Thucydides, pericles, and the idea of athens in the. Thucydides gives pericles very little to say in his funeral. And yet, as some scholars have asserted, his work also displays a profound humanity. As kagan reveals in his book after a lifetime of study of the long war between the greeks, our man thucydides was human after all. The revival of the funeral oration and the plague in thucydides books 67 tobias joho t the end of his account of the first year of the peloponnesian war, thucydides inserts pericles funeral oration, the most splendid surviving exposition of the spirit and achievement of fifthcentury athens. These works will hereafter be cited by the authors name only. Political myth and action in pericles funeral oration. Moving beyond other studies by its focus on the readers role in giving meaning to the text, it reveals thucydides use of objectivity not so much as a standard for the proper presentation of his. This group was defeated and many prisoners were captured. Thucydides quotes author of history of the peloponnesian war.
What important information about sicily did the athenians not know. In this compelling critical biography, vincent azoulay takes a fresh look at both the classical and modern reception of pericles, recognizing his achievements as well as his failings. The book concludes with an insightful discussion of thucydides as a thinker and philosophic historian. Thucydides an introduction for the common reader introduction of all the historians of war past or present, the ancient greek thucydides, author of the history of the peloponnesian war, is the most celebrated and admired. After his death, thucydidess history was subdivided into eight books. Aftermath of sicilian expedition, sections 1 2 the beginning of the sicilian expedition 415 bce 1. Pericles funeral oration is a speech written by thucydides for his history of the peloponnesian war.
Readings the city of athens in the age of pericles. Translated by rex warner, with an introduction and notes by m. Pericles, a great supporter of democracy, was a greek leader and statesman during the peloponnesian war. Pericles funeral oration is a famous speech from thucydides history of the peloponnesian war.
Thucydides, the peloponnesian war, book 2, chapter 34. An intelligent, sometimes hastily opinionated book, exciting but caveat lector. Their land had been twice devastated, and they had to contend with the war and the plague at the same time. The result is an ideally accessible introduction to thucydidess long and. In his famous assessment of pericles in book 2, thucydides offers a retrospective. In this paper i argue that thucydidess praise of pericless leadership amounts to an appreciation of a democratic advantage. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of scientific history by those who accept his claims to. These comments provide an analysis of athens defeat in the war which many scholars have found hard to.
The narrative is arranged according to summers and winters and follows the order of events. The history follows the chronological order of events by. Now they began to blame pericles for having persuaded them to go to war and to hold. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of scientific history by those who accept his. Princetonstanford working papers in classics princeton university. Thucydides addressed a version of the democratic advantage puzzle, and did so in a way that anticipates some important modern developments in social science. Transactions and proceedings of the american philological association 106 1976. However, in his book the humanity of thucydides, clifford orwin argues that pericles final speech, delivered during the plague, constitutes pericles true funeral oration because the plague.
Thucydides has long been celebrated for the unflinching realism of his presentation of political life. This fullscale sequential reading of thucydides history of the peloponnesian war will be invaluable to the specialist and also to those in search of an introduction and companion to the histories. He carefully crafted a story that he wanted the audience to accept. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, volume i. For example, in evaluating ancient sources, chapter 4 accepts comedy and duris of samos much criticized by. He was so important for athens that his name defines the. Thucydides has 384 books on goodreads with 73618 ratings. Henceforward the struggle was uninterrupted, and they communicated with 2 one another only by heralds. Foster argues that pericles does not speak for thucydides, and that thucydides should not be associated with pericles intransigent imperialism. Contrary to mcphersons assessment, thucydides has to be read more critically rather than accepted as trustworthy. Pericles funeral oration internet history sourcebooks. And now the war between the athenians and peloponnesians and the allies of both 1 actually began.
Pericles delivers the oration not only to bury the dead, but to praise democracy. His book, written in the fifth century bce, is one of the supreme classic works of greek and western civilization that continues to speak to us from. Elitist democracy and democratic advantage in thucydidess. This volume is a recent contribution to princeton university presss ancient wisdom. Pericles of athens and the birth of democracy gets free book.
Understanding the role of democracy in thucydides history depends to a large extent on 2. Pericles funeral oration pericles, the most revolutionary figure ever found in the history of ancient greece was born of a distinguished family about 494 b. Chapter vi beginning of the peloponnesian war first invasion of attica funeral oration of pericles the war between the athenians and peloponnesians and the allies on either side now really begins. From thucydides and plutarch to voltaire and hegel, ancient and modern authors have questioned the great statesmans relationship with. Thucydides in book 1, the journal of hellenic studies 71. Providing a thorough critique and analysis of thucydides neglected book 8, taylor shows that thucydides praises political compromise centered around the traditional city in attica. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book ii. Chapter xviii seventeenth year of the war the sicilian campaign affair of the hermae departure of the expedition the same winter the athenians resolved to sail again to sicily, with a greater armament than that under laches and eurymedon, and, if possible, to conquer the island. Thucydides undoubtedly heard some of these speeches himself. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war 8 vols. Thucydides admired pericles, approving of his power over the people and. Thucydides seems to not trust the common man in being able to run a government yet at the same time he feels that the common man should have a say it what a city decides, but that it should be heavily influenced by the likes of a higher standing citizen, such as pericles.
