Thucydides at His Best Essays

“In generosity, we are equally singular, acquiring our friends by conferring, not by receiving, favours” (Thucydides). The claimed kind, favor oriented nature of Athens shown here must have been a point of pride for the people. It contrasts against the militaristic nature of the Spartans and the Persian Empire. This line earned praise from Pericles’ audience not because of his Athenian audience, but because of the honor it gave to the fallen Athenian soldiers. At this point, Pericles concludes his glorification of Athenian culture. “In short, I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas (Greece), while I doubt if the world can produce a man, who where he has only himself to depend upon, is equal to so many emergencies, and graced by so happy a versatility, as the Athenian. And that this is no mere boast thrown out for the occasion, but plain matter of fact, the power of the state acquired by these habits proves” (Thucydides). Pericles ties all of his compliments together as if they were all one logical argument explaining Athenian superiority. His final word on the topic was not a simple boast. He proved it with all of his speech so far. Finally, Pericles holds authority and credibility in Athens as a

Scholars recognize Thucydides as one of the most celebrated Athenian historian, with him named as the father of scientific history. Thucydides wrote the unfinished History of the Peloponnesian War. In a period with scarce evidence available, Thucydides’ single narrative acts as the sole artefact that provides information regarding the war. His History narrates the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, and also recounts the foreign relations-- military and diplomatic activities-- of Athens and various Greek states during the fifth century BC. With his History as the main source, the question of whether Thucydides may be bias in his writing towards Athens emerges. However, through examining Thucydides’ account of the war, one can argue

Pericles’ speech reminds us that you must willing to face the greatest disasters and determined never to sacrifice the glory that is yours. We all look upon people who arrogantly pretend to have a reputation to which they are not entitled; but equally condemned those who lack moral substance, fail to live up to the reputation which is already

Funeral orations or speeches were given in Athens to honor all the soldiers that had lost their lives during battle. During such speeches, an educated and reputable man was selected to stand over the dead and address the Athenian people. One such speech was The Funeral Oration of Pericles which is defined as, “a famous speech given by the Athenian leader Pericles after the first battles of the Peloponnesian war” (Halsall). Based on my understanding of this Funeral Oration’s context, I must say that I do not agree with everything Pericles says about Athens. Pericles’ oration is based on his view of Athens; while he accurately describes the Athenian Government and the culture of Athens, his description of Athens’s relationship with its neighboring

Thucydides' Historical Technique Thucydides has often been described as one of the fathers of history, and possibly the first historian that can be used with any real historical accuracy. His objectivity and lack of digressive storytelling mark him out from previous historians such as Herodotus, and Thucydides began a new era of historical writing. Although named the father of history, Herodotus wrote in a literary style, rather than the accurate telling of the facts and objective analysis that Thucydides offers us in his History of the Peloponnesian War. Herodotus tended to digress with irrelevant storytelling, whereas Thucydides abandoned this technique, and adopted a method that greatly

The ideals that Athens represents, per Thucydides, include power and the sense of community in the city-state. Pericles mainly focuses his speech on the idea of nationalism so the citizens still have hope in this time of grieving. He mentions that Athens is feared by other areas because of their power, and that they have a strong military and a powerful united government system. Pericles mentions that Athens is an example for other cities to follow because of their democracy in place. The city also represents openness because they never cast out foreigners or not allow them to learn from their community. The army is even open to foreigners. Pericles says that Athenians have a want for knowledge, which is obtained with the communication

In this case, one can come to the conclusion that Pericles did not think small cities deserved the same sacrifices as a big city like Athens. For this reason he kept emphasizing the people’s sacrifices with what Athens offered them. Thucydides showcased this through the emphasis that he Pericles placed on the greatness of Athens. In essence, one can note that Thucydides goes beyond a mere description of the city, and goes overboard in the emphasis of how great it is. Indeed, even though Pericles may have talked in awe of the city, it is apparent that the historian who captured this story, Thucydides,

