Agora Analysis

The Trojan War and its characters are detailed in the writings of Homer, Vergil, Dante and many others. It is a fantastical tale of a decade-long siege of a powerful city by a massive pan-hellenic force. However, even though it has proved to be such a rich source of inspiration for writers, poets and artists throughout history, it is debated whether it

The Greek forces won the Trojan War. The story of the war is a cornerstone of Greek legend, and pervaded Greek literature and culture. Though the evidence for the Trojan War as historical fact is scarce, it was a formative event in Greek cultural memory, producing some of the classical world’s most famous heroes and narratives. The War was won, Helen was retrieved from Paris, whose violation of ξενία was redressed, the heroes attained the κλέος that many of them fought for – and yet the positive outcomes of the Trojan War are difficult to grasp. For the victims of the Trojan War, the tragedy is obvious; the War ended in genocide and total cultural destruction. But such a war, burnt into legend, should have left the victors far better off; and yet, the Greek heroes only suffer because of it. They die tragic, dishonourable deaths; their households are left in ruin; their families are torn apart. From both modern and classical perspectives, the Trojan War is a tragedy, a “harrowing destruction of life” (Euripides, Andromache, 291). The victory is pyrrhic, the loss of life is horrific, the reparations non-existent.

Homer’s Iliad has been a European myth for many millennia , the long poetic narrative written in the 8th century B.C. recounts a fearsome war fought over a beautiful woman. The reliability of Homers Iliad as a true historical document has been challenged for hundreds of years and only through archaeological studies can the truth be deciphered. The Iliad was written five centuries after the war, where the stories had been passed down through the oral tradition, therefore the type of society reflected within the poems resemble much more the time of Homer . The fact and fiction of the Iliad has been uncovered through archaeology. Archaeologist found a site in which they thought to have been ‘Troy’ destroyed by the powerful country of Mycenae

Love can be categorized as romantic love, family love, friendship love. Yet, divine love is always indispensable. However, do these religions really promote how to love? In All about love, hook seems to disagree that religion is used effectively to promote how to love in the world. But is this the truth? Are religions as hooks says, “corrupts and violates religion principles”? In this essay, I will discuss how religions play a role in creating and practicing the spiritual love, then I will examine oppositely and comment on how hooks criticize organized religions in promoting other cultures. Lastly, I will examine how spiritual practice and religion beliefs work together to enhance our spiritual life.

In the ancient societies of Greece, war means many things; power, glory, honor. The idea of fighting is not just a daily task for the Greeks but a necessity. In

Undeniably, the ancient Greek society places a heavy emphasis on values and traditions. The two texts of the “Clouds” by Aristophanes and “History of the Peloponnesian war” by Thucydides, although contextually divergent, are actually conceptually convergent. Both texts are built around the central theme of the collapse of conventional values. While the breakdown of traditional values in the “History of the Peloponnesian war” is presented in a more metaphorical and symbolical manner, the downfall of conventional values in the “Clouds” is on a more direct basis. Although both texts essentially convey across the same solemn message that the relinquishment of

The perspective that Thucydides took to write History of the Peloponnesian War gave his work, on a first read, the impression that his opinion was removed to provide an objective analysis of the destruction of the greatness of Athens over the period of the war. He began with a “medical history” of how humanity structured the first societies based on the interplay between fear, interest, and honor. Then, progressed to how war devolved the great Athenian society. Which took Thucydides from revisiting eloquent speeches over strategy to simpler retellings of brash disputes. Thoughtful placement displayed Thucydides’ opinion of Athens’ actions, how he viewed the other city-states’ positions on various issues in the book, and emphasized

The author, Ernle Bradford, expresses his view and also other scholar’s views about the Greco-Persians wars. Bradford researched a lot of bibliography to gather enough information for in-depth explanation about the Persians and Greeks. Bradford brought back events from the classical age because he believes that they were fading out. The book was “pro-Athenian bias” because of how much the Persians took over, but the Athenian inspired Europe through the Classical Ages and the Spartans inspirited value and morals among the people. Thermopylae was a major turning point in the Persians Wars because it shows how much Greeks latched on to what they believed in.

