Shortly after the war began, the Athenians elected Thucydides as one of the city’s 10 generals. Assigned to command a fleet off the coast of Thrace , he failed to prevent the Spartans from capturing an Athenian colony. As was the custom, Athens punished Thucydides by exiling him from Athens for 20 years.
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.
Who was Thucydides and what did he do?
Thucydides, (born 460 bc or earlier? —died after 404 bc?), greatest of ancient Greek historians and author of the History of the Peloponnesian War, which recounts the struggle between Athens and Sparta in the 5th century bc. His work was the first recorded political and moral analysis of a nation’s war policies .
Who was Thucydides and what set of writings is he known for?
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 was Thucydides a general for?
Thucydides (c. 460/455 – 399/398 BCE) was an Athenian general who wrote the contemporary History of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta , which lasted from 431 BCE to 404 BCE.
What did Thucydides believe?
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. He declared his intention was to write an account which would serve as “a possession for all time”.
Why is the Peloponnesian War important today?
The two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta, went to war with each other from 431 to 405 B.C. The Peloponnesian War marked a significant power shift in ancient Greece , favoring Sparta, and also ushered in a period of regional decline that signaled the end of what is considered the Golden Age ...
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.
What is Thucydides famous for?
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 causes war Thucydides?
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.”
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.
Who was Socrates What do you know about him?
Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher , one of the three greatest figures of the ancient period of Western philosophy (the others were Plato and Aristotle), who lived in Athens in the 5th century BCE.
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 .
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.
Why did the Athenians lose the Peloponnesian War?
In 430 BC, an outbreak of a plague hit Athens. The plague ravaged the densely packed city, and in the long run, was a significant cause of its final defeat. The plague wiped out over 30,000 citizens, sailors and soldiers, including Pericles and his sons. Roughly one-third to two-thirds of the Athenian population died.
How do you pronounce Thucydides?
In English, the correct pronunciation of Thucydides is Thoo-sihd-ih-deez . To pronounce Thucydides the right way, first of all, the “th” is pronounced like in the word “though”. Second, the “u” is pronounced with an “oo” sound.