The values of culture, art, and philosophy are communicated through Pericles during the Funeral Oration. Pericles praises Athens as a “model to others” and “an education to Greece” for its democracy, speeches, equality, and individuality (Discussion, Sept 12). Although Thucydides includes the speech to demonstrate Athens’s superiority over the rest of the Hellenic world, he juxtaposes it with the plague. During the plague the citizen desecrate the bodies of their loved ones and “No fear of god or law of man had

In this paper, I will argue that Thucydides believed that due to the flawed nature of humans, democracy, along with other forms of popular government, was also flawed and only successful under the guidance of a strong, monarch-like figure. By analyzing Thucydides’ personal remarks, political speeches, and the structure throughout History of the Peloponnesian War, this essay will accomplish three objectives. First, it will show how Thucydides’ statements show his belief that human nature was flawed, and that humans are motivated primarily through greed, self-interest, and a desire for power. Secondly, by evaluating the speeches recounted throughout the work, it will demonstrate Thucydides’ opinion on the intrinsic faults with the Athenian

The “Pericles’ Funeral Orientation” was a speech performed by Pericles, which was interpreted by Thucydides, that gave a salute to the Athenian soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the Peloponnesian War. He spoke about the Athenian people and the government that presides over Athens. The speech was to show the people that they needed to put aside their wants and strive for a greater good. Another section in the speech, Pericles explained that the Athenian people have always adapted to any situation that was presented to them. “For Athens alone of her contemporaries is found when tested to be greater than her reputation, and alone gives no occasion to her assailants to blush at the antagonist by whom they have been worsted, or to her subjects to question her title by merit to rule.” (Pericles’ Funeral Orientation). In this quote, Pericles knows Athens will come back from being in such a test and the people will adapt to the situation at hand as Thucydides paraphrases the famous speech of revival and honoring the soldiers.

Thucydides regarded the rule under Pericles as “democracy in name but the rule of the first citizen in fact”.

Thucydides was strict and only wrote about occurrences he found evidence for when examining other records found during his time. From this, we can draw the conclusion that Thucydides wanted to remain withdrew and detached from the history he was sharing, in order to be more chronological in events. From the beginning cover of Thucydides’ work, we can see that he labeled his chapters with a short sentence on the sections content. Herodotus’s chronology jumped around from place to place, making it even harder to follow since he did not incorporate markers such as titles.

Some of the problems I noticed were the interviews and speeches that Thucydides discusses. The interviews that Thucydides conducted were a product of the person motives at the time. When conducting the interviews, was there bias? Could Thucydides questioning produced questions the interviewees thought that he wanted to hear?

Pericles spoke to the public about the soldiers who had just died. He wanted the citizens to remember the soldiers but to forget about the tragedy that had occurred. He wanted the soldier's lives to be remembered, not their deaths. The speech helped the Athenians remember and appreciate what their ancestors have died for and how mournful citizens should be proud that their friends and family died defending the freedom of their country. The oration also had Athenians realise their greatness; this greatness derives from the fact that Athenian warriors had more to fight for. Athenian warriors fought not only for their country but also for their family, friends and other communities in the city. These warriors have more to lose because they are fighting for everyone in the city. It was during this time that possessions were incredibly significant. Wars were usually fought over the gaining of land and each country wanting as much land as possible. Soldiers were not afraid of dying during combat in fact they believed it to be the most "honourable" way to die. It was due to this that Athens was able to produce an enormous army and have a very prosperous standard of living, without the harsh everyday training found in other city-states.

Thucydides indicates that people are indiscriminate about the stories or accounts they are told. They do not put them to the test. This is the case even with accounts that deal with their own country. Thucydides uses the example of the murder of Hipparchus. The Athenians believe that Hipparchus was a tyrant and was the ruler when he was killed by Harmodius and Aristogeiton. The fact of the matter is, Thucydides says, that it was Hipparchus older brother Hippias who was in power, not Hipparchus. Hippias was the eldest son of Pisistratus, so he was the ruler of Athens, not Hippias, who was younger, and not Thessalus, the third son of Pisistratus, who was also younger than Hippias. As for Harmodius and Aristogeiton, they originally