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Greek and Roman military similarities
Greek and Roman military similarities
Roman and Greek armies
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The story “Palais de Justice” by Mark Helprin is about a defense attorney who has a substantial amount of experience in racing sculls. He’s a rather old fashioned man and when he is challenged by a young man whom he calls a “Spartan”, his knowledge of the waters allows him to navigate his scull with ease and ultimately defeat his opponent. But what does the attorney acquire at the climax of the race? Some might say death and others a greater sense of the risk that one must take when in battle. So one of the prominent themes in the story is that sometimes people are willing to fight for what they believe in. The defense attorney’s knowledge of the waters could be compared to that of an Athenian because the Athenians were the heart and soul of the naval forces. For example, page 6 “He was lucky, because he knew the river so well that he had no need of turning to see where he was headed. So precise had the fifty years rendered his navigational sense that he did not even look when he approached bridges, and shot through the arches at full speed always right in the center.” What differentiates a Spartan from an Athenian is that a Spartan possesses brawn and is young and an Athenian, posses wisdom and is old. Spartan officers are also considered to be admirable opponents “the ultimate fighter” and were considered to be role models or leaders for the armies they commanded. So one could say that there is a battle that exists in the story, both physically and mentally. If the indeed the attorney defeats the Spartan officer then that was considered to be a victory for his own self. Thus creating an epic battle between the two opponents. An example of how the race could be portrayed as an epic battle would be on page 5 “The defens... ... middle of paper ... ... educated Athenian youth-the natural leaders of the postwar generation-refused to take any role in public affairs, or showed their rejection of the traditional way of life by antisocial activities of all kinds: excessive drinking, sexual looseness, squandering wealth, idleness. The reaction of the older generation was kind of backlash against freedom and democracy. This conflict was to last until the end of the fourth century when Athenian democracy was dead, and with it the respect for reason, the ancient civic humanism.” So the attorney wants to hold a firm grasp on his old fashioned way of life and war in almost all cases leads to change which the attorney does not want because he is more conservative. It is evident that Helprin alludes to the arsenal bridge to create a remembrance of the spirits of an older generation of warriors for many years to come.
Before Solon was name to reform the laws of the city, Athens was in great chaos. Solon had to tackle issues that were within the city itself. Because of the fact that only aristocrats and nobles were given the power to elect man, many of the “common people” were against that notion; as a result, quarrels between the common people and the aristocrats arose. Furthermore, due the the war that the Athenians just finished, and the accumulation of debts, the poorest of the poor had their lands seized and either sold themselves as slaves or their children and family members.
...edicted it would, and without a leader like him willing to direct them away from this mindset rather than pander to it to get votes, the political constitution of the city was doomed to dissolve. Speaking of the revolution in Corcyra, which occurred after the Athenian decision to spare Mytilene but before its destruction of Melos, Thucydides wrote, “In peace and prosperity states and individuals have better sentiments, because they do not find themselves suddenly confronted with imperious necessities; but war takes away the easy supply of daily wants and so proves a rough master that brings most men’s characters to a level with their fortunes” (III.82.2). This was precisely the change Athens underwent, and the cause of its eventual demise.
Pericles' Funeral Oration as recorded by Thucydides in the History of the Peloponnesian War and Theodore Roosevelt's Citizenship in a Republic were delivered in vastly different contexts, but have some similarities. Pericles gave his eulogy for the Athenian war-dead at a public funeral that took place around 430 BC, at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War, while Roosevelt gave his speech before a packed auditorium on April 23rd, 1910, by invitation of the University of Paris. It is interesting to read and analyze these two speeches in light of each other because both were offered by a leader of a democratic government and both contain reflections on the topic of citizenship. To introduce this topic, both Pericles and Roosevelt challenge the preconceptions and sensibilities of their audience and, to support the claims they make, both use the idea of the common man as a unifying motif as well as maxims, enthymemes, and examples from history. Careful analysis of these two speeches reveals that while Pericles argues why democracy should be defended and Roosevelt speaks to h...
It is surprising indeed that Even today, tyrannies and dictatorships exist in the world when more than two and a half thousand years ago the ancient Athenians had developed a functional and direct form of democracy. What contributed to this remarkable achievement and how it changed the socio-political. scene in Athens is what will be considered in this paper. The paper will have three sections, each detailing the various stages. of political development from the kings of Attica to the time of Pericles when, in its golden age, Athens was at the height of its. imperial power.
