Terms:

Republic

Political order whose head of state is not a monarch, and in modern times is usually a president. Supreme power lies in a body of citizens.

Democracy

Government by the people, exercised directly or through elected representatives. Unit with government, common people are the primary source of power. Majority rules. Respect for individuals. Greeks had something of a democracy.

Oligarchy

Rule by the few, the elite. Ruled by political families whose children are brought up to be the next generation of rulers.

Herodotus vs. Thucydides

Herodotus talks a lot about the gods as the causes of events. What role does fate play as an explanatory force? Here we see gods being believed in by the men in the story, but not included by Thucydides.

He tried to analyze from the particular events of the war to the deeper universal lessons that can apply to other times.

Why is it great?

1. It’s the beginning of history in the west.
2. It’s good analysis: contrasts people and events. He’s thoughtful. He’s centered on the task.
3. He seems to be pretty objective.

Alcibiades: example of the power of rhetoric, using it for personal gain, not committed to his side.

Parallels to our country: value on rhetoric, use of rhetoric to distance a politician from personal responsibility.

Heroicism: what it meant to be a hero then: we’ve raped more of your women than you have of ours. Now we have heroicism defined in light of the cross. There was bravery then, courage, but there is no light at the end of the tunnel, it is empty.

Pat on what we liked:

1. You get to hear about the reasonings behind the decisions: speeches, discussions, etc. I’ve never read anything like this. Rhetoric was well structured, even if they disagreed.
2. Introduction had a good “taking stock” review, giving the perspective of the story to come.
3. It’s a more complete account than Iliad, where we just got battles and who killed who.

Thucydides Biography (460-401)

wealthy family who owned gold mines. Contemporary of many famous people. Caught the plague and survived it. Athenian general. He didn’t write the history as the events were happening, but later. He was exiled for 20 years. Didn’t complete the account. Strove for accuracy–first “modern” historian. Gave a lot of information, showing people’s views. He didn’t accept unsupported statements, consulting documents and witnessing some of the events first hand. He didn’t combine fact & fiction, but just went with the facts. His history begins where Herodotus ends. Ranked as one of the greatest historians of all times.

Geography (Angie)

Location of main cities around the Greek world.

Game (Angie)

War card game. People and places of the war on cards with numbers representing value. In a war game, the highest number wins. Winners? Athens.

Impact of Geography on Population

Because it was so hilly, they went around the Aegean Sea to expand.
Nuclear families in homes grew to become little hamlets, towns and eventually city states.

Cause of the war

fear of Athens getting too powerful. Corinth was also a factor in the war.

Pericles

great orator and able to cover the event’s scope with his words, bringing along many people into his viewpoint.

The Magarian Decree

was it a good policy? Was it a natural extension of the current policies?

The Plague

what were the consequences in Athens? Moral degradation. What would the results have looked like if the plague had happened in Sparta.

Lessons of History (see Ancient Greek Civilization by Jeremy McInerey)

• Weakness invites domination.
• Power seeks increases
• Necessity drives history
• Leaders impose their will on the people win.

Quote from II.61 “Yet you must remember that you are citizens of a great city and that you were brought up in a way of life suited to her greatness; you must therefore be willing to face the greatest disasters and be determined never to sacrifice the glory that is yours.”

Discussion: similarities with the Kingdom of God?