Thucydides Essay

Thucydides' account of the Peloponnesian war served as a window into Athenian societal culture. Carrying the reader from Pericles' moving speech to the assembly, through Cleon and Diodotus' oratory battle over the fate of Mytilene, and finally to the Athenian proposal to the Melians, Thucydides detailed the transformation of Athens from a state based on justice and freedom to a empire with a corrupted soul. This corruption did not occur over night, but was the result of increasing tyrannical behavior

Although Herodotus and Thucydides did not use poetry in their writing, they still found other ways to engage their audiences. Breisach stated that Herodotus engaged his audience by, “relying on human curiosity and on the internal tensions of stories.” (17) On the other hand, Breisach declares that Thucydides engaged his audience by, “searching for the essence of history” and “finding history's stylistic counterpart in a sparse.” (17) 2. People might deem Thucydides’ history to be elitist history

Analysis of Thucydides' Views on the Melian Dialogue The Melian Dialogue is a debate between Melian and Athenian representatives concerning the sovereignty of Melos. The debate did not really occur-the arguments given by each side were of Thucydides own creation. Thus it is reasonable to assume that we can tease out Thucydides' own beliefs. In this paper, I will first extract Thucydides views from the Melian Dialogue and then analyze whether or not these views are well founded. Thucydides believed

Thucydides, an Athenian who lived during the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), may be one of the earliest western war theorists thanks to his work, History of the Peloponnesian War. His history described the conflict between ancient Athens and Sparta. In doing so, he authored one of the most balanced and powerful explanations of the causes of war. Thucydides, linked to the Athenian aristocracy, enjoyed a wealthy upbringing and education as a youth. As an adult, he served as a commander for Athens

protection of the gods, and state: 'This kind of attitude is not going to be of much help to you in your absurd conquest for safety at the moment'.[4] Thucydides portrays the Athenians in an arrogant light, which suggests that they will get their comeuppance for such sacrilegious opinions. Furthermore, Thucydides also highlights the scientific approach that the Athenians have towards their domination of the Peloponnese, suggesting that it is the 'law of nature', that

beginning of 431 BCE, historian Thucydides wrote his take on it. In his work, “The History of the Peloponnesian War,” Thucydides discussed the social and political consequences of the plague; a personal account on the experiences he lived through. Anywhere during 99-55 BCE, poet Lucretius had his work, “On the Nature of the Universe,” end with an account of the Athenian plague. Lucretius’s account was nearly an exact translation of Thucydides’ account, but whereas Thucydides wrote historically and genuinely

human role, while Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War completely ignores the notion of divine power, but focuses impartially on the actions of men and their consequences. Therefore, such difference of perspectives gives rise to the conflict between

Thucydides, one of the greatest historians ever, chronicled decades of war and tension between Athens and Sparta and, in doing so, became a pioneer in the subject of history. His "History of the Peloponnesian War" set a standard for scope, concision and accuracy that makes it a defining text of the historical genre. He depicted the strengths and weaknesses of democracy skillfully, writing objectively and with great insight. When explaining the events and outcome of the war, he took into consideration

Greek historians saw themselves as a part of a long tradition that went back to Homer and Hesiod, and became fully defined by the time of Herodotus and Thucydides. To the Greeks themselves, the concept of their history came down from the epics, and this would shape the tradition from which later Greek historians would draw. Homer’s Trojan War, and the heroes that populated the narrative were considered to be true events and historical figures. The Iliad and The Odyssey, recorded long after the

The “The History of the Peloponnesian War” authored by Thucydides in 431 B.C.E and translated by Richard Crawley expressively illustrates the plague of Athens and its impact on the population. The work provides a vivid account as to the amount of suffering and disorder consuming the Athenians during the second year of the Peloponnesian war. Furthermore, Thucydides wrote the piece in hopes of broadening the scope of current events at the time which affected the citizens. Additionally, he sought to