The speech was delivered by pericles, an eminent athenian politician, at the end of the first year of the peloponnesian war 431404 bc as a part of the annual public funeral for the war dead. This will have a broad appeal to academics in the fields of classics, history. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, the second. In 430, the second year of the peloponnesian war, he caught and survived the horrible plague which he described so graphically. For now all intercourse except through the medium of heralds ceased, and hostilities were commenced and prosecuted without intermission. The revival of the funeral oration and the plague in. Selfcontrol is the chief element in selfrespect, and selfrespect is the chief element in courage.
He saw the rise of athens to greatness under the inspired leadership of pericles. The peloponnesian war, book ii cambridge 1989 144145. Moving beyond other studies by its focus on the readers role in giving meaning to the text, it reveals thucydides use of objectivity not so much as a standard for the proper. Thucydides on athens democratic advantage in the archidamian. The first act of violence was the attack upon plataea, a city allied with athens, by a theban force. It seemed to them a worthy thing that such an honor should be given at their burial to the dead who have fallen on the field of battle. Thucydides, pericles, and the idea of athens in the peloponnesian war kindle edition by taylor, martha.
In the opening clause pericles explains that athens constitu tion has the. Four ostensibly minor stylistic features of the passage show that thucydides represented pericles as praising athenian democracy but carefully embedding his comments in a wider discussion of athenian mores and characteristics. This work will hereafter be cited by the authors name only. I establish that pericless rule, contra thucydides, was democratic since it satisfied a minimalist requirement of democracy. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the pericles of athens and the birth of democracy, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. I have argued in detail elsewhere ober 1998, chapter 2 that thucydides was a stern critic of core aspects of athenian democracy. It was written by thucydides, an athenian historian who also served as an athenian general during the war. Of the speeches, the most famous is the funeral oration of pericles, which is found in book two. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Athens sends a huge fleet to sicily and suffers disaster. In doing so, he implicitly censures both pericles and the athenian imperial project itself. By contrast, pericles speeches demonstrate that he shared with many other figures in the history a mistaken confidence in the power, glory, and reliability of warfare and the instruments of force. Beginning of the peloponnesian war first invasion of attica funeral oration of pericles.
The conflict, fought between the athenianled delian league and the spartanled peloponnesian league, signaled the end of athenian dominance in greece at the close of the fifth. Kierkegaards journals and notebooks, volume 11, part 2. Gomme, a historical commentary on thucydides 2 oxford 1956 108. History of the peloponnesian warbook 2 wikisource, the. His history of the peloponnesian war recounts the 5th century bc war between sparta and athens to the year 411 bc. Thucydides, pericles funeral oration most of those who have spoken here before me have commended the lawgiver who added this oration to our other funeral customs. Pericles of athens is the first book in decades to reassess the life and legacy of one of the greatest generals, orators, and statesmen of the classical world. Pericles funeral oration from the peloponnesian war book 2.
Haninks translation provides a worthwhile addition to the ongoing dialogue inspired by thucydides. Therefore it need a free signup process to obtain the book. His history of the peloponnesian war recounts the fifthcentury bc war between sparta and athens until the year 411 bc. Last speech thucydides book ii, 5964 after the second invasion of the peloponnesians there had been a change in the spirit of the athenians. Thucydides political judgement malcolm heath after reporting the death of pericles thucycides gives an assessment of his leadership, adding by way of contrast some comments on the situation which developed in athens subsequently 2. Thinking about the role of pericles in fifthcentury athens has, since thucydides, continually influenced the.
Thucydides has been dubbed the father of scientific history because of his strict standards of evidencegathering and analysis. In this speech did pericles endeavour to appease the anger of the athenians towards himself and withal to withdraw their thoughts from the present affliction. In this section of the text, thucydides describes the first two years of the war between the athenians and the peloponnesians. The following chapters deal with thucydides portrayal of the athenian leader pericles and his account of some of the main episodes of the war, such as the revolution in corcyra and the athenian invasion of sicily. Volume 8 20082009 74 the myth of athens, is frequently studied in isolation from the other speeches of pericles. The state of greece from the earliest times to the commencement of the peloponnesian war. Pericles of athens is the first book in more than two decades to reassess the life and legacy. Thucydides the peloponnesian war book ii cambridge 1989. It is well known that thucydides held the view that human nature had.
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