...Patrick G. Johnson Foundations of Western Civilizations Professor McCahill September 10th, 2013 In the document "Pericles' Funeral Oration" Pericles discusses many things regarding the past and current Athenian lifestyle. He covers many topics involving their citizens' welfare, military strength, as well as their excellent wealth of knowledge but Pericles' speech is intended to act as a eulogy. He accomplishes that as well as he speaks to the audience conveying many things they should be grateful for besides the duty of their deceased soldiers. The many things that Pericles' talks on often include the wonderful lifestyle the Athenians enjoy and that the many freedoms they are offered did not come without sacrifice. Pericles' purpose in this eulogy is to convey to the audience that the many perks that are offered while being an Athenian are maintained by the duty of its soldiers. Pericles goes throughout his eulogy stating the many priveleges that Athens provides for its citizens. Ranging from its entertainment, strong military, freedom of business, fair law system, and abundance of knowledge. He exclaims, "Nor are these the only points in which our city is worthy of admiration. We cultivate refinement without extravagance and knowledge without effeminacy; wealth we employ more for use than for show" (Pericles, p.2) . Pericles' explains that the wealth that the citizens are privy to is not just an extravagant show. It was earned by the people and to be used by the people...
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...as we know it. With Philosophy comes questions, with questions come many great answers that impact societies and even the earth. I want to study how Greece’s political economy impacted philosophic thinkers and people alike. In order to help readers understand whether or not outside forces like society’s political economy impacts deeper thinking like philosophy I will dive deep into Athenian Democracy, documents certain philosophers wrote in the day and time in which they lived, and even look into some other people of the time who had strong opinions on what exactly was going on them. Philosophy impacted more than most people think and I am sure in my research I will be able to back that up with primary sources to prove my argument. In writing this research paper I will be exploring the political economy of Classical Greece between 510 – 323 BCE. In addition, the geographic region I will be diving into will be Athens, Greece. I chose this mainly to enlighten myself (and hopefully the readers) on Athenian Democracy. In doing this I plan to ride the historical roller coaster in the time that Athenian Democracy first set its teeth into the minds of the people who lived in that era. Once establishing a good sense of the...
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...Athens Handout Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, (trans. by R. Crawley) 2.15 The Synoecism of Theseus: From very early times this had been more the case with the Athenians than with others. Under Cecrops and the first kings, down to the reign of Theseus, Attica had always consisted of a number of independent townships, each with its own town hall and magistrates. Except in times of danger the king at Athens was not consulted; in ordinary seasons they carried on their government and settled their affairs without his interference; sometimes even they waged war against him, as in the case of the Eleusinians with Eumolpus against Erechtheus. In Theseus, however, they had a king of equal intelligence and power; and one of the chief features in his organization of the country was to abolish the council-chambers and magistrates of the petty cities, and to merge them in the single council-chamber and town hall of the present capital. Individuals might still enjoy their private property just as before, but they were henceforth compelled to have only one political centre, viz., Athens; which thus counted all the inhabitants of Attica among her citizens, so that when Theseus died he left a great state behind him. Plutarch, Life of Solon (trans. by B. Perrin) Solon and Draco’s Laws: 17 1 In the first place, then, he repealed the laws of Draco, all except those concerning homicide, because they were too severe and their penalties too heavy. For one penalty was assigned to...
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...judgments on fairness based on the amount they give (input) compared to the amount they get back (output). Ensuring organizational justice should be a priority for organization – it can reduce the incidence of workplace deviance, absence, disengagement and counterproductive workplace behaviors (CWB) and also encourage positive attributes like trust and progressive communication. Organizational justice is sometimes discussed alongside corporate social responsibility (CSR), a form of societal justice. Philosophers and social commentators were writing about justice long before management scientists were. Among the ancient Greeks, for example, Herodotus’ History and Plutarch’s Lives described the achievements of the lawgiver Solon, who reformed Athenian government. The importance of people to organizational performance has long been recognized (Prahalad and Hamel,1990), yet according to Fletcher (1993) more than 80 percent of UK organizations surveyed in the UK express dissatisfaction with...
