Where is the Melian dialogue in Thucydides?
The Melian Dialogue In History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 5, Chapters 84–116), the contemporary Athenian historian Thucydides included a dramatization of the negotiations between the Athenian emissaries and the rulers of Melos.
What was Thucydides philosophy?
Thucydides himself foresaw the utility of his work. He says that he wrote it not to entertain for the moment but to be of lasting value, because people could use it to clearly understand past events and also understand future events given that, people being people, similar sorts of things will happen again.
What did the Spartans demand during their debate with the Athenians before the war?
Corinth and Thebes demanded that Athens should be destroyed and all its citizens should be enslaved. However, the Spartans announced their refusal to destroy a city that had done a good service at a time of greatest danger to Greece, and took Athens into their own system.
When did Thucydides write the history of the Peloponnesian War?
The History of the Peloponnesian War Thucydides believed that the Peloponnesian War represented an event of unmatched importance. As such, he began to write the History at the onset of the war in 431 BC.
Who was Thucydides and what did he do?
One of the greatest ancient historians, Thucydides (c. 460 B.C.–c. 400 B.C.) chronicled nearly 30 years of war and tension between Athens and Sparta. His “History of the Peloponnesian War” set a standard for scope, concision and accuracy that makes it a defining text of the historical genre.
Who won the Peloponnesian War?
Sparta
Athens was forced to surrender, and Sparta won the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. Spartans terms were lenient. First, the democracy was replaced by on oligarchy of thirty Athenians, friendly to Sparta. The Delian League was shut down, and Athens was reduced to a limit of ten triremes.
What was the purpose of the Mytilenian debate?
The Mytilenean Debate (also spelled “Mytilenaean Debate”) was the Athenian Assembly concerning reprisals against the city-state of Mytilene, which had attempted unsuccessfully to shake off Athenian hegemony during the Peloponnesian War.
When did Thucydides write the History of the Peloponnesian War?
Why did Thucydides write the history of the Peloponnesian War?
In the first sentence of his History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides wrote that he began writing about the war because he believed “it would be a great war, and more worthy of relation than any other that had preceded it.” He went on to identify what he believed to be the “real cause” of the war.
What is the significance of Thucydides writings on the Peloponnesian War?
With his History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides chronicled what was perhaps the most momentous event of the ancient Greek world. He explored the major personalities on each side of the conflict and examined the political origins of the clash between Sparta and an ascendant Athens.
Does Thucydides believe in democracy?
He did not approve of the democratic commoners nor of the radical democracy that Pericles ushered in, but considered democracy acceptable when guided by a good leader. Thucydides’ presentation of events is generally even-handed; for example, he does not minimize the negative effect of his own failure at Amphipolis.
What I fear is not the enemy’s strategy but our own mistakes?
What I fear is not the enemy’s strategy, but our own mistakes” (Thucydides, I. 144; Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War. Translated by Rex Warner.
What did Thucydides think about Athens?
Thucydides and the History of the Peloponnesian War Its system of government favored austere militarism and adherence to tradition. It was the Spartans’ fear of Athens, Thucydides argues, that led them to make their first, preemptive attack in 430.
Why did Sparta decide not to destroy Athens?
As Thebes grew richer, Sparta grew more wary of accidentally creating a new powerful rival. Given Athens’ generations-old enmity towards Thebes, it would be safer for Sparta to preserve Athens as a buffer, absorbing Theban aggression and allowing for shrewd alliance politics if the need arose.
What happened in the Mytilenian Debate?
The next day, the Athenians realized the unprecedented brutality of their actions and some became hesitant about the hurried decision to kill and enslave the citizens of Mytilene. A second debate, which Thucydides called the Mytilenian Debate, took place in order to reassess the course of action that should be taken.
What is the Melian Dialogue?
The Melian dialogue is a dramatic set-piece debate inserted by Thucydides in his History of the Peloponnesian War, his account of the ruinous 27-year long struggle (431–404 BC) between the powerful Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta.
How did Diodotus convince the Athenians not to massacre the Mytilenians?
Diodotus’ rational argument prevailed and managed to persuade the assembly not to massacre the Mytilenians. The Athenians, who initially ardently supported the total annihilation of the Mytilenians, now found themselves hesitant. As a result, the votes, which were originally unanimous, were narrowly passed in favor of Diodotus.
What did the Athenian Assembly do to Mytilene?
The Athenian assembly, scared of further revolt, hastily sentenced all of the male citizens of Mytilene to death, while the women and children would be sold into slavery.