There is a common theme of unifying armies and peoples to overcome war and discourse amongst all the readings. The legacy of unifying a nation and/or peoples to come together and focus on a problem as one instead of fighting amongst each other was prominent especially all the readings were in reference to wars and battles that were occuring for each empire/leader at the time. The unifications in all of the readings was usually done through a democractic process where the majority vote amongst the divided individuals won the decision.
In the reading, Thucydides and the Hellenes, Thucydides describes the country of Hellas (known more commonly as Greece) which was always in disarray and the people always fought amongst each other. He talks about
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Interestingly, this war against Sparta, also known as the First Peloponnesian War, was due to the Athenians trying to unify all of Greece under a democracy. Pericles informs the people that they deomcratically voted to go war under his leadership and that if they keep fighting and directing rage to him and each other, that they would be their own undoing. He unifies the people to remember who their real enemy is and that they must all stay strong together and help each other stay …show more content…
For example most people became aware of the Spartans and the Battle of Thermopylae because of the movie 300. As well, most people are familiar with Greek society, culture, and its traditions due to college Fraternities and Sororities that use the Greek alphabet and host parties using Grrek clothing and due to events such as the Olympics. Greek, Roman, and Chinese legacies are remembered mostly throught the art and literature they left behind that we modern humans still study and are inspired by. Lastly, the military and technological progress these empires had have left a significant impact that has allowed mankind to advance in many ways and the democratical ideas and values have become the foundation to many of our governments
Pericles argues that Athens has become a model for others, and articulates what it is to be a good citizen. This can be seen when he says, “although the eyes of an enemy may occasionally profit by our liberality; trusting less in system and policy than to the native spirit of our citizens; while in education, where our rivals from their very cradles by a painful discipline seek after manliness, at Athens we live exactly as we please, and yet are just as ready to encounter every legitimate danger.” (Thucydides, 2.39) It proves that Ancient Athens’ valued greatness and worked in order to achieve the excellence of the state, by focusing on rebuilding themselves back up after the Persian war. Pericles played a big role in this because he showed his ambitions to rebuild Athens, which lead to the thriving of other subjects such as literature, philosophy, science, art, and religion.
Thucydides is the author of Peloponnesian War. The Peloponnesian War was a direct and indirect conflict between Sparta and Athens that lasted from 460-404 BCE. Thucydides fought for Athens during the Peloponnesian War and was later exiled by Athens. Thucydides was writing about something that he participated in and the Peloponnesian War became the first contemporary history. Thucydides also made use of eyewitness reports from people who were participants in the war.
Being alive to witness the events that occurred in and around fifth century B. C. E. Greece meant that Thucydides could not help but write down his experiences. The Athenians of Greece and the people of the Persian Empire were constantly at odds with each other, and these differences eventually led to the Peloponnesian war. This war lasted from 431-404 B.C.E. and began an era of conflict between the two peoples (Bulliet). This power struggle not only inflated the ego of the Athenians, but created many negative viewpoints of the Persians. Thucydides, being an Athenian, was therefore extremely biased against the Persians.
The historian Thucydides described himself as a wealthy Athenian general whose exile to the Peloponnese allowed him to personally observe, from both the sides of the conflict, a comprehensive account of the Peloponnesian War. Book 1 in Thucydides’ “History of the Peloponnesian War” is dedicated to explaining over fifty years of the events and proceedings that led to the abandonment of the Thirty Year’s Peace and subsequent war. In Book 1 he identifies four main incidents, which I shall refer to as ‘grievances’, regarding the conduct of Athens towards both their Delian members and the Peloponnesian allies. Yet he also mentions what he deems to be a more ‘real’ truth than these four grievances that led to Sparta and the Peloponnese going to
Impacts of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece on America Most of America considers itself a “Great” nation. Whether this means powerful, intelligent, flourishing, thriving, et cetera, is unclear. In order to explore where America obtained the inspiration for its greatness, I am going to walk through the influence of the great Greek and Roman cultures and Empires (so to speak). These ancient civilizations were among the first that had governments of democracy and sophistication, of elections and thriving economies on a mass scale.