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...“Ancient Greece had the perfect democracy” Ancient Greece did not have a perfect democracy. They established the roots of democracy and most of their ideas were accurate, but it was still quite far from perfect. Their system showed signs of racism, sexism, imperialism and corruption. In ancient Greece, women, the poor, slaves, and tax defaulters were not allowed to vote as they were not considered citizens. Neither were those who didn’t have citizen parentage on both sides. Only Athenian males above the age of 18 had the right to vote. Even though the status of women was lower in Athens than it was in many Greek cities, women were still not able to vote anywhere. This is extremely sexist, as gender should not change someone’s rights and the way they are perceived. These days slavery is considered illegal in most countries, however in ancient Greece, it was acceptable to have slaves working for you. A key part in modern day democracy is the right to vote for everyone, including women, tax defaulters and the poor. It can easily be said that their politics were more like an exclusive gentleman’s club then a democracy. Ancient Greek democracy can be described as being minoritarian, where a minority of the population (e.g. the male population) is eligible to a certain degree of dominance in society and has the right to make decisions that affect the entire society. Equality and freedom are both valued concepts of democracy, and if these concepts were not in place in ancient Greece...
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...later Byzantine Empire and was relatively prosperous during the period of the Crusades (12th and 13th centuries), benefiting from Italian trade. Following a period of sharp decline under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Athens re-emerged in the 19th century as the capital of the independent Greek state. Contents 1 Name 1.1 Geographical setting 2 Antiquity 2.1 Origins and early history 2.2 Reform and democracy 2.3 Classical Athens 2.3.1 Early Athenian military history 2.3.2 Artists and philosophers 2.3.3 Peloponnesian War 3 Athenian coup of 411 BC 3.1 Corinthian War and the Second Athenian League 3.2 Athens under Macedon 3.3 Hellenistic Athens 3.4 Roman Athens 4 Middle Ages 4.1 Byzantine Athens 4.2 Latin Athens 4.2.1 Burgundian period 4.2.2 Aragonese period 4.2.3 Florentine period 5 Modern history 5.1 Ottoman Athens 5.2 Independence from the Ottomans 5.3 Modern Athens 5.3.1 Population influx 5.3.2 Athens under the Nazis 5.3.3 Postwar Athens 5.3.4 Athens today 5.3.5 Recent historical population 5.4 Notable Athenians 5.5 Ancient sites in Athens 6 Notes 7 Further reading The contest of Athena and Poseidon. West Pediment of the Parthenon. The name of Athens, connected to the name of its patron goddess Athena, originates from an earlier, Pre-Greek language.[1][verification needed] The etiological myth explaining how Athens acquired this name through the legendary contest between Poseidon and Athena was described by...
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...According to 5/4th century norms and values, Euphiletus presents himself as a both to a good husband and good citizen up to a point where it was considered he made mistakes which lead to Eratosthenes seducing his young wife. Firstly, Euphiletus presented himself as a good husband from the very start of their marriage, where he didn’t want to ‘annoy her’ so he had left her to herself however he ‘kept an eye on her,’ so she was unable to ‘have her own way’. This showed the Euphiletus was caring, treating her to standard expected behaviour in 5/4th century Athens by allowing her to settle down but also keeping her in her place. Secondly, Euphiletus explains how he had trusted his after the birth of their first child by showing affection by putting her in charge of his property and later Euphiletus describes as her as the best of women. This presents him as good husband as he judges her to be good at running the female counterpart of the Oikos, which in turn presents Euphiletus as a good husband as he’s making sure his Oikos is running correctly . This also presents him as a good citizen as running a good Oikos shows that Athens is also good. However, Euphiletus does present himself as a flawed husband by having no suspicions about her chastity, tolerating her locking him in a room, and wearing makeup after the death of her brother. All these imply he was too trusting which lead her to being succumbed to Eratosthenes's wishes. Also, Euphiletus also presents himself as good...
