SOURCE ESSAY
Throughout his text, History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides superiority in relation to the documentation of history as opposed to other Greek writers such as Herodotus Is visible through the quality and unbiasedness of his accounts. This is something Thucydides believed himself as well and was something he argued throughout his texts indirectly attacking his predecessors for storytelling as opposed to documentation. Thucydides was an Athenian born around 460 BCE he was a historian and a general of the city-state of Athens until he was exiled for allowing the city of Amphipolis to be captured by the Spartans after he failed to reach it in time. Thucydides is also a very elusive historical figure. This is due to the fact
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that although he is such a distinguished historian not much is known for sure about him or his life apart from the little he gives away about himself in his own recounts. Although little is known about Thucydides himself his documentations of the Peloponnesian War, eight books in total are some of the most detailed and timeless recollections of the political and moral aspects of a societies war policies. The first thing to consider when determining whether or not Thucydides was the superior historian is his strengths and weaknesses.
Thucydides is known as the father of scientific history and this is reflected in the ratio of strengths vs. weaknesses in his work. The first strength of his work is the accuracy of his historical chronicling. As opposed to Herodotus who wrote in a more literary, dramatic style in order to construct a sensationalised narrative. Thucydides on the other hand stuck to the facts as closely as possible regardless of how this would affect the delivery of the work to the reader. This is shown in this passage from the first chapter of the first …show more content…
book; ‘The absence of romance in my history will, I fear, detract somewhat from its interest; but if it be judged useful by those inquirers who desire an exact knowledge of the past as an aid to the interpretation of the future, which in the course of human things must resemble if it does not reflect it, I shall be content. In fine, I have written my work, not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time.’ This quote reinforces Thucydides unfaltering aim to document as truthfully as possible.
Another strength within his writing is his use of speeches. Speeches make up 25% of Thucydides writing and they are a positive force for the accuracy of the history within the stories. The speeches allow for both sides of arguments to present their case and they create impartialness amongst Thucydides writing. The speeches however also present one of Thucydides weaknesses.
‘With reference to the speeches in this history, some were delivered before the war began, others while it was going on; some I heard myself, others I got from various quarters; it was in all cases difficult to carry them word for word in one's memory, so my habit has been to make the speakers say what was in my opinion demanded of them by the various occasions, of course adhering as closely as possible to the general sense of what they really said.’
The speeches are never 100 per cent word for word and therefore allow room for inaccuracies in the history. And although Thucydides wrote them as best he could while still adhering to what actually happened there was always something that could have been left out or forgotten. That being said, this one weakness doesn’t discredit Thucydides credibility as his manuscripts still stuck with original proposals and opinions of the speakers he documented and therefore his work is still a more historically accurate reflection of what actually occurred in comparison to other historians
of the time such as Herodotus. As mentioned earlier Thucydides inclusion of speeches within his work allowed for a balanced recollection of thoughts. One of the most significant of these speeches was the Melian Dialogue. This dialogue involved the dramatization of the negotiations between the Athenian army and the rulers of Melos. This speech is a perfect example of Thucydides ability to be an unbiased documenter. Although Thucydides was an Athenian this particular part of the text really demonises the Athenian army. ‘we shall not trouble you with specious pretences … since you know as well as we do that right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.’ The Melians reason with the Athenian army that they are a neutral state and that the Athenians have no need to conquer them. The Athenians ignore them and eventually kill all the men on the island and enslave the women and children. The text shows a dramatic yet historically accurate depiction of the moral decline of the Athenians. Some argue that this demonization of the Athenians was due to Thucydides being spiteful after his exile. However if this idea is just grasping at straws as Thucydides holds the Athenians accountable at all stages of the text including the beginning. So this moral decline played out through the debate between Melos and the Athenians really is just another enforcement that Thucydides truly is the best and most unbiased and trustworthy historian of his time. Although Thucydides does hold the Athenians accountable he still never truly makes a final judgement as to who is in the right throughout the war this is seen in the funeral oration by Pericles in the second book. Two sides are shown in this speech the first being the side championed by Pericles himself. This is the romanticised ideal of fighting and dying for your city. "we have a form of government that does not emulate the practices of our neighbours... In name it is called democracy on account of being administered in the interest not of the few but the many." “this is above all the reason I have lengthened my speech about the city....to give evidence for the glory of those whom I am now eulogizing.” He shows the grand ideals of dying for democracy but also eludes to the questionable nature of sacrificing so much for a city. In the end however he never gives a clear answer as to what he truly believes is right instead leaves the viewer to question it themselves which is another representation of the unbiasedness of his writing and the reason he is superior to other historical writers of his time.
