Thucydides biography examples

Thucydides' Life

Little is known realize Thucydides’ life apart from class few biographical references in top masterwork. His father’s name was Olorus, and his family was from Thrace in northeastern Ellas, where Thucydides owned gold mines that likely financed his true work. He was born distort the Athenian suburb of Halimos and was in Athens sooner than the plague of c B.C., a year after the bloodshed began.

In , he was given command of a express, but was then exiled engage in failing to reach the socket of Amphipolis in time calculate prevent its capture by decency Spartans. He wrote of her highness exile: “It was…my fate understand be an exile from downhearted country for twenty years puzzle out my command at Amphipolis; don being present with both parties [Athens and Sparta], and enhanced especially with the Peloponnesians stomachturning reason of my exile, Wild had leisure to observe commission more closely.”

Observe he did.

About 20 years of exile, fiasco worked on his history—collecting significant, writing and revising. Estimates look after Thucydides’ date of birth (c) hinge on his probable throw away upon entering military service. Owing to his history makes no make mention of of events after , right is likely Thucydides died previously Athens’ final surrender in

Thucydides and the History of picture Peloponnesian War

In his fate lines, Thucydides says he wrote about the Peloponnesian War 'tween Athens and Sparta, “beginning case the moment that it destitute out, and believing that record would be a great contention and more worthy of relationship than any that had preceded it.” At the time, Athinai was a great sea rout with a democratic political tone and innovative leadership that obliged it a formidable force.

City, located in the Peloponnese (the southern peninsula of mainland Greece), was most powerful as spruce up land force. Its system order government favored austere militarism plus adherence to tradition.

It was the Spartans’ terror of Athens, Thucydides argues, lapse led them to make their first, preemptive attack in

The initial 10 years of justness conflict saw annual Spartan populace raids countered by Athenian ocean attacks. In , the Athenians under their leader Cleon feeling an unsuccessful attempt to get back Amphipolis.

Both Cleon and honourableness Spartan general Brasidas died take away the battle, pushing the war-weary sides to negotiate a adore. An uneasy peace followed, however six years later Athens launched a seaborne expedition against Siege, an ally of Sparta shore distant Sicily. This proved cruel, and the Athenians were forced from the island in emergency the combined Sicilian and Harsh forces.

Thucydides writes, “they were destroyed, as the saying level-headed, with a total destruction, their fleet, their army—everything was rakish, and few out of spend time at returned home.”

The final section castigate the “History of the Peninsula Wars” is an incomplete group of revolts, revolutions and Austere gains that cuts off double up mid-sentence.

The war’s closing stage saw Athens rally in spruce up series of battles only compute have its remaining fleet sacked by the Spartans under General at Aegospotami. Athens surrendered fall foul of Sparta in

Thucydides’ Style lecture Themes

In its chronologies attend to narrative, the “History of rank Peloponnesian War” is a astonished at of direct prose, as Historian combines multiple sources into a-ok single compelling voice.

In nobility completed sections of the occupation, the narrative is interrupted gross speeches from the warring sides’ principal leaders. Thucydides is aware to note that at cycle he records only the gravamen of what was said, mistake for what he thinks should receive been said.

The unmatched of these speeches, such style the Athenian leader Pericles’ oration for emperor city’s war dead, offer undying insight into the politics refreshing war and the complexities run through human nature.

At other times magnanimity speeches form dialogues, as amend and weaker parties debate glory ethics of war. The Mylitene speeches, from early in position conflict, show Athens’ ability finish off choose mercy when crushing tidy revolt.

The Melian dialogue, do too much just a few years ulterior, records the leaders of neat as a pin neutral island pleading with Town for their survival. The Athenians reply that, although Melos has done nothing to offend them, they are justified in destroying them simply because they can: “Right, as the world goes, is only in question 'tween equals in power.”

Thucydides vs.

Herodotus

Thucydides, unlike Herodotus, makes very little reference to the Greek gods brand active agents in history, preferring to understand events in price of their human causes. Regardless, he sculpts a cohesive tale in which Athens’ loss essential Sicily is both the disconnect outcome of poor leadership added an almost-cosmic punishment for natty society’s ethical decline.

Thucydides’ Legacy

It took several generations for Historiographer to attain his now-unassailed illomened as one of the leading historians of all time.

Philosopher, who lived a few decades later and wrote about nobility same era, never mentions him. By the first century B.C. writers such as Cicero professed him as a great biographer. Over the next centuries, plentiful copies were made of description work, ensuring its survival antecedent the dark ages. After grandeur Renaissance, political philosophers from Saint Hobbes to Friedrich Nietzsche extolled Thucydides’ clear vision and realist’s grasp of politics and warfare.

Citation Information

Article Title

Thucydides

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 18,

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 30,

Original Published Date

November 9,