The community involvement began when democracy first developed in the early 7th century and furthered by Solon, who began reforming the Athenian justice system and organizing citizens by economic class. (10) Pericles pushed the envelope even further with the radical democracy of the Greek Golden Age, which emphasized direct democracy of the people by voting and selecting jurors to court cases randomly, giving more power to the poor classes and upsetting the elite. (11) However, with more freedom, came more responsibility. As Pericles himself said in his address to the Athenian people, "if a man takes no interest in public affairs, we alone do not commend him as quiet; but condemn him as useless." (12) To the Athenian people, participation in politics and law was not only important, but vital to government run by the people. Pericles even expounded on this by saying "action does not suffer from discussion but, rather, from the want of that instruction," (13) and "we have an exceptional gift of acting after calculating the prospects... whereas other men are bold from ignorance but hesitate upon reflection." (14) Athens was strong because the citizens needed to participate in their government and, in turn, needed to think critically about the decisions they made with each of their
This Athenian democracy was the first of its kind, and was certainly not the last. After Cleisthenes returned from exile, he created the first real government of the people – the demos, aroun...
The death of Pericles was a significant event in the course of the Peloponnesian War; however, even without Pericles' leadership the Athenian Assembly had countless opportunities to prevent their loss and chose not to take them. The fickleness and inefficiency of democracy ('the mob') allowed the Athenians to be easily influenced and therefore electing populists such as Cleon, Lysicles and Hyperbolus into dominant leadership roles. Election, via democratic means, of such populists, meant that the Athenians would take a much more aggressive approach to the war and therefore abandon the policies that Pericles had previously established. So in turn, democracy the institution for which the Athenians fought tirelessly to protect, rather than the death of Pericles, ironically became the dominant factor influencing the final outcome of this Ancient Greek civil war.
Ancient Athens was a highly polarized society in which citizenship meant everything. Citizenship permitted individuals to not only participate in the democratic
The march towards developing a democratic society is often obstructed with societal unrest due to the influence of the status quo on the instruments of power. Before the rule of Solon, Athens underwent this same rule, as there was much discontent among the social classes in Athens. The society suffered financial disparity that often was the trigger for the war among the rich and poor in the society. This was a major factor that forced Solon into power to institute policies that would see a reformed Athens. By so doing, the society was looking for an avenue that would guarantee democracy and a society that is fair for everyone. The city-state of Athens was the epicenter of the revolution for the Athenian democracy during the fifth century BC. In the Athenian democracy, the electorate voted for the legislation of bills instead of a direct democracy where the electorates are tasked with electing representatives who later developed the bill. Among the first people who made significant contributions to the development of the Athenian democracy were Solon (594 BC), Cleisthenes (508/7 BC), Pericles (495 – 429 BC) and Ephialtes (462 BC). Pericles was the longest serving democratic leader who contributed much development in democracy in the city. This paper will give an account of the age of the Pericles.
Socrates’ indirectly attacks democracy in ancient Athens when he discusses the differences between opinion an...
The Spartans were the fiercest warriors during their time period. They were practical, defensive, and conservative (pg. 89.) They train everyday to become as is their tradition and fight to their last breath to protect whats theirs. At birth, every male citizen is trained to become professional soldiers. If they can not stand the trials, they are abandoned in the mountains to fend for themselves (pg. 89.) The Battle of Thermopylae was one of the greatest test these men will have to face in order to protect their city states.
The Greek martial code is honored by all heroes in the Iliad, and this is reflected on both the shield which represents archaic life and the Homeric heroes. The shield has two cities that both closely represent the Troy and Achaean conflict,” but circling the other city camped a divided army/ but the people were not surrendering, not at all./ loving wives and innocent children standing guard/ both armies battled it out along the river banks” 18.593-620. This description supports the replication that is found on the shield as well as in the poem, showing the reader the war on the shield and in the plot. Another notable aspect on the shield of Achilles is the king’s estate on 18.639-653, “And he forged a king’s estate where harvesters labored/ scepter in hand at the head of the reaping-rows/ stood tall in silence, rejoicing in his heart”. This passage from the detailed description is yet another instance of the shield reverting back to the plot on the account of Agamemnon and all of his glory or
Throughout the years of the 5th and 4th centuries civilians were faced with many economic plights. While European and Asian civilizations lead a barbarian style life, people of Athens formed in unity. The government, on the other hand, varied differently as those of Sparta led a more oligarchical form of
The Athenian government was a democracy because the people had a freedom to be able to do what they want as long as it’s under the law. And this freedom was for all people. In his article “Pericles' funeral oration” Thucydides states that Athenians gave equal justice to all. Advancement in public life falls to one’s reputation for good work. Social class is not allowed to interfere with someone's merit. This shows that it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, big or small, legend or beginner everybody gets the same equal rights as others.
“Athens’ constitution is called a democracy because it respects the interests not of the minority but of the whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is equal before the law; when it is a question of putting one person before another in positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership of a particular class, but the actual ability which the man possesses. (Pericles, 431 BCE)”