To answer some common question that are ask by the people who do not understand the soldiers. He presupposed that everybody knows the story, in which is not really possible and cannot be proven by any facts or evidence.
myself since the war days never to speak of my enthusiasm.” (Davies, 164) For the majority of his life,
“…and [I] shall first give an account of his deeds at home and abroad, then of his character and pursuits, and lastly of his administration and death, omitting nothing worth knowing or necessary to know.”
1) According to Thucydides, during the civil war at Corcyra a re-evaluation of values took place in the populace (3.82). Explain the nature of these re-evaluations, and the reason(s) they took place.
Disease may primarily be a health deteriorating agents but it will also bring social change. In The Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio elaborates on the social changes and extraordinary behavior of the people in the City of Florence during the 14th century A.D. Similarly Thucydides tells of his personal experience with the plague in Athens during the 5th century B.C. in "The Plague"; History of the Peloponnesian War. He focuses on the effects it had on peoples behaviors and religious beliefs. By comparing Boccaccio and Thucydides work, one is able to understand the perspective each one has on the links between the spread of the disease and social change, while Boccaccio focuses on the people whose behavior caused them to abandon others to death and this exemplifying a lack of morality, Thucydides is more concerned with the change in religious beliefs caused by the plague.
The epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, centers around the main protagonist Odysseus and his long journey back home. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, returns home after defeating the Trojans in a ten year war. On his way back, he angers Poseidon, god of the sea, by blinding his son, Polyphemus the Cyclops. Due to Odysseus’ actions, Poseidon refuses to let Odysseus reach home, and Odysseus and his crew are forced to go through a series of obstacles throughout the epic. Through this adversity, Odysseus must show his heroic attributions in order to survive. Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero by giving him characteristics such as: craftiness, loyalty, and bravery.
Thucydides’ version of Pericles’ “Funeral Oration” can be read as more of an ironic rendering of Pericles’ original speech since The History of the Peloponnesian War is not just considered to be a historical account but also a “highly imaginative piece of work” in which Thucydides made characters involved in the war say what he believed they actually meant instead of what they might have originally said (Thucydides Introduction pg. x). In the “Funeral Oration”, Pericles praises certain
Both these debates have a background question at hand, whether or not the speakers were presenting their opinions out of honest opinion for the well-being of Athens or self-interest. Out of the four speakers two (Nicias and Diodotus) honestly cared for the future of Athens and did not act on the slightest bit for their self-interest. Cleon also cared about the well-being of Athens but merely gave out the immoral and haste answer to a problem that obviously needed more thought to it. Alcibiades stands alone on this one, being the only one to have acted out of self-interest who only spoke to protect his name and gain a few points of honor here and there. Within the same book Thucydides presents two debates that ask the same question of the speakers where the answer apparently depends on the debate and the text.
An Analysis of Thucydides' Views on the Melian Dialogue The Melian Dialogue is a debate between Melian and Athenian representatives concerning the sovereignty of Melos. The debate did not really occur-the arguments given by each side were of Thucydides own creation. Thus it is reasonable to assume that we can tease out Thucydides' own beliefs.
What strengths and indeed weaknesses does Thucydides' writings have? Are they of sufficient accuracy to be useful to modern historians? I will be looking principally at the first two books, although I will make references that will encompass the other 6 books that comprise The History of the Peloponnesian War. [IMAGE][IMAGE] First I shall discuss briefly Thucydides' past, as this bears some significant relevance to the way Thucydides was about to write his history, and the expertise he was able to employ.
Winston Churchill was perhaps one of the greatest public speakers in history. Some of the best speeches have come from being in life or death situations, Winston was known best for this. His small sound clips like, “this was their finest hour”, and “this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”, encourage his troops and his people that they will win this war and will overcome the greatest odds. Although Churchill told many speeches, his speech on June 18, 1940 showed the most emotion and courage of any other speech he told. In this speech he explained that the war in France is over and the war in Britain would begin. He said that if we fail then the world sink into an abyss. This emotion that he shows would give Britain hope, courage and most of all determination.
...s Henry correct as to when the war may start but he was also correct in that he pointed out to the convention that Britain knew they were weak and vulnerable at the time.
It seems that Thucydides was aware of the scale of the war while it was happening, and therefore the importance of the history he was recording. He took the "opportunity" of exile, no doubt backed up by his wealth and status, to travel and interview various people involved in significant events of the war. It is cl...
Thucydides, considered one of the greatest ancient historians, spent part of his life detailing the war between Athens and Sparta. In his work, The History of the Peloponnesian War, he includes a speech given by Pericles at the first Athenian funeral of the war. Right after the speech by Pericles, Thucydides follows with a description of the plague that cripples the population of the city. Thucydides does this to make a statement on his personal views of the Athenian society.
...makes to the store of war literature should prove of interest to the student of the specialist mind and of the author’s own personal career. It is of less interest as a study and analysis of German strategy and tactic. ”