Thucydides was an Athenian historian and general who lived in the 5th century BC. He is best known for his History of the Peloponnesian War, which recounts the conflict between Sparta and Athens. His account covers the war until 411 BC and remains one of the most important historical sources for this period. Thucydides is often called the father of "scientific history" by scholars who recognize his methodological innovations. He claimed to apply strict standards of impartiality and evidence-gathering in his work, analyzing cause and effect relationships without attributing events to divine intervention. This approach, outlined in his introduction, represented a significant departure from earlier historical writing and established new standards for historical inquiry.