Abstract This paper discusses Thucydides and his account of the Peloponnesian War. The paper considers the historical accuracy of this account and examines the behavior of the Athenians at that time. Secondary sources are used to verify the accuracy of Thucydides' account.
From the Paper "Thucydides provides probably the most reliable account of the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides was born around 460 B.C. in the city state known as Athens. He participated in the Peloponnesian War and ultimately provided the best historical account of the War and the eventual defeat of Athens. Why is Thucydides' account considered so reliable? The answer is because Thucydides was well known for his historical accuracy and his strong aversion to myth. This means that Thucydides provided a factual account of the political, economic, social and military factors and events in the Peloponnesian War."
Abstract This paper discusses how Thucydides makes empirical claims about the truth of his evidence, while Plato considers this empirical knowledge as inferior and secondary to rationality.
Abstract This paper discusses the theories of justified war based on an examination of Thucydides ""History of the Peloponnesian War" in an effort to illuminate issues in connection with current international politics. It places the text in historical context.
From the Paper "This research examines three passages from Thucydides' "History of the Peloponnesian War"
that illuminate political theories of war and that may help illuminate issue fronts in connection with contemporary international politics. The research will set the ..."
Abstract The paper examines how Plato's worldview is reflected in his conception of the kallipolis. The paper explains that Plato's worldview is founded on a belief in absolute truths (which he calls Forms or Ideas) that are accessible to man via philosophy and dialectics. The paper further examines how Thucydides' worldview is very different, he is concerned with antitheses, and his worldview is profoundly ambiguous.
Abstract This in-depth paper explores the life of Greek historian Thucydides, the inventor of both the year by year narrative and the legal and medical metaphors. Thucydides was and still is considered the greatest historian of antiquity who wrote a critically acclaimed history of the Peloponnesian War. This paper also discusses Thucydides inventing the first historical archeology of a culture in his pursuit of learning how men learn of the past.
Topics covered in this report include:
The Biography of Thucydides Conclusion
Footnotes
References
From the Paper "Thucydides' work was enlivened by the well-crafted speeches he put into the mouths of participants in the events he chronicled. This was a common technique in his day. The greatest speech in his history was Pericles' funeral oration. Besides being an accurate historian, Thucydides' account of the plague, through which he lived, displays his clinical and descriptive attitude and is considered a standard of its type. He is generally acclaimed as the creator of scholarly history as we know it today."
Tags: history, biography, greek, ancient, greece, peloponnesian, war
Abstract This paper explains that Thucydides's historical approach, which is documentary yet personal, partisan yet does not assume that only what wins is right, is the genesis of contemporary modes of recording and, more importantly, creating history. The author points out that Thucydides asked not only what happened, but also why something happened. From the perspective of a losing army, he indicated that, if an army like the Spartans were winning, this did not mean automatically that the Spartans were morally better than the Athenians. The paper relates that, in Thucydides, history was transformed from merely being a fabric of myths and legends about the wonderful nature of one's own land and became a portrait of moral governance.
From the Paper "This is most apparent in Chapter IV, the Second Book, where the funeral oration of Pericles is recorded and depicted. In the words of the historian, "Pericles, son of Xanthippus, was chosen to pronounce their eulogium," of a fallen warrior Pericles himself says that it is not winning or losing battles that matters most in history, rather "hat part of our [Athenian] history which tells of the military achievements which gave us our several possessions, or of the ready valor with which either we or our fathers stemmed the tide of Hellenic or foreign aggression, is a theme too familiar to my hearers for me to dilate on, and I shall therefore pass it by," rather "what the form of government under which our greatness grew," is of greatest importance."
This paper discusses Thucydides' objective, authoritative accounts of historical occurrences and argues that this style has led to the present day survival of his work.
