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====Great history or Great Literature====
Many historians argue that Thucydides was not an objective historian. They point to the speeches that are included in the work known as Pericles’ ‘Funeral Oration’ Oration.’ <ref>Thucydides, 2, 35-45</ref>. Historians have explained why these speeches could not be accurate records of the actual words of the orators. These speeches make his work look more like literature than history.
Despite these problematic speeches, other historians still regarded Thucydides as a great writer who has revealed unparalleled insights into the nature of power and the human condition. <ref>Hornblower, Simon, Thucydides (London: Duckworth 1987), p. 112</ref> The historians such as Tacitus have even were inspired many his literary-minded histories.