Thucydides is known as one of the greatest historians of ancient Greece. This paper focuses on the life, work and philosophy of Thucydides. The paper also discusses the influence and significance of his theories and principles in the field of education.
THUCYDIDES
Thucydides was one of the greatest Greek historians who is known for his Magnus opus, "History of Peloponnesian War." This account of the great Peloponnesian War is not exactly complete as it only presents the events that took place during 431 to 411 B.C. But the reason why it is remembered and read as one of the most perfect Greek literatures is because it reflects Thucydides' genuinely original style interspersed with wisdom and objectivity which most other historians of that period lacked. There is still some confusion about the exact year of his birth as some ancient historians have given dates, which clash with dates provided by modern researchers. But for the sake of convenience, it is believed that he was born somewhere around 460 B.C. And died in 400 B.C. The year of his birth may cause confusion but one thing is clear; the man was certainly present during the Peloponnesian war in which he actively participated only to be exiled to Sparta. He was a military general and thus possessed in-depth knowledge of military skills and techniques. He has thus provided his readers with accurate account of he military tactics used by both Spartans and Athenians during the Peloponnesian war. Unlike Herodotus who was another famous Greek historian, Thucydides did not rely on hearsay or oral information to collect material for his book. Rather he decided to observe events personally and thus was able to present a firsthand account of the war. He wrote in his book, "As to the deeds done in the war, I have not thought myself at liberty to record them on hearsay from the first informant or on arbitrary conjecture. My account rests either on personal knowledge or on the closest possible scrutiny of each statement made by others. The process of research was laborious, because conflicting accounts were given by those who had witnessed the several events,...
It made no "long speech no one would believe, of fine moral arguments" (Woodruff 103). However, Pericles' claim that Athens did not need support to uphold its borders falls completely flat in the face of Athenian desperation to hold onto its empire. Thucydides, writing with the benefit of hindsight and the knowledge of the outcome of the war shows the Athenians in a far more ambiguous light than Pericles the
As an historian and a citizen of that democratic city, Thucydides was faced with a task no less daunting -- how to make the saga of a losing war seem like a triumph, or at least seem interesting and relevant, rather than something Athens wished to forget. When reading Thucydides, one does not read about an ancient war, rather one is witness to the process of historical story, of a
Instead of meaning "apology" in the modern sense, I am sorry, it is more a rhetorical device to allow one to defend one's beliefs and actions. Most of the text is written from Socrates' point-of-view, and while there were a number of accounts written about Socrates' last days, most consider Plato's version to be the most historically accurate- at least for writers of that time period. In terms of evidence,
Rome One could be important in Roman society either by doing something great, or simply by being born into high status. In other words, Romans valued both accomplishment and privilege. Which of these two do you think was more prominent in Roman society? Argue for one over against the other. Your argument must incorporate an analysis of two things: a specific historical event or institution, and the point-of-view of a Roman
Thucydides Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War history is based on the historical account of Peloponnesian War between 431 and 404 BC. The war was led by Athens (the Delian League), and the other led by Sparta within the Peloponnesian League. Thucydides (an Athenian historian) serving as a general in the war developed the focus of the battle. Together with a lack of trust in Thucydides' information, the narration is not a firsthand
The Thucydides TrapRichards and Allison give to opposing perspectives on the potential for war between the US and China�but which is more useful in understanding the situation today? Richards offers some logical reasoning based on questionable assumptions to argue that conflict is unlikely. Allison, on the other hand, simply looks back at the past 500 years and notes that in the majority of cases the facts show that when two
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