book

The History of the Peloponnesian War, by Greek politician Thucydides, is the first written work to attempt to systematically recount and understand the events of the past. The eight books of this great work detail the political and military developments of the 431–404 war between Sparta and Athens. Thucydides based his work on personal experience (he was a general in the Athenian Army), surviving correspondence, and interviews with other key figures on both the Athenian and Spartan side.

The only other writer with a claim to this title is Herodotus, whose 440 BCE book The Histories is the origin of the word "history". Although he did write about past events, he did not do so in a methodical way, nor attempt to collate his sources into an coherent narrative. Instead, he simply recounted stories he had been told, mixing elements of history, myth and travel writing.