Thucydides believed that the Peloponnesian War
What did Thucydides believe was the real reason for the war?
In the first book of his history, participant-observer and historian Thucydides recorded the causes of the Peloponnesian War: “The real cause I consider to be the one which was formally most kept out of sight.
The growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which
this inspired in Lacedaemon, made war inevitable.”
Did Thucydides believe in God?
In the first place Hobbes leaves no doubt that in his view
Thucydides did not believe in the Greek gods
. Therefore from the point of view of the Athenians, Thucydides was certainly guilty of atheism. There are two different sorts of defenses that Hobbes mounts on Thucydides’ behalf.
What did Thucydides focus on?
On the other hand, Thucydides, another prominent historian of the time, was coined the ‘scientific historian’ for his focus on
facts, dates, and eyewitness accounts of events in his own lifetime
(Korab-Karpowicz).
Why did Thucydides write about 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.
Who is called the father of scientific history?
Thucydides
has been dubbed the father of “scientific history” by those who accept his claims to have applied strict standards of impartiality and evidence-gathering and analysis of cause and effect, without reference to intervention by the deities, as outlined in his introduction to his work.
Why is Thucydides famous?
Why is Thucydides important? Thucydides is
the author of History of the Peloponnesian War
, a sweeping contemporary account of the nearly three-decade conflict between Athens and Sparta for dominance of the Greek world. The eight-volume work is regarded as one of the finest works of history ever written.
What did Thucydides say about Sparta?
In his opening lines, Thucydides says he wrote about the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta,
“beginning at the moment that it broke out, and believing that it would be a great war and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it.
” At the time, Athens was a great sea power with a democratic political …
How did Sparta beat Athens?
Sparta decided to retaliate. Learning from its past experiences with the Athenian navy, they established a fleet of warships. It would be another decade of warfare before the Spartan general Lysander defeated the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami. This defeat led to
Athenian surrender
.
Who is the greatest historian of all time?
Herodotus
has been called the “father of history.” An engaging narrator with a deep interest in the customs of the people he described, he remains the leading source of original historical information not only for Greece between 550 and 479 BCE but also for much of western Asia and Egypt at that time.
Why is Thucydides important today?
To historians, for example, he is
a vital source for ancient Greek history
, but has also been seen as a model for history-writing in general; to political theorists, however, he is a pioneering political theorist, and the originator of ‘realist’ approaches to understanding political life.
What is meant by Thucydides Trap?
The Thucydides Trap, also referred to as Thucydides’ Trap, is a term popularized by American political scientist Graham T. Allison to describe an apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon.
Is Thucydides difficult?
Thucydides does not offer simple lessons, but a training course in analysis and deliberation. … The problem is that
his work is complex and difficult
, even in the original Greek – and of course most readers have to rely on translations, often of dubious quality.
What was the result of the Peloponnesian War?
The Peloponnesian War marked
the end of the Golden Age of Greece
, a change in styles of warfare, and the fall of Athens, once the strongest city-state in Greece. The balance in power in Greece was shifted when Athens was absorbed into the Spartan Empire.
Why did Sparta fight Athens?
The primary causes were that
Sparta feared the growing power and influence of the Athenian Empire
. The Peloponnesian war began after the Persian Wars ended in 449 BCE. … This disagreement led to friction and eventually outright war. Additionally, Athens and its ambitions caused increasing instability in Greece.
