What Makes Thucydides As A Historian
The ancient historian, Thucydides, a realist and aristocrat by birth, gave the world The History of the Peloponnesian War, but with a questionably biased view of the happenings of the 5th century BC, specifically the causes of the Peloponnesian War and the key personality(s) that played an influential role to the end result, a deep understanding of his writing style and attitude towards history must be learnt to allow for his work to be viewed as a credible source. The writing itself was the most scientifically accurate piece of work at the time but readers are misled by the downplaying and ignoring of events that negatively portray the role Athens had in the war. This deliberate action has been the foundation for countless scholars’ analysis of the reliability of Thucydides as a historian. Even though Thucydides was significantly more advanced and accurate than other historians to date, his pro-Athenian attitude, specifically surrounding the causes of the war, resulted in a History that has proven difficult to view wholly as a credible source. The causes of the Peloponnesian War described by Thucydides as “the truest” are accurate but intentionally ignore the motives behind them that would insinuate that the true aggressor of the Peloponnesian War was in fact Athens. The Peloponnesian War as described by Thucydides primarily started due to the reaction of Sparta in response to the growing power of Athens. It was in the Pentecontaetia that Athens’ power increased
How Did The Peloponnesian War Be Unbiased
577 Words | 3 PagesThucydides 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.
How Did Thucydides Affect The Peloponnesian War?
824 Words | 4 PagesBeing 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.
Philosopher Pericles Research Paper
342 Words | 2 PagesHe funded several building projects, such as the Parthenon started in 447, but also set laws allowing poorer people to be paid for jury duty and other important civil services. However, other laws and rules were set by Pericles that helped make Athens more imperialistic and a more powerful leader- such as the coinage decree that forced all city-states within the Delian league to use the same money and measurements, the enforcement of garrisons within unruly members and the loss of autonomy in places such as Aegina because they wished to leave the league. However, Sparta became concerned of Athens actions and behaviour under Pericles, (especially towards her ally Corinth, as they drew their enemy Megara into the league) and Pericles’ policies, especially his exclusion of Margarian trade, Led to the first Peloponnesian war in 431 BC.
The Landmark Thucydides Analysis
161 Words | 1 PagesAlso, Thucydides is usually viewed as one of the first true historians, because he was able to write from a direct take as it happened without romance. Thucydides was exiled in 424 since he failed to carry out a task. During exile he got information from many eye witnesses. He puts a great value on eyewitness testimony, however Thucydides recognized that it could be unreliable because two people could have different accounts on the same situation. In The Landmark Thucydides (2008) Robert Strassler mentions that, Thucydides illustrates that the funeral ceremonies as, “the dead are laid in the public sepulcher in the most beautiful suburb of the city, in which those who fall in war are always buried,” (Strassler, 110).
What Impact And Influence Did Pericles Have On His Time?
1345 Words | 6 PagesThis source touches upon the military result Pericles assisted Athens with and mentions his influence on other powerful men of his time. This source does not contain any bias or opinions, instead, it gathers information from primary sources and informs the reader of Pericles’ influence. This source summarises the military contributions Pericles made to Athens's victories, though it lacks detail on the specific victories that Pericles contributed to. The source also lacks the other contributions Pericles made to Athens, such as the political and architectural changes he made. These limitations restrict the reader from understanding Pericles' significance and the actions he took to make a political, social and creative change in Athens during his
Boundless World History: Democracy In Athens Was Overthrown In 411 BCE
353 Words | 2 PagesAfter the Peloponnesian War conflict, Sparta's naval supremacy grew quickly, but Athens' naval supremacy was questioned. The Peloponnesian War conflict eventually paved the way for the Macedonians to overthrow the Greeks in the mid-fourth century. All this happened because of the war's devastation, which led to great damage, debilitated the nation, and ultimately aided the Greek's long-term separation (Cartwright, 2018).
Why Did The Peloponnesian War Start?
900 Words | 4 PagesHow Did The Peloponnesian War Start? By Molly M Deen Thesis! The Peloponnesian War started because the Spartans were jealous of the wealth and power the Athens had.
Thucydides And The Hellenes Summary
961 Words | 4 PagesInterestingly, 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
Battle Of Carthage Essay
508 Words | 3 PagesWell, Sparta's main goal in the Peloponnesian War was to retain its hegemonic status in the Greek world. In an effort to keep Athens from assuming an excessive amount of power, Sparta worried about the expansion of Athenian influence and power. As it sought to stop Athens from gaining more power and influence in the Greek world, Sparta's campaign against Athens was mainly defensive in nature. Rome on the other hand waged more expansionist wars against the city-states of Italy and the city of Carthage.
Thucydides Grievances
444 Words | 2 PagesThe 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
What Is The Peloponnesian War?
104 Words | 1 PagesThe Peloponnesian War lasted three decades, from 431 BC - 404 BC. Thucydides, an Athenian historian and commander in the early years of the war, documented the entire war. Virtually all of our knowledge of the Peloponnesian War comes from Thucydides. Local allegiances to the two cities ensured that all of Greece participated. In addition to the disagreement over the form of government, Sparta feared the increasing power Athens gained as the capitol of Greece.
Primary Source Analysis: The History Of Herodotus
1427 Words | 6 PagesWritten in Classical Greek, it has been translated into dozens of languages, including Old English and modern English, and kept the ancient traditions, morality, and stories alive centuries after the author’s passing. As the “Father of History”, Herodotus holds a status of academic immortality, and through his work we have a foundation for how to keep record of history for future generations to know and almost place themselves in those times. What reading Clio has reminded me of is the importance of history to the world, and how this book and its eight brethren were the blueprints for all future historical writings. It shows how well recordkeeping can stand the test of time, and how keeping information and knowledge of the past can continue to teach and shape the
How Did Alcibiades Affect The Peloponnesian War?
1276 Words | 6 PagesPericles 2). Pericles saw the Peloponnesians as lacking in funds to sustain a war and thought it best to attack by sea (Thucy. History of the Peloponnesian War 1.140-.145). To Pericles the war as inevitable. While it is said that Pericles started the war, his impact on the war did not lead to the outcome of the defeat of Athens.
Socrates And Nelson Mandela Comparison
1796 Words | 8 PagesDuring the Peloponnesian War, which was a war fought between Athens and Sparta during the 431 to 404
The Consequences Of War In Homer's The Iliad
1661 Words | 7 PagesNicole 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.
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