...Written by the Greek historian Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War is one that tells the story of the war (431-404 BC) which divided the Greek world between Athens and its allies and Lacedaemon. The Melian Dialogue presents two sides and two perspectives that of the Melians neutrality and that of the Athenians’ might. By Thucydides juxtaposing the Athenian’s position to that of the Melians, there is a clear conclusion of which side actions are tactically and morally acceptable. One would argue that the Athenians are immoral for violently plundering the Melian territory because they had the power to do so. However, given the circumstance of trying to defend their empire due to the imbalance of forces, the Athenian actions are not unduly harsh and are justified because they needed to assert their power. The Melians’ senselessness of resistance and logicality of weakness enables Athens’ actions to be more reasonable. Athens is a nation that has demonstrated their power and authority towards other nations in situations of war and imperialism. In tactically trying to gain allies in the war against Sparta, Athens’ main objective is not to appear weak before their enemies and as a result, they needed to assert their power towards Melos. While asking the Melians to submit, the Athenians say to them, “for your hostility cannot so much hurt us as your friendship will be an argument to our subjects of our weakness, and your enmity of our power” (Thucydides 269). Here, the Athenians...
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...The strength of the Athenian military and navy allowed Pericles to treat other members of the Delian League as if they were part of his empire (World History 135). The strong armies that the Athenians controlled allowed them to expand their influence and become a sort of democratic empire, controlling their internal affairs in democratic fashion while imposing imperial rule over their neighbors. The Athenian government did not reflect that of their neighbors and the power is not “in the hands of a minority but of the whole people.” (Doc C).Their government was the first democracy and was deeply embedded in the culture and society of Athens. They were able to strengthen their government in the time of peace between the wars, which was their golden age. Pericles introduced their direct democracy, a system of government far different from other...
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...I feel the most interesting part about this video was the huge statue of Athena that Pericles had placed in the Parthenon. The reason why I found this so interesting is because of the shear height of the statue standing thirty-nine feet tall. Also, the statue of Athena helped to look over and protect the city of Athens where it was located. The way it was made I found very interesting as well. The reason for this is that Pericles and the rest of Athens gathered the money through taxes for the return of protection by Athens for the other cities. The six-foot statue that the statue of Athena is also interesting in what it helps to represent with Athena. With this video, I feel that a documentary like this represents the values of being able to provide visual aides for all of the items and people that it explains throughout. Also, by doing this, you get an idea of what the architecture and lifestyle was like back during this time. It also allows established academic researchers to give their side of the story to describe the events and reasons why these sort of events took place during this time of the fifth century. This video also makes it easier to learn about the history because it is more interesting to watch something on a topic then to read about it because you do not get the entire effects and passion from just reading about something as you do watching it and really being able to see what was going...
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...It is important to study Thucydides because Thucydides can help us to understand the way politics work in the world today.This should come later – it is not an introduction to a whole paper – always assume your reader is not familiar with your topic In his book titled, The History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides brings to light, some of the causes of the war, as well as some of the consequences of the war. (This is a good opening sentence. It introduces the reader to the topic) Thucydides analyzed the Peloponnesian War on a deeper level (what do you mean?) to help us understand why and how things occur in the world. The world has a better understanding of war and politics in general because of Thucydides. Thucydides’ account of The History of the Peloponnesian War has taught us many things about how politics work in the modern world. (These last three sentences are a little repetitive and do not give a lot of information) One thing that Thucydides’ work on the Peloponnesian War has taught us is that states are only concerned with their own interests, and how their interests can benefit them (repetitive). Good! This is demonstrated in the conflict between Melos and Athens. Good! The Melians wanted to avoid conflict with Athens by trying to persuade them that the Athenians should not attack them because they were neutral and not allies to either side (Thucydides Book VI, p. 2). The Athenians did not comply with the Melians plea to maintain their territory. Instead,...
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...not trust one another. This led to Athens and Sparta forming allies after the Persian war, Athens formed the Delian league while Sparta formed the Peloponnesian league. The Delian league funded their own naval army to guard and protect the Aegean from invasions from the Persians; this ultimately created a very powerful Athenian navy and Athenian empire. The first undeclared flames of war was when Sparta’s main ally, Corinth invaded Attica. Athens then taking precautions formed what is known as the long walls, which enclosed and connected Athens capital to its ports, which meant land based armies had little chances of starting war on Athens soil. This action sent fear and suspicions to Greek city states especially Corinth. Corinth was very important in commercial trade because it linked northern and southern Greece. The first outbreak of real conflict was when the Athenian navy dispatched a fleet to assist Egyptian rebels escape the Persian Empire. Rebellions in Athens then broke out, which led to Sparta invading Attica. A treaty known as the Thirty Years Peace was formed to prevent an official war between Athens and Sparta. Years went by before the treaty defected and Corinth declared Athens with committing an act of war. The act of war began when Corcyra seeked assistance from Athens during their battle with Corinth. Corinth then reached out to the Peloponnesian league which resulted in Thebes attacking Platea whom was an Athenian Ally. Now the war has...