The Landmark Thucydides is a history book on the Peloponnesian War written by an Athenian historian and general named Thucydides. Throughout the book, Thucydides recounts the war and tells of the many actions of his mother land Athens. In several of his descriptions Athens could be viewed as arrogant especially towards their accomplishments in war. He also tells of a terrible crime that Athens commits that could be described as genocide. Thucydides also describes several simpleminded mistakes that were made that crippled Athens in the end and could have been prevented with more through thinking. Despite being powerful and dominant on the battlefield the Athenians suffer crippling defeat in the end. The arrogance, cruelty, and foolishness that Athens displayed brought fate down on Athens and caused their defeat in the Peloponnesian War.

In his Histories, Herodotus seeks to lay out some of the major events that occurred in Greek history, and though he does his best to keep the stories true to form, they often end up riddled with hyperbole, inaccuracies, and Herodotus ' own personal perspective and opinions on certain topics. At times he states outright that he is unsure how the actual events transpired, but in addition to these there are other, more insidious moments in his tales in which the reader may not be able to deduce that he is in fact completely fictionalizing for the sake of his narrative. To further examine this in effect, this paper will scrutinize the battle of Thermopylae, and what part Herodotus ' intended narrative plays in changing the perspective of the

The Trojan War is described as one of histories most legendary battles. This battle is told to have lasted ten years, resulting in the eventual collapse of Troy, under the siege of Greek forces. Modern knowledge of the Trojan War has survived mainly through the account given in Homer’s Illiad, and while having proved to be a rich source of inspiration for other writers, artists, and even filmmakers in recent history, much speculation still exists surrounding his account. I will analyze modern interpretations of the Trojan War and examine both speculation and support for Homer’s account. Concluding with sufficient evidence that has been collected surrounding this epic battle, proving Homer’s account of a massive battle between these two powerful city states to not be just a tale of myth and legend, but actual history.

The book written by Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, contains two controversial debates between distinguished speakers of Athens. The two corresponding sides produce convincing arguments which can be taken as if produced as an honest opinion or out of self-interest. The two debates must be analyzed separately in order to conclude which one and which side was speaking out of honest opinion or self-interest, as well as which speakers are similar to each other in their approach to the situation.

Barry Strauss, professor of classics at Cornell University attempts to redefine a one of history’s biggest love affairs, the Trojan War. Strauss explains how certain events and characters from Homers “The Odyssey” might have actually existed, but also uses modern discoveries from the Bronze Age to compare Homers account to those of Egypt, the Middle East, and etc. While Homer’s epic should not be read as a historical document which recounts the Trojan War hundred percent accurately, it can still be seen as document which embodies some historical truth. The novel as a whole explains the customs, economic standing, fighting styles and beliefs of the Greeks. Strauss’s writing style allows for the book to be accessible to both students and historians. He argues that just like Franz Ferdinand was the spark which ignited World War 1, Helen on the other hand was just a spark which escalated an existing tension between the Greeks and Trojans. Strauss’s personal input on the war itself gives the novel a different outlook on the Trojan War because, it allows for readers to see beyond the facts and make connections with ideas that Strauss had made with recent discoveries and Homers epic.

In chapter five, I shared a little consecrated religious life. This chapter, I want to share about how those in religious life love because many people are curious that have I ever fall in love with someone? Why I wanted to live in the convent, why I wanted to become a nun, will I not marry in the future? or did I have problem love before? and how can I balance my life without fall in love with someone?

Written by the Greek historian Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War is one that tells the story of the war (431-404 BC) which divided the Greek world between Athens and its allies and Lacedaemon. The Melian Dialogue presents two sides and two perspectives that of the Melians neutrality and that of the Athenians’ might. By Thucydides juxtaposing the Athenian’s position to that of the Melians, there is a clear conclusion of which side actions are tactically and morally acceptable. One would argue that the Athenians are immoral for violently plundering the Melian territory because they had the power to do so. However, given the circumstance of trying to defend their empire due to the imbalance of forces, the Athenian actions are not