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...Themistocles used the excuse of an ongoing conflict with Aegina to push his troops forward to the silver mines of Laurion.(Cartwright 4) Also, the state-owned silver mines near Sunium were the site of a rich strike, and Themistocles persuaded the assembly, instead of “declaring and dividend” to devote the whole surplus to increasing the navy.Themistocles urged that the Athenian fleet should be doubled or tripled. Thus, he used the silver to build new war ships, expanding the Athenian fleet from seventy ships to one-hundred ships. (Burn 3,4)In addition, when the Greek navy gathered at Salamis, Themistocles persuaded the Spartans to send their navy to Cape Artemisium, to protect the narrow passage of Thermopylae. If the Spartans could hold the passage, it would force the Persians to come in to attack the Greek fleet in order to open up a way for the army.(Star 120) This larger navy helped the Greeks out maneuver the Persians and win the...
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...In his plague speech, Pericles implies that a citizen supports his polis by surrendering “domestic affiliations” and contributing his services. To begin with, Thucydides writes, “Since then a state can support the misfortunes of private citizens, while they cannot support hers, it is surely the duty of every one to be forward in her defence, and not like you to be so confounded with your domestic affiliations as to give up all thoughts of the common safety.” Because a democracy reflects the views of the people, it is imperative that the common person be able to formulate wise and rational opinions. A citizen might harm his polis by ignoring the welfare of his polis and acting out of personal gain. Furthermore, Pericles tells the assembly that...
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...The Golden Age Like a flower in bloom, fifth century Attica is said to be the prime time of ancient civilizations. Much praise is given to the period, and it is coined to be the Golden Age of ancient western history. It is claimed that the Athenians of this time period were very successful in many areas, being “originators of democracy…art, history, philosophy, and science.” (Discovering 54) Comparatively I support the claim for Attica’s golden status because it was the most successful city state of its time: with a democratic government, military superiority, and free philosophical thought. The government of Attica was historically the first ever democracy, pioneering ideas of equality and power divided amongst all. In Pericles’ funeral speech, he claims the Athenian “constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves.” (Discovering 59) Attican government and laws set the bar of standards of equality that others modeled their own law systems after. The original designers of democracy were highly successful in seeing to it that equal representation existed. It is said that “the laws… afford equal justice to all in their private differences.” (Discovering 59) Some would argue that the democracy was crude because only free, landowning male citizens were allowed to vote: which was true. However one living in Attica was not confined to a certain caste or rank in which they stayed their entire life. In fact, “class...
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...Note: The most important word here is compare. Avoid writing about Spartan women and then Athenian women – or vice versa. Rather compare them under specific subject areas such as birth, upbringing, marriage, authority/influence at home, political influence, economic power, status in society… and anything else which you believe is important. The following books (with barcodes in brackets) are available on Short Loan. Bradley’s book is helpful as a general guide to students of Classics. Those by Pomeroy, Fantham and Lefkowitz and Samons focus on women in the Classical World. The other works may not have immediate relevance to this essay, but should be helpful as you study Athenian and Spartan forms of government and the ways of life and values of these two very different societies. Bradley, P. Ancient Greece: Using Evidence. (10021550) Barrow, R. Athenian Democracy. (13143987) Cartledge, P. Sparta and Lakonia. (12667874) Fantham E et al. Women in the classical world. (11621324) Fornara, C., Samons, L. Athens from Cleisthenes to Pericles (10112243). Forrest, W G G. A history of Sparta. (12245024) Lefkowitz, M. and Fant, M. Women’s life in Greece and Rome. (13181638) Pomeroy, S. Goddesses, whores, wives and slaves. (10554835) Sinclair, P. Democracy and Participation in Athens (11131361) Thorley, J. Athenian Democracy. (11546542) Recommended length: approx. 1200 words You will need both to email...
