History would not have the shape it does without Homeric epic, lyric poetry, Athenian drama, rhetoric, and the prose and poetry of fifth‐century philosophers and scientists who influenced its formation. This chapter presents comments about general aspects of ancient Greek historical writing both in form and in thematic content. Speeches probably began in emulation of Homer and were intended to add clarity and interest to the narrated events. Thucydides’ speeches are generally longer and not infrequently in pairs, to allow a two‐sided analysis of the debate. Xenophon's speeches often characterize leaders, but they also add sophistication to structure and content. Apart from the unpredictable cosmic forces, the historians all show keen concern for patterns of causation: how human conflict starts and proceeds, how the links in the chain of events interrelate. The qualities of good and poor leaders are also a pervasive theme among the Greek historians.