Thucydides: Peloponnesian War
Read the first ten pages of the “Introduction” to Woodruff’s Thucydides (ix-xix), and pages 1-37.
Due Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Illustration: The Athenian Acropolis from Philopappos hill.
What are four facts about Thucydides’ life that Woodruff mentions? (x-xi)
0. What attitude towards “democracy” does Thucydides demonstrate? (x)
1. What were the “pros” and “cons” of the Athenian Empire (Delian League)? (xiv)
2. What does Woodruff say about the Spartan “educational system”? (xv)
3. What does Woodruff say are the “main elements” of the New Learning (sophism)? (xv)
4. What was the result of moving the Delian League treasury from the island of Delos to Athens in 454 BCE? (xvii)
5. What was Pericles’ “original strategy” for the Peloponnesian War? (xvii)
6. What happened at Mytilene in 428 BCE? And what was the result? (xviii)
7. What was the “greatest success for the Athenians” in the Peloponnesian War? In what year did it take place? (xviii)
8. What was the “main target” of the Sicilian Expedition? When did it begin? When did it end? What was its result? (xix)
9. How does the introductory paragraph of Thucydides’ work compare and contrast with the introductory paragraph of Herodotus?
10. Why does Thucydides say that he bagan to write about the Peloponnesian-Athenian war at its outset? (1.1)
11. What does Thucydides say causes “civil war,” and why was Attica (Athens) “free from civil war” in early times? What is the Greek word he uses for “civil war” and “civil strife”? 1.2
12. According to Thucydides, who first established a navy, and what did he do with it? What does “thalassocracy” mean? 1.4.
13. What early customs differentiated the Athenians and the Spartans? 1.6
14. How were the Spartans fashion trendsetters? How were they trendsetters in athletic attire? 1.6
15. How does Thucydides use ‘archaeology’ to prove that Carians and Phoenicians had colonized most of the Greek islands? 1.7-8
16. Why does Thucydides say that Agamemnon was named head of the Trojan War expedition, and what other reason does he dispute? 1.9
17. What examples does Thucydides use in cautioning about the use of archaeological information without other sources? 1.10
18. When Thucydides says the Greeks after the Trojan War came back to “civil war” in their cities, what Greek word does he use for this phenomenon? 1.12
19. What geographical feature has something to do with the wealth and sea-going nature of the Corinthians? What did the Corinthians have to do with sea warfare? 1.13
20. Before Sparta got its good laws, Thucydides says it was troubled by “civil strife for longer than any other city we know after its foundation by the Dorians who live there now.” What is the Greek word for “civil strife”? 1.18
21. How did the Spartans and Athenians differ in their policy towards their allies after the Persian Wars? 1.19
22. In what ways does Thucydides say that his History will be more accurate than previous accounts? 1.20-22
23. What criticism does Thucydides offer about the credulity of the Greeks? 1.20
24. What does Thucydides say about the accuracy of the speeches that he records in his History? 1.22
25. What tests does Thucydides apply to information, and why is it so difficult for him to write what actually happened? 1.22
26. Why does Thucydides say that his History may not be “the most delightful to hear?” How does he justify his presentation? 1.22
27. What does Thucydides consider to be the true cause of the war between the Peloponnesians and Athenians? 1.23
28. According to Thucydides, how does the Persian War compare to the Peloponnesian War? 1.23
29. The Corinthians urge the Spartans to declare war on Athens, and point out the contrasting characters of the Athenians and Lacedaemonians. What are the main differences they see between the two sides? 1.68-71
30. When they are defending themselves against the charges of the Corinthians in the Assembly of the Spartans, what do the Athenians say about the Persian War? 1.73-78
31. When they are defending themselves against the charges of the Corinthians in the Assembly of the Spartans, how do the Athenians defend themselves against the charge that they have been “given a reputation for litigiousness”? 1.77
32. The Spartan King Archidamus urges caution before a declaration of war. How does Thucydides describe Archidamus’s reputation? 1.78-79
33. What advantages does Archidamus see that the Athenians have over his own people? 1.80-85
34. Why might we call the speech of the Spartan ephor Sthenelaïdas “laconic”? What is his point, and what does he say to support it? 1.86
35. When the Spartans finally vote for war, what does Thucydides see as the main motivating factor for them to do so? 1.88
36. How does Thucydides describe Pericles? What do you think is his opinion of Pericles? 1.139
37. What are Pericles’ arguments in favor of going to war with the Peloponnesians and their allies? 1. 140-144
38. What does Pericles consider to be the main weaknesses of the Peloponnesians and their allies? 1.140-144
39. What does Pericles consider to be the main strengths of the Athenians and their allies? 1.140-144
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