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...Albert Herm Essay 1 From the years 600 BCE - 400 BCE Athens was going through major changes such as the way that their government works. Athens wasn’t a true democracy because only citizen men of the high class were able to vote. Document A, a speech given by Athenian General Pericles, supports my claim because it says “Social class is not allowed to interfere with someone’s merit, and poverty does not block the way. If a man is able to serve the state, he is not stopped by the obscurity of his condition.” Document B, an excerpt written by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, supports my claim because it says “The franchise is open to all men who are citizen birth by both parents.” Document C, a chart displaying the Athenian population, states that 29,000 citizen men are allowed to vote out of the entire population of 240,235 people. Document D, an excerpt written a professor of philology and classics at the University of Copenhagen Mogens Herman Hansen, supports my claim because it states that “Demokratia was rule by male citizens only excluding minors and maniacs only. Demokratia was rule by male citizens only, excluding women, free foreigners and slaves. Thus, by our standards it was oligarchy, not democracy.” Document E, an excerpt written by Professor John Camp, supports my claim because it states that “There may be pitfalls. . . . One batch of 190 ostraca found in Athens, all with the name of Themistocles . . . turned out to be all written by only 13 individuals. . ....
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...In this paper, I intend to explore the conflicts that arose between those of the aristocratic society, and those who composed the vast number of peasants before, as well as after the life and times of Solon, and the effect and solutions that Solon’s rule had concerning these conflicts. Such major conflicts between peasants and aristocrats include, [but are not limited to] land and slavery (Trumbach). Though, these laws will be explored further later on in this essay. The ruler, Solon imposed a number of laws in order to rectify the problems that were arising between aristocrats and peasants, as well as to mold Athenian society in a much more citizen-oriented way of living (Trumbach). Such laws included relieving the prior debts that peasants owed to the aristocrats, as well as outlawing the creation of debts slaves (Plutarch: Solon, 57). Again, such laws will be explained further along in this essay. This essay will consist of three sections. In the first section, this essay will attempt to explain the conflicts that arose between the aristocrats and the peasants on the basis of land and slavery. It will also attempt to describe how Solon’s laws impacted this conflict, as well as the situations that occurred before, and the situations that occurred after Solon. The second section of this essay will explore the conflicts that arose between aristocrats and peasants on the basis of political power, the views of both parties, as well as the reasoning both parties had...
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...ANCIENT VS MODERN GOVERNMENTS 1 Presented By: Jessie Randle Submitted to: Professor Lawrence Vellucci HS101 World History: Ancient to Renaissa Grantham University November 24, 2014 ANCIENT VS MODERN GOVERNMENTS 2 Although wars nowadays are battled in the name of democracy as if it were ethical model as well as an effort less recognizable administration elegance, it is not actually that gloomy and snowy. The discoverers of egalitarianism were the Greeks who existed in trivial city-states named poleis. Interaction with the extensive biosphere was gentler. Life needed contemporary amenities. Balloting machineries were embryonic, at greatest. The public the ones who form the demo- in democracy, were closely complicated in choices that exaggerated them and would be shocked that bills to be chosen on now need interpretation over thousand-page books. They may be even more horrified that individuals really vote on those bills without doing the interpretation. American self-governing organizations may have their skeptics and their detractors, but the country has quietly voted new administrations meanwhile its start and we see no main replacements to our government. Confidently, Americans are set in their self-governing ways, and balloting, that is, making political selections, is the keystone of democracy. In forming the vote, they make a significant administrative excellent for our nationals and themselves and make a significant declaration about anthropological...
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...Athenian Democracy Greeks are known to be the creators of democracy. In our readings we find two perspectives on Athenian democracy. The two people in the readings are the Old Oligarch, an anonymous author who in the late 5th century B.C. wrote a short essay that explained Athenian democracy according to his view, and Pericles, a 5th century B.C. statesman who made a speech in honor of those who had fallen in the Peloponnesian war. These two readings show us how two men of seemingly opposite views arrived at the same opinion of democracy in Athens. The Old Oligarch was a critique of Athenian democracy. He was more liberal in saying that the structure of the Athenian government favored the rich aristocrats and suppressed the poor. When in his opinion he thought it was fairer that the common and poor classes should have been given more consideration than the rich and men of birth. He argued that it was the common people that made Athens great because it was the People that gave the city more power than the aristocratic class (Sourcebook, p153). Another thing that differentiated the Old Oligarch from Pericles is the fact that the Old Oligarch recognized slaves in Greek society praising Athens for treating them with some equality. For example, in the city where there would be slaves and aristocrats, a slave is not entitled to bow and step aside to let the aristocrat pass. He also states that it is not legal to beat a slave or alien resident. This is not because Athens believes...
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