balance of power leans towards Sparta and her allies. Sparta already feared Athens’ growing power. Therefore‚ Sparta needed to check Athens’ control of the region. The need to keep a balance of power is the main reason of the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides attains that Sparta’s fear of Athenian rule provided an unavoidable path to war. Athens controlled about half of the city-states; dominated much of the trade; and maintained a strong navy. Sparta kept a strong army and retained equal allies but
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They began their rise to power in a subtle claim of authority due to their perceived sacrifices and success in the Persian Wars (Thucydides 1.73). The Athenian delegate to Sparta spoke of how Athens deserved the head of the Delian League because they had provided soldiers and ships during the Persian War. Additionally‚ he emphasized the importance of the Athenians’ decision to sacrifice
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Drama 88 Day 4 How does Thucydides’ representation of the Athenians compare with the representation of the Athenians on the Parthenon Frieze? Thucydides describes the Athens as being superior to the other states while the Parthenon Frieze describes them as a whole and united and the figures they respected. Thucydides mainly talks about the warriors and the men of Athens while the Parthenon Frieze depicts people of all status. Thucydides makes the Athens seem arrogant and has the Athens believe that
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The conflict between oligarchy and democracy often seems to be a relatively recent phenomenon for many in the modern world‚ however it is often disregarded that this conflict goes back millennia in the western world‚ all the way back to ancient Greece‚ and specifically back to the city-state of Athens. Though very different from the modern‚ western concept of democracy‚ Athens’ democratic system was revolutionary for it’s time and often stirred conflict between democratic and oligarchic forces‚ not
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"The strong do what they have to do and the weak accept what they have to accept." -Thucydides In the modern-day United States‚ we live in a culture of self-expression‚ prosperity‚ and freedom. But these ideas of universal entitlement and inalienable humans rights have become so ingrained in our society‚ that we often forget that the rest of the world doesn ’t necessarily think the same way. The development of our social values and beliefs was a process‚ and we cannot force them onto any
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This dialogue is most likely not what the Athenians and Melians spoke to each other. Instead‚ Thucydides placed a theme within the dialogue like many Greek writers before him. The Athenians attempted to persuade the Melians to become tributary allies of the Athenian confederacy‚ but Melos preferred to not be slaves to the Athenian empire. The Athenians
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consequences of this war and account for the Athenian defeat. The ancient historian Thucydides is the main source of knowledge of this period and provides a comprehensive account of the Peloponnesian war. He held a two sided commitment as a relative of the pro- Spartian statesman Cimon and a warm admirer of the anti-Spartan Pericles he therefore held a degree of political impartiality[1]. However Thucydides died before completion of his history. There are also general problems in the nature of
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Rachel Gould “Thucydides” Let me present to you my interpretation of the short story by Rachel Gould for my home-reading classes. Rachel Gould is a young journalist who is now gaining recognition for her short stories. The title of this short story is “Thucydides”. It is indirect in its meaning because this story is not about this historian; instead of it may be any title. It is simply a reason why the main character’s mind has changed. His personality has had a great influence on her. The actions
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After Pericles’ death‚ Thucydides foreshadows the plight of all later leaders‚ noting they were unable to rule the people as Pericles had‚ instead they “managed all these affairs in the opposite way” and “resorted to handing over affairs to the people’s pleasure” (2.65)‚ resulting in frequent missteps. Although this is presented to the reader‚ they still search for hope as the later leaders struggle to find the perfect balance of rationality and wisdom Pericles had achieved. There are frequent similarities
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Similarities in the failures of Xerxes’ invasion of Greece and the Sicilian Expedition On paper‚ Xerxes and the Persians‚ along with Alcibiades and his Athenians‚ would be overwhelmingly favored to win over Greece and Sicily. However‚ although both the Athenians and Persians not only far outnumbered their opponents in manpower‚ weaponry‚ and utilities‚ they still shockingly were both beaten and sent back to their homelands. The reasons for why two superpowers such as these would fall to a cluster
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