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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As Thucydides shows‚ while he did support Pericles‚ he didn’t necessarily support democracy. The only way that democracy in Athens was successful was under Pericles‚ and when he passed away‚ the true nature of democracy was revealed. His successors followed self-serving
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Understanding Fact from Fiction Regarding Sparta in Literary Sources During most of the Archaic and Classical periods Sparta became an equally feared and dreaded state‚ which led to their eventual rise as the most powerful city in the Greek world. Despite the Spartans rise to power and glory it is extraordinarily difficult to write about the history of Sparta. The problem does not lie in the lack of sources but whether or not the sources can be viewed as historically accurate. When looking
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The classical age of ancient Greece saw the appearance of the democratic society of Athens. Even though its formation was a tumultuous affair wrought with power struggles and revolts‚ the leadership of several key figures such as Cleisthenes and Themistocles allowed the city-state to become prosperous and powerful‚ with democracy taking center stage. In fact‚ the citizen rights of political‚ economic and individual freedom all became essential to the system of rule of the Polis. These values helped
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The Nature of International Politics The first principle that Thucydides addresses regarding the nature of international politics calls into question the conclusive goals that each individual entity in the world of international relations deems most important. Thucydides states that a country or state’s ultimate goal is to gain power and ruling over other nations. He illustrates this best in The Melian Dialogue through the actions of the war-loving Athenians. In their effort to maintain their stance
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Caesar’s defenses are paper thin‚ but manipulated enough through his oratory skills to become convincing and plausible. These speeches are the words of a desperate man who appeals more to moral sensibilities than logical ones. On the other hand Thucydides was a historian‚ and an Athenian one at that. Caesar was a military man and a politician‚ his job was to wage war‚ defend
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