Abstract This paper aims to show that Thucydides provided a new benchmark for accurate, objective history by providing for humanity in the future instead of for the popular masses in his time. It also states that Thucydides work provides a penetrating insight into the human character by showing human nature's integral shaping of history. Furthermore, this paper shows how Thucydides' history is still relevant today, proved by the contemporary analogies drawn from his themes of empire, self-interest, political arrogance and corruption.
From the Paper "Chronicling the war in such a persuasive and definitive style, in a systematic year-by-year and blow-for-blow account of the events in the war, shows an almost scientific approach to the war. Thucydides does not leave out tedious details to improve the pace of the book for a Greek audience; he leaves in every possible detail. It is his passion for detail and his realisation of the importance of the subject matter for successive generations, which gives the book its definitive style, differing radically from Herodotus' Histories and Homer's Iliad. Indeed, Thucydides states that because of his laborious investigation, the 'reasonably accurate' conclusions he has drawn from the 'plainest evidence' he obtained, the reader is not 'far wrong in accepting the conclusions' he has reached when compared to the Homeric poets who 'exaggerate the importance of their themes' or chroniclers who are far 'less interested in telling the truth than in catching the attention of their public' , an indirect criticism of Herodotus' style."
Tags: hellenic, peloponnesian war, historian, greece
Abstract Thucydides is known as one of the greatest historians of ancient Greece. This paper focuses on the life, work and philosophy of Thucydides. The paper also discusses the influence and significance of his theories and principles in the field of education.
From the Paper "Thucydides was one of the greatest Greek historians who is known for his Magnus opus, "History of Peloponnesian War". This account of the great Peloponnesian War is not exactly complete as it only presents the events that took place during 431 to 411 B.C. But the reason why it is remembered and read as one of the most perfect Greek literatures is because it reflects Thucydides? genuinely original style interspersed with wisdom and objectivity which most other historians of that period lacked. There is still some confusion about the exact year of his birth as some ancient historians have given dates, which clash with dates provided by modern researchers. But for the sake of convenience, it is believed that he was born somewhere around 460 B.C. and died in 400 B.C. The year of his birth may cause confusion but one thing is clear; the man was certainly present during the Peloponnesian war in which he actively participated only to be exiled to Sparta. He was a military general and thus possessed in-depth knowledge of military skills and techniques. He has thus provided his readers with accurate account of he military tactics used by both Spartans and Athenians during the Peloponnesian war. "
Abstract In this paper, the writer discusses that the historical non-bias of the Greek historian Thucydides is represented in his classical work: 'The History of the Peloponnesian War'. The writer points out that by defining the nature of the Athenian Constitution and the democratic principles that are within state policy, Thucydides often presents the failure of this form of government under Pericles. The writer further notes that the reality of the history presented in this form of early history provides a foundation for non-bias, which helps one to realize how both sides of the war are depicted during the Peloponnesian War.
From the Paper "The aim of this historical study is to analyze the non-biased account of Greek history within 'The History of the Peloponnesian War' by Thucydides. By realizing the immoral and often unnecessary sense of violence that one Greek would impart another during this conflict, Thucydides attempts to bring to light his disagreement with the war through a Constitutional premise. However, Thucydides does not choose a single side to agree or disagree with through his non-biased account of the war between the Peloponnesian League and The Delian League during this conflict."
Abstract Thucydides is seen by some scholars as the first writer in the realist tradition as well as the founding father of international relations. This paper adopts a realist interpretation of Thucydides and argues that he is still relevant today due to the prevalence of fear, self interest and power politics in today's world. The paper uses competing interpretations of his work to show that, even though there are important differences between his world and today's world, his insights into human nature are relevant and are one of the best sources to learn from history.
