Thucydides Peloponnesian War, Steven Lattimore Translation. Selections from Books 2 and 3.
Due Monday, March 29, 2021.
First War Years; Pericles’ Funeral Oration, the Plague. Book 2, Sections 1-78, and selections from Book 3: Revolt of Mytilene, Stasis on Corcyra. Book 3, Sections 1-84, and 104.
CLICK HERE FOR A QUICK TRUE-FALSE QUIZ ABOUT THE SECOND BOOK OF THUCYDIDES. FUN FOR ALL AGES!!!
CLICK HERE FOR DR. LEVINE’S NOTES ON BOOKS 2 AND 3
Find on the map: Sparta, Athens, Plataea, Corcyra, Lesbos (Mytilene)
The Opening Battles of the Peloponnesian War: 431 BCE.
Map: Plataea and its position between Thebes and Athens
0. What did the Thebans do to the Plataians? Why did they do it? What was the reaction of the Plataians? What was the reaction of the Athenians? 2.1-6
1. What does Thucydides say about the earthquake on Delos, and how does this correspond to what Herodotus had said about a similar event? Thucydides 2.8 (and Lattimore’s note); Herodotus 6.98
2. What is the essence of Archidamos’ speech to the Spartans and their allies before they invade Attica? 2.11
3. How did Pericles tell the Athenians to prepare for the war? How did the Athenians react? 2.13-14
4. What did Theseus do that established the foundations for the Athenian state? What is the “Synoikia”? 2.15
5. How did the Athenians deal with the problems of living space during the war? 2.17
6. How did Pericles react when the Athenians felt rage against him? Why were the people angry? 2.21-22
Pericles’ Funeral Oration: 431 BCE
7. What does Pericles say that present-day Athenians owe to their ancestors? To their fathers? 2.35-36
8. What does Pericles say is unique about the Athenian constitution? 2.36-37
9. What kind of attitude does Pericles say that the Athenians have about people who do their own thing? Why do you think that he considers this to be a strength of Athens? 2.37
10. What does Pericles say that the Athenians fear? Why is this a good fear? 2.37
11. How does Pericles say that the Athenians get ‘respites from labor’? 2.38
12. How does Pericles say that the Athenians differ from the Spartans in preparing for war? What can you think of as advantages of an open society and a relaxed way of life? 2.39
13. What does Pericles say that the Athenian attitude is towards wealth, poverty, and discussion of public affairs? 2.40
14. What benefit does Pericles say that the Athenians get from their generosity? 2.40
15. What about Athens makes it an ‘education for Hellas’? 2. 41
16. Why does Pericles mention Homer in his eulogy? What does he imply about poets and poetry? 2.41
17. After Pericles tells his fellow citizens to become “lovers” of Athens, what else does he encourage them all to do? 2.43
18. What does Pericles say about the virtue of women? 2.45
19. According to Pericles’ speech, how will the Athenian state treat the children of those who died in the war? 2.46
The Plague: 430-429 BCE.
Athens: Long Walls, inside which Athenians lived in close quarters during Spartan invasions:
19th-century illustration, “Athens viewed from the Piraeus.” In ancient times, Piraeus was the main port of supply for Athens. The Long Walls protecting the route between the port and Athens were built during the fifth century B.C.
20. What kinds of normally useful things (name three) were found to be ineffective against the plague? 2.47
21. What did the Athenians see as the origin of the plague? 2.48
22. Why does Thucydides say that he chooses to describe the plague in such detail? Why should we take his account as accurate? 2.48
23. What were the two ‘most terrible’ miseries of the plague? 2.51
24. What does Thucydides say was an aggravation of the existing calamity of the plague? (I.e. What made it worse than it might otherwise have been?) 2.52
25. How did the plague affect burial rites at Athens? 2.52
26. According to Thucydides, how did the plague affect Athenians’ attitude towards morals and worshipping the gods? 2.53
27. What is Thucydides’ observation about Athenian interpretation of oracles? 2.54
28. What was the Spartan reaction to the plague in Athens? How useful was this reaction? 2.57
29. How did Pericles dissuade the dejected Athenians from coming to terms with the Spartans during the plague? 2.59-64
The Plague’s Aftermath
30. What characteristic of Athenian democracy does Thucydides comment on in a derogatory way when he discusses the actions of the people towards Pericles? 2.65
31. How did the Athenians — according to Thucydides — bring harm to their state after the death of Pericles? 2.65
32. How does Thucydides say that Pericles contrasted with succeeding Athenian leaders? 2.65
33. How does Thucydides explain Pericles’ success as leader of Athens? 2.65
Thucydides Book 3 (selections)
[If you are pressed for time, you may skip reading Book 3, sections 85-103, and 105-116, but be sure to read 3.104.]