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...An Athenian general by the name of Thucydides was exiled out of Athens for losing a battle in about 500 BCE. After he left the city, he wrote about the dialogue between Melos and Athens called the Melian Dialogue. In Athens, 5th century BCE they were becoming an empire of ancient Greece. Alcibiades, who was also an Athenian general, was planning a trip over seas to take over Sicily. Athens needed money so they sailed all the way to an island called Melos to persuade them to pay the tribute. The Melian Dialogue is a conversation where Athens uses Rhetoric (the art of persuasive speaking) and argues the point of Physis (survival of the fittest) to persuade Melos into paying the tribute. In the end Melos doesn’t agree to pay the tribute and to be an ally with Athens so Athens takes over Melos, kills all the men, and sells all the women and children into slavery. Athens warned Melos and created a strong argument which makes Athens justified in what they did to the island of Melos. In the Melian Dialogue, Athens makes a strong argument around the idea of physis. “This is not an idea that we made ourselves, nor are we the first to act upon it when it was made. We found it already in existence, and we shall leave it to exist for ever among those who come after us” (Thucydides 105). In other words what Athens is saying is, we are not the first to act upon “Natural Law”, that the strong will do what they must do to stay in power for as long as possible. Therefore...
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...An Athenian general by the name of Thucydides was exiled out of Athens for losing a battle in about 500 BCE. After he left the city, he wrote about the dialogue between Melos and Athens called the Melian Dialogue. In Athens, 5th century BCE they were becoming an empire of ancient Greece. Alcibiades, who was also an Athenian general, was planning a trip over seas to take over Sicily. Athens needed money so they sailed all the way to an island called Melos to persuade them to pay the tribute. The Melian Dialogue is a conversation where Athens uses Rhetoric (the art of persuasive speaking) and argues the point of Physis (survival of the fittest) to persuade Melos into paying the tribute. In the end Melos doesn’t agree to pay the tribute and to be an ally with Athens so Athens takes over Melos, kills all the men, and sells all the women and children into slavery. Athens warned Melos and created a strong argument which makes Athens justified in what they did to the island of Melos. In the Melian Dialogue, Athens makes a strong argument around the idea of physis. “This is not an idea that we made ourselves, nor are we the first to act upon it when it was made. We found it already in existence, and we shall leave it to exist for ever among those who come after us” (Thucydides 105). In other words what Athens is saying is, we are not the first to act upon “Natural Law”, that the strong will do what they must do to stay in power for as long as possible. Therefore...
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...Life in Athens during the time surrounding the Peloponnesian War was full of strife and clashing ideas. Having previously fought alongside Sparta in the Persian War years before, Athens was the site of various political partitions that deeply divided the city-state, and this division created many problems for the future. The Peloponnesian War not only drained Athens of its resources, it also created a barrier between the Athenians that would last for years to come. Democracy in Athens was not the same as democracy currently seen throughout the world; rather, it was based around public forums. When Athens came to take over other city-states, creating its own empire, many citizens of the Hellenistic world disagreed on what the proper form of government should be. The Persian War that occurred before the Peloponnesian War disrupted various factions between the city-states that existed. The disbanding led to more wars and conflicts over the political status of not only Athens but of the surrounding areas as well. One major setback was the Mytilenian debate. The issue was how the matter was to be settled, which meant that Athens’s democratic ideals were to be tested. Immediately following the Persian War, Mytilene broke apart from its alliance with Athens. Quickly becoming a powerful city-state, Athens had in mind a design to dominate other city-states as Greek influence began to spread around the world. The Mytilene people did not care for this type of power; rather, they hoped to...
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...Writer: Mashell Chapeyama Subject: History Selected essays on Greek civilization Introduction This booklet is a collection of essays that were written for academic purpose. The essays are centred on Greece. Particular emphasis is placed on the states of Athens and Sparta. The aim of the essays is to show the contributions that Greek states made to the modern world. The world has learnt a lot of aspects from Greece, being they direct or indirect. One of the things that Greece brought to the world is the democratic system of government. Together with lessons from ancient Rome the world has learned much. Essay1: Differences in terrain and climatic conditions between Athens and Sparta Greece has many cities and towns, however probably the main ones in ancient times were Sparta and Athens. These two cities shaped the political life and history of Greece for quite a long time. The influence mainly centred on land and agriculture. For, about 90% of Greece production was agricultural in nature, with grain production as the dominant area. Incidentally, grain was a staple product and food of Greece. As a result the land that was used for grain production was a vital part of wealth and a valuable asset, for which citizens compete for. This essay is going to explore the difference in terrain between Athens and Sparta and how it affected agriculture and political rights, including democracy as well as how agricultural production had an impact on the distribution of political...
