Thucydides

C in Athens, Greece and died in 429 B.C. Pericles ruled during 461-429 B.C. after Ephialtes and was described as a brilliant general, orator, patron of the arts and politician—”the first citizen” of democratic Athens, according to the historian Thucydides. Pericles grew up in one of Athens leading families, his father Xanthippus who was a hero of the Persian war, and his Mother Agariste belonged to the culturally powerful Alcmaeonidae family. Pericles is known as the reason why the Acropolis…

Ancient Greece Reading Challenge: 5.2 Required Reading: Ancient Greece: 1. Explain the importance and development of the Greek city-state and the difference between a citizen and a non-citizen: A city-state have city or town that is surrounded by villages and farmland. The city-states in Greek were very independent and they often quarreled. The citizens were strongly patriotic. Many of them participated in public affairs. Only citizens could own land and participated in the government.…

Lauren Miller Prof. Porter Rhetoric 103A 12 Dec. 2017 More Than “Just Rhetoric”: Today, the term “rhetoric” often carries the connotations of bombast and deceitfulness, but rhetoric, as theorized by many ancient orators, offered a challenge, calling he who practiced the art to higher ethical, moral, and civic responsibilities. Having the freedom and ability to speak was not a license to bend the rules and constructs of society but rather a power to advocate within them. Though a rhetorician can…

Piecing together the history of the ancient Greeks requires using a number of different sources and references. The ancient historians, such as Herodotus and Thucydides, were not omnipotent and their works did not include every relevant fact about the history of Greece. Because of this need for additional information, modern historians must refer to other sources to gain knowledge about the past. Luckily for them, the Greeks customarily inscribed a great amount of information about their…

very skeptical of the sophist. In actuality, Socrates is being sarcastic. What Socrates is trying to show is that the sophist’s view of ethics is flawed in that it cannot be taught. Socrates used famous figures of Athens such as Themistocles and Thucydides to show ethical they were. However, this ethical behavior could not be passed onto their sons. What Socrates was trying to show is that if these men cannot teach ethical behavior to their sons how can a sophist? This also shows that…

Some of history 's best documented tyrannies and prospective tyrannies occurred in the city-state of Athens. In late seventh century B.C.E, Cylon – an Athenian noble – attempt to take control of Athens and rule it as a tyrant. However, he failed and Athens remained an oligarchy. Midway through the sixth century B.C.E another noble, Pisistratus, became a tyrant. He was succeeded by his sons who ruled Athens for several decades and their reign was followed by the establishment of democracy in…

Darkness, A Gateway to Light and Freedom According to Greek Historian Thucydides, “The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage”. An integral part of one’s thoughts and human nature is to obtain freedom. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a prime example of this driving force in human nature. Both Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale have flaws that they find ways to conceal, but realize that their attitudes will lead to their demise. Dimmesdale, a…

Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” was presented in 1863 while Pericles’ “Funeral Oration” was given in 431 BCE. The former was written to close a ceremony dedicating the old battlefield to the fallen soldiers while the latter was presented in a public funeral tradition to honor the dead. Pericles’ Funeral Oration and Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address compare and contrast in terms of historical context, themes, and rhetorical features. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Pericles’ Funeral…

Realism stems from Machiavelli and Thucydides, where it argues that power is the most critical element in understanding the political landscape. The pursuit of power is the driving force of all states and that you must have self-help, you can’t trust anyone else. This theory can be applied…

The Right of Nature and the Law of Nature are both similar concepts described in Thomas Hobbes’ work Leviathan. These are both theories that explain what people are or are not allowed to do. The Right of Nature allows people to use their own power no matter what, so long as they deem the reason necessary. This is similar to the concept of the Law of Nature, except that in the Law of Nature they are allowed to do anything so long as it preserves the lives of themselves and others. The Right and…