From the Paper "Thucydides' work is valuable as it investigates the causes and dynamics of war. He states: "What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta." According to Lebow, power transition theories are based on the premise that hegemons are unwilling to relinquish their status to upcoming powers. Power transition theories investigate how a shift in an actor's power in the system affects other actors. Theorists stress the critical importance of changes in the relative power of states as these changes produce fear and result in the security dilemma. Thus the system becomes increasingly unstable and small events can precipitate a major conflict. Sparta was afraid that a shift in the balance of power would be to the detriment of its national security and thus according to power transition theory it felt aggression was necessary to address the imbalance. A theme that dominates Thucydides narrative is how fear in conjunction with honour and interest result in a state taking action in the hope of safeguarding its national security and independence. The Peloponnesian war was the product of two developments. "
Abstract This paper compares Thucydides' and Xenophon's views of Athenian democracy. It discusses the strong differing views of each historian. It compares the pattern of ideas in both texts. The author explores the impact of democracy on Athenian life.
From the Paper "This research examines texts by Thucydides and Xenophon with a view toward determining whether and to what extent each presents democracy as a positive or negative feature of Athens. The research will compare texts by each commentator that deal with roughly ..."
Abstract This essay compares the works of Herodotus and Thucydides, and the way in which Herodotus influenced Thucydides' own views on the writing of history. It examines differences in their language, the importance attributed to the supernatural, their views on historical causation and their use of sources.
From the Paper "Herodotus? Histories earned him the title of "The Father of History", the first person ever to investigate historical causation without paying too much homage to divine influence. Roughly twenty-five years later, Thucydides? The Peloponnesian War continued Herodotus? history, taking up from the moment Histories ends."
Abstract This paper discusses how the Gods (deities) play an extremely important part throughout "The Iliad" by Homer, the poetry of Sappho and "Pericles Funeral Oration" by Thucydides and through much of ancient literature. It examines how in "The Iliad," Achilles often turns to the Gods to aid him in battle and in his personal life, how Sappho often wrote of the Gods and Goddesses in particular Aphrodite and how Thucydides does not directly mention the Gods but puts Athens on a pedestal in their place.
From the Paper "Sappho writes often of love and affection, but her affinity for the deities is never far from her poems. She often asks for guidance and aid in love and life, just as Achilles did in "The Iliad." Sappho writes most commonly about Aphrodite, Peitho, Ares, Hecate, Hera, Hermes, Hephaestus, and the Muses. Her poems also show the Gods interacting with humans, and aiding them at important times, such as blessing them at weddings. "All the High Gods from Olympus, to bless the Two, descend." Her lyric poetry (meant to be sung along while playing a lute) was different in that it was often written from the deities' point of view. Homer and Pericles mostly wrote from the human, heroic point of view."
From the Paper "War is a devastating human activity, one that decimates populations, destroys property, and alters political and social structures for both victor and vanquished. The history of mankind has been a history of warfare to a great extent, and few civilizations have been able to avoid war for long. At certain points in history war has been aggrandized as a glorious effort to promote a social or political agenda, while at other times society has frowned on war and has resorted to it only when all else fails. The world of ancient Greece produced some of the most important philosophical concepts in human history, ideas that have continued to prevail to this day. Yet, the Greeks as well were subject to war both with outside forces and among themselves. An example of the latter was the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, an event that had major consequences for the development of the ..."
Abstract This paper shows the inaccuracy of at least one of Thucydides' works and explores the bias present in any historical document. Comparisons are made between what Thucydides' documented "Pericles" is saying and what was actually happening in Greece at the time.
From the Paper "In his treatise on history, Thucydides claims to be the most accurate and unbiased historian of his time. It is unquestionable that he was an extremely influential writer and has provided the modern world with an unparalleled glimpse into Greek history. However, the accuracy of his work does provide a forum for much debate. It is hard to believe that anyone past or present can provide a truly accurate account of any event. The author's own ideas, knowingly or otherwise, always manage to find their way into any account. Thucydides was no exception. Despite his best intentions, Thucydides? account of Pericles? Funeral Speech falls short of "a possession for all time", as the author might have you believe (Thucydides 107). Instead, it serves as the author's interpretation of how Greek history should be viewed rather than how it actually happened."