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...God f. A rule or ethical system g. A choice or moral freedom h. Dignity and autonomy of human beings 4. Persian Wars – who fought, why, who won, how, significance i. Who Fought? i. Persians vs. Greeks j. Why? ii. Fundamental differences, East vs. West iii. Disputed territory in Asia Minor iv. Greece as a stepping-stone to Europe k. Who Won? v. The Greeks l. How? vi. Superior Military Skill m. So What? vii. Persians locked out of Europe forever viii. Athenian Imperialism ix. Delian League – Greek alliance between city states to prevent future attacks from Persia x. Launches them into Athenian Golden Age 5. Sparta –description, major contributions, contrast with Athens * Formed Delian league to fight against Athens * Experienced Land Military while Athens had an Experienced Navy * Athens was focused on cultural expansion while Sparta loved war 6. Cosmologists – role in origins of Greek philosophy, methods, examples, significance Methods n. Physical Matter o. Mathematical Order – Pythagoras p. Logical Proof – Mataphysics q. Mechanical Structure Impact r. Critical Analysis s. Systemized Knowledge 7. Plato’s Theory of...
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...American schools do teach a little about ancient greece and there are actually movies out now that provide great information on wars for example the movie 300. Although sometimes you want to expand your knowledge on certain things and I thought that’d be great for Greece. In this essay I will hit key points like the beautiful Greek geography and how it affected trade, some politics and how the government and religion played a part in life, and the periods and mighty wars fought. hopefully i will succeed in this essay and get a good grade. The purpose of this essay is to provide informational facts on ancient greek civilization/culture and give the reader a sense of how it was then. Enjoy. My background knowledge about ancient Greece is that good. From movies I've seen that Greece had some type of problem with Persia. Im not sure what the problem was but i know it was two major city-states/ empires, Athens and Sparta. I know the one army fought on land & the the other on ships in water. I also know that europe is known for wine and oil so i would like to know if those are some resources Adding that I did know that Greece was surrounded by water so I wonder how that affected the crops? Well to continue on I’d like to answer some of my questions and get to know this cool place a little better. Let’s begin. Greece is the South Eastern region on the European continent. It is defined by a series of mountains, surrounded on all sides except the north by water, and had countless...
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...Foundations: c. 8000 B.C.E.–600 C.E. Major Developments 1. Locating world history in the environment and time 1. Environment 1. Geography and climate: Interaction of geography and climate with the development of human society a. Five Themes of Geography – consider these 1. Relative location – location compared to others 2. Physical characteristics – climate, vegetation and human characteristics 3. Human/environment interaction – how do humans interact/alter environ a. Leads to change 4. Movement – peoples, goods, ideas among/between groups 5. Regions – cultural/physical characteristics in common with surrounding areas b. E. Africa first people – 750,000 years ago started to move 1. moving in search of food c. Role of Climate – End of Ice Age 12000 BCE – large areas of N. America, Europe, Asia became habitable – big game hunters already migrated 1. Geographical changes - 3000 BCE Green Sahara began to dry up, seeds to forests – N. America 2. Effect on humans – nomadic hunters didn’t move so much a. Settle near abundant plant life – beginning of civilization b. Sedentary life w/ dependable food supply 3. milder conditions, warmer temperatures, higher ocean...
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...1575 ESSAYS by Michel de Montaigne translated by Charles Cotton I. OF CUSTOM, AND THAT WE SHOULD NOT EASILY CHANGE A LAW RECEIVED. HE seems to have had a right and true apprehension of the power of custom, who first invented the story of a countrywoman who, having accustomed herself to play with and carry, a young calf in her arms, and daily continuing to do so as it grew up, obtained this by custom, that, when grown to be a great ox, she was still able to bear it. For, in truth, custom is a violent and treacherous schoolmistress. She, by little and little, slily and unperceived, slips in the foot of her authority, but having by this gentle and humble beginning, with the benefit of time, fixed and established it, she then unmasks a furious and tyrannic countenance, against which we have no more the courage or the power so much as to lift up our eyes. We see her, at every turn, forcing and violating the rules of nature: "Usus efficacissimus rerum omnium magister." I refer to her Plato's cave in his Republic, and the physicians, who so often submit the reasons of their art to her authority; as the story of that king, who by custom brought his stomach to that pass, as to live by poison, and the maid that Albertus reports to have lived upon spiders. In that new world of the Indies, there...
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