The Debate in Athens over the Revolt of Mytilene. 427 BCE.
Map: Greece/Aegean/Greek Dialect Areas
34. Why did the Athenians send forty ships to Lesbos, what kind of surprise did they hope to give the Lesbians, and why were they unable to surprise the population of Mytilene by their arrival? 3.1-4
35. What reasons do the Mytilenaeans give the Lacedaemonians for their revolt against Athens? What help do the Mytilenaeans offer to the Lacedaemonians in exchange for their support against Athens? 3.10-14
36. How did the 300 besieged Plataians escape the Peloponnesian siege? What tricks did they use to confound their enemies? 3.20-24
37. Why did the city of Mytilene finally surrender to the Athenians? What were the terms of the surrender? 3.27-28
38. When the Athenian general Paches sent the captured Spartan Saliathos and some Mytilenaeans to Athens, how did the Athenians react on the first day? What did they do on the second day? 3.35-36
39. What had Kleon’s position been during the original discussion about the revolt of Mytilene? What did Thucydides think of him? 3.36
40. What is one argument that the Athenian Kleon used against sparing the men of Mytilene from death? 37-40
41. What does the Athenian Cleon think of pity, enjoyment of speeches, and evenhandedness — in relation to the debate about Mytilene? 3.40
42. What does the Athenian Diodotus say about haste and anger — in relation to the debate about Mytilene? 3.42
43. The Athenian Diodotus says that the Athenians do not need to concentrate on ‘justice’ and ‘guilt’ in the case of Mytilene, but rather should consider something else as more important than those in their reaction to the rebellion. What is that consideration? 3.44
44. What does Diodotus say about the Death Penalty, regarding the case of Mytilene and the Athenian empire? 3.45-46
45. What does the Athenian Diodotus say about pity and evenhandedness — in relation to the debate about Mytilene? 3.48
The End of the Siege of Plataia. 427 BCE.
46. What short (laconic) question did the Spartans ask of the Plataians whom they had besieged for so long, and how do the Plataians respond? 3.52-60
47. What arguments do the Plataians use to convince the Peloponnesians to spare their lives? 3.52-60
48. What arguments against the Plataians do the Thebans use to convince the Peloponnesians to treat them harshly? And how do the Thebans defend themselves against charges of medism? 3.60-67
49. What do the Spartans do to the Plataians who surrendered to them, after the Thebans made their speech? Why did they do it? 3.68
Stasis on Corcyra. 427 BCE.
Corcyra (modern Corfu). Main town faces mainland from mid-island.
50. Thucydides speaks about the ‘civil war’ on the island of Corcyra. What Greek word does he use for ‘civil war’? What happened to Peithias? 3.70
51. How were Corcyrean women involved in the civil war? On which side did they fight? 3.74
52. What two sanctuaries on Corcyra gave protection to the oligarchs? What was the democrats’ reaction each time their enemies sought this safety? 3.75
53. How, where, and why did the oligarchic sympathizers at Corcyra commit suicide? 3.81
54. What were three of the reasons that there was so much killing on Corcyra? 3.81
55. How did the centrality of stasis change the way people used language during the Peloponnesian War? In other words, what examples does Thucydides give of how “men inverted the usual verbal evaluations of actions”? 3.82
56. What does Thucydides consider to be the cause of all the evil stasis that beset the Greeks during this war? How does Thucydides distribute the blame between the democrats and the oligarchs? 3.82 (end)
57. What happened to those citizens who refused to side with one stasis or another on Corcyra? 3.82
58. What does Thucydides say about human nature and envy in the midst of stasis? 3.84
If you are pressed for time, you may skip reading Book 3, sections 85-103, and 105-116, but be sure to read 3.104.
Purification of Delos. 426 BCE.
59. What does Thucydides say about Homer? What kind of image of Homer do we get from the quotations in this section? 3.104 Compare this to what Thucydides says in 1.3 and 1.9.
Recent Comments