Ancient Greece, a thriving country consisting of nearly 100 city states from within. A gem of the Archaic and Classical Greek Era that we have come to discover. While the country thrived, they also had much tension from within caused by its two leading cities, Athens and Sparta. Athens, a democratic and well invested political city found apprehension with their neighboring municipality Sparta, a highly dense military society. Though the two cities shared several traits such as slavery and gradation systeming, they were separated by their political and economic differences.
With his charisma, martial and political skills Pericles managed to secure reelection to the office of strategos on an annual basis. For more than twenty years Pericles would lead a multitude of martial expeditions, most of them seas based, to extend and safeguard Athenian interests. Much of his success at battle came from his cautious nature. Pericles endeavored to avoid battles that he considered to a favorable outcome but the chance of failure too high, too risky, and too uncertain. He also refused to be swapped up by the citizens’ vain desires.
In Richard Crawley’s translated version of The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides the “Funeral Oration of Pericles” and “The Melian Conference” share the similarity of the Athenian representative using rich rhetoric and the differences of perspective of Athens. In both the “Funeral Oration of Pericles” and “The Melian Conference,” the Athenians uses graceful rhetoric in order to disguise its military intentions. Before Pericles acknowledges the dead soldiers and their mourning family, he praises Athens on their beauty and intellect (Book 2 Funeral Oration of Pericles 40). He also denounces Sparta, the enemy, for their military policies.
While some, like Plato in his The Republic, thought it weak to give government into the hands of the common people, Pericles countered this argument with a compelling argument of greatness. By putting government into the hands of the people, the people are united and more devoted to their country. Democracy bonds the people together in a way that no other government can understand. Pericles confidently states, “Athenians advance unsupported into the territory of a neighbor, and fighting upon a foreign soil usually vanquish with ease men who are defending their homes.”
Greece and Rome, two ancient societies, both influenced many aspects of modern life. Their advancements were utilized in many later cultures. They influenced almost every part of today’s world, such as government, language, and architecture, as well as making scientific advancements. Also, the successes of these two civilizations lead to many countries modeling most of their public facilities and systems after the ones found in Greece and Rome. Ancient culture strongly influenced modern culture by means of language.
The Greeks and Romans seem to be extremely influential on our modern civilization. Many Greek and Roman traditions and cultures play major roles in our civilization. These traditions and cultures are displayed throughout our government, education, art, architect, cultural activities, and many other things. I assert the most influential ideas the Greeks and Romans had are displayed in our government, art, and architecture. Their ideas have inspired over 25 centuries, growing and changing over time, and still remain in our modern civilization.
Ancient Rome left tremendous legacies such as technological advancements, religious beliefs and governmental structures that shaped the world today. The Romans conquered many territories and took on their cultures as well, in particular the Ancient Greek culture. Ancient Greek civilizations played a major role in the history and development of the Ancient Rome civilization. The Ancient Greeks influenced the social structure, religion and military strength of Ancient Rome.
There are many different countries in our world and each of them has its own and unique culture. However, there is hardly a state in the world, which has as rich history as Greece has. The thing is, that Ancient Greece is known to be the place where modern European civilization with its values was born. Philosophers of this state created the majority of notions in this science while poets and playwrights of Ancient Greece managed to create the basis for classical literature. There is no use denying the fact that all these achievements became possible due to unite history of this very state.
(R 23-35). The Greeks hearing Achilles return, gain strength, will and perseverance to carry on the war. The responsibility that Achilles takes plays massive role, affecting the men 's actions throughout the
Nicole Tschida ENG 210 Paper 1 2-26-18 The Iliad and The Consequences of War The plot of the Iliad takes place in the middle of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans that lasted for ten years. This conflict according to Homer and ancient Greek mythology occurred because the Trojan prince Paris abducted Helen, the wife of Menelaus, brother to king Agamemnon. In this paper, I will be examining the consequences of war, as outlined by Homer.