The German archaeologist Ernst Curtius (1814–1896) published his seminal work The History of Greece in 3 volumes between 1857 and 1867. It quickly became a bestseller and was republished in numerous German editions. The work was translated into English by the eminent British historian Adolphus William Ward (1837–1924) who divided it into five volumes, published between 1868 and 1873. Volume 4 covers the period of Spartan supremacy that followed the Peloponnesian War; the restoration of Athens; Greek relations with Persia; the Corinthian war; the rise of Thebes; and the Theban wars. Curtius' History was a pioneering work of nineteenth-century classical scholarship. For many generations it provided an indispensable guide through the highly complex history of ancient Greece, and it continues to inspire researchers today.
Adolphus William Ward's five-volume translation of 1868–1873 made Curtius' seminal work (first published in German between 1857 and 1867) available to the Victorian reading public.
