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This book has its deepest roots in a short paper I wrote for Mary Dietz’s seminar in ancient political thought at the University of Minnesota. Something of the spirit of that paper, which I titled “In Defense of Nicias,” still survives in these pages. And so I Wrst thank Mary for nurturing my interest in Thucydides and for sharing her wisdom for many years now. Thanks, too, to others at Minnesota who offered feedback on my work. They include Jim Farr, Terence Ball, Sandra Peterson, Norman Bowie, Andrew Seligsohn, Laura Janara, Rob Geroux, Paul Soper, and Catherine GuisanDickinson . Special thanks to John Transue, Dan Hope, Sam Chambers, John Bies, and Ryan Fortson for their friendship. Union College has provided a wonderful setting in which to work; I am grateful for Union’s ample research support and generous junior sabbatical policy. My colleagues in the Political Science Department have provided help in all sorts of ways. From their example I have learned that it is possible to be a scholar while being a teacher. Thanks in particular to Zoe Oxley, Lori Marso, and Richard Fox for their friendship and encouragement . And thanks, too, to my students, on whom I depend for periodic renewals of intellectual curiosity and energy. I could not have hoped for a better editor than Sandy Thatcher of Penn State Press. Sandy has patiently and thoughtfully seen this book through some quite substantial revisions. I am grateful to him for staying with the project and with me. Thanks also to Peter Euben for offering especially helpful suggestions at a crucial moment. My parents and siblings have been a constant source of support throughout my life. They have cheered my successes, helped me over the inevitable rough patches, and only occasionally wondered how someone could be so fascinated by Thucydides. As I turn the page on this project, it seems A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S Wtting to make special mention of my father, who saw me off to graduate school but did not live to see me Wnish. He remains a presence in my life and in my heart. I like to think that he knows, somehow, that I am in fact okay. Special thanks to my youngest collaborators. Abby joined the book project in its earlier stages. Charlie came on at a pivotal moment, ready to oversee submission of the original manuscript. Beyond their many contributions to my writing, I have come to rely on the two of them for beautiful artwork, obscure knock-knock jokes, and the occasional, mostly friendly critique. Ben and Maggie arrived as a team only days before I submitted the Wnal draft and just in time to help with last-minute editing. As I write these words they are sleeping, for which I am especially grateful. My deepest thanks come last. Amy Gangl started out as a tennis partner and became my partner in everything, for life. She is also my very best friend. More than anyone else, and in many ways, she has made this work possible. As we continue on our amazing and sometimes crazy journey together, she makes my life inWnitely richer and makes me a better person in many, many ways. An earlier version of Chapter 3 appeared as “Democratic Politics and the ‘Character’ of the City in Thucydides” in History of Political Thought 23 (Winter 2002). I am grateful to the editor and publisher for permission to reprint parts of that article here. viii acknowledgments ...

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