Pericles

In the narrative, The Histories, Xerxes Invades Greece, Herodotus, also known as the “father of history”, attempted to capture what a free society could achieve when they worked together in the form of the poleis. He did this by showing the differences between the Persian and Greek soldiers and their mindsets during the Persian War. Herodotus wrote this narrative after the Persian War was over and during the early years of the Peloponnesian War which was around 431 B.C.E. Herodotus believed…

The Parthenon in Athens and the Pantheon in Rome: Comparison Introduction History shows that the Parthenon was built on a raised platform, and consisted, basically, of a cella (enclosed room) surrounded by a peristyle of free-standing columns. The entire building, including the roof tiles, was constructed of white pentelic marble. Large areas, such as the columns, were left white, but most of the details, such as the sculptures, were brightly painted (Hopper 122). The temple had seventeen…

The city of Athens lived under forms of radical democracy from 508 to 322 BCE. During those years, Athens was an unwavering example of a prosperous democratic society. This form of democracy was not only giving citizens a right to vote, but putting much more power in the hands of the middle class. Opposite of a republic, Athenian people were governed by themselves and voted together on all issued big or small (Waterfield 75). In the 7th and 8th centuries BCE, Athens changed from being ruled by a…

As introduced by, Suresht Bald: “Without openly attacking the other, each used persuasion, coercion, und subversion to strengthen itself and weaken its rival. This struggle for hegemony by Athens and Sparta…” or the Worlds currently developing, East/West Hegemonic dilemma; which “is felt most acutely by small, hitherto “independent” states that were now being forced to take side in the bipolar World… One such State was Melos… After strategically positioning their powerful fleet… [Envoys were…

Not only did it have value itself but it produced grain, at the time there was no coin so grain was used for trade. (Trumbach) There were four basic classes of people at the time. The aristocrats who owned a lot of fertile land. Second is the “rich peasants” who owned smaller amounts of land but the land was also of poor yield, the mostly lived on the hill. Though they are richer than the other peasants they were still poor. Third are the peasants who worked the land owned by the aristocrats and…

Since the start of civilization, humans have used violence to gain and ensure power. Power often blinds people causing them to believe their violent actions are just. They are in a position where they won’t be opposed so they can act self-interestedly. Thrasymachus, in Thucydides’ accounts on the Peloponnesian war explains this point of view best by stating, “Justice is nothing other the advantage of the stronger.” (Plato pg. 14). Although violence places fear in your enemies or subordinates, it…

Athens and Sparta, the two largest Greek cities that were constantly debating of their two different styles of government and leadership. The leader who developed Athens advanced democracy and more modern government was named Solon. His good leadership stemmed from the appreciation the Athenian people had for him for turning Athens into a more city with more equality and justice, “In 594 Solon was called upon to resolve problems of deep seated social unrest involving the aristocratic monopoly of…

An Athenian, Thucydides, writes and tells about the war between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, known as the Peloponnesian War, from the beginning of the war. In the first part of chapter 1, he tells about how the war would be a great war, more memorable than any wars before this time. He writes about the causes of the war and he looks at previous wars such as the Trojan War and correlates their abilities and impact with the war between Athens and Sparta. Thucydides believed that the…

Deception and misinformation play an important role during Thucydides’ account of the Sicilian Expedition. In reality, the whole expedition which leads to deception and destruction, could have been avoided if the Athenian Assembly had listened to Nicias’s plea. Sicily was indeed too far away to be subdued permanently, and the current state of Athens was more important. Many other Greek city states were looking for their opportunity to attack Athens, and this event would only weaken the empire…

Dicaeopolis’ Withdrawal from Athenian Society Camia Lopez The Peloponnesian War was an intensifying war that was fought between the Athenians and Spartans. As matters continued to result in more problems due to the war, an Athenian citizen named, Dicaeopolis, decided to intervene and construct peace between the two opposing nations. Early on, Dicaeopolis decided to establish a private peace treaty with Godson, an immortal child of Demeter and Triptolemus, who was able to grant the deed.…