Similarities between Sparta's goals in the Peloponnesian War and Rome's objectives in its expansion across Italy lie in the quest for dominance and control. Both city-states sought to establish rule over their respective regions, motivated by power, resources, and strategic advantage. In the Peloponnesian War, Sparta aimed to curb the rising influence of Athens, the leading naval power in the Greek world. The conflict arose from a struggle for dominance between two major city-states, each representing a different political and military ideology. Sparta, with its focus on militarism and a land-based military force, sought to assert its supremacy and diminish Athens' naval and political prowess.…
Essay Questions: You will be given a choice of two questions out of the four listed below. The answers…
The Peloponnesian War is often times called the war to begin all wars, as there were many new technologies that occurred from it which can often times have historians and scientists view similarities and differences between other wars. The War consisted of two Greek military states that were seeking for dominance in the Greek Empire. These two states consisted of that of the Spartan and Athenian empire. Both civilizations consisted of two dominant militaries, one by land and one by sea. As the two fought, each side had to go through many cultural and psychological changes. This then caused the war to be viewed as the first Great War between two separate militaries. This then focuses us on the inclusion of the Vietnam War. Many similarities and differences can be seen through the two and all have great variants between both wars. In this report I will dwell on the similarities and differences that occurred through the Peloponnesian War and Vietnam War.…
Thucydides, a known historian during the time, described and analyzed the motives of the infamous Peloponnesian War. The war was between two powerful city-states: Athens and Sparta. The conflict arose due to excessive power. The Athenians were optimistic that they were the driving force that led Greece and all of its city-states. Specifically, the historian focuses on the funeral oration presented by Pericles. Pericles, ironically, doesn’t display sorrow but displays comfort and proud of what each individual has contributed to Athens. For Pericles, it wasn’t about the tragic fatalities but about courage and patriotism. Pericles believes in Athens and knows that this city-state possesses many freedoms and opportunities for success and peace.…
“If we do go to war, have no thought that you went to war over a trivial affair” (Thucydides, in Hunt 101). The Peloponnesian War lasted longer than any other pervious war in Greece. The war began in 431 BCE with Sparta’s invasion of Athens. The Athenians sacrificed the destruction of their private property in order to hide in the safety of their city. The Long Walls of Athens protected its citizens and preserved its population. The Spartans however had the upper hand in infantry while the Athenians were superior at sea. With the aid of Persia, Sparta eventually defeats Athens at Syracuse in 404 BCE after a continuous twenty-seven years at war (Hunt 104). The creation of the Delian League, the reign of Pericles, the aggravation of Corinth, and the refusal to negotiate made Athens the sole instigator for the long and violent Peloponnesian War.…
Allies from their existence, Athens and Sparta had fought side by side for centuries. These two Greek city-states fought together in the Greco-Persian war, but when the Persians retreated, tension rose. Athens gained more power than they needed, plunging the two cities into nearly three decades of war. The outcome was devastating. Although Sparta won, they were extremely demoralized. Athens was bankrupt and exhausted, and neither city regained the military strength they once had. This infamous conflict came to be known as the Peloponnesian War.…
What were the causes of the Peloponnesian war, and was war inevitable? One of the main causes of war is the disagreement between states on many subjects, and because of this many conflicts between these countries arise, war is something unpredictable, due to how unpredictable it is, it must be studied carefully based on individual circumstances, actions taken by both sides, and the reactions. To prevent war, one must examine the causes of a conflict, they must evaluate the outcome of the conflict, and determine other peaceful alternatives to prevent the conflict. The Peloponnesian war provides an excellent example to be evaluated.…
“Men who are capable of real action first make their plans and then go forward without hesitation while their enemies have still not made up their minds.” ― Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War. If there was ever a more accurate quote to describe Alcibiades, this out shone it. Through his manipulation, impressive persuasion, and eagerness to be on the winning side, Alcibiades, son of Cleinias, was able to become a prominent figure in the Peloponnesian war.…
Athens had certain compulsions and priorities that affected them. Athens placed great value on fear, honor, and profit. Emotions can be used as an offensive or defensive weapon. These emotions can be used to heighten the importance of your priorities and can affect the way they go about collecting information. The information then gathered will directly impact the way we form our beliefs and the need to act. Thucydides believes that fear by the Spartans played an important part in causing the war. Sparta felt threaten by the change in the power balance from Athens due to their imperialistic expansion. Fear can change over to terror, which is a more personal form and can change the way people and states think. Effective leaders can combat the fear and terror found in war and conflict. There are five major ways they can do this. (Petersen 321) The leader can use rational discourse. They will focus on the threat but are not influenced by the emotions and to focus on concrete actions. The leader can use hope as a way to help combat the fear and terror. This is the opposite and is based on a positive future and outcomes. Hope and fear cannot exist, but hope is a distortion in a positive manner. The leader can use the threat of shame by taking a single action attached to the person’s identity. This is different from guilting the person due to it being more personal and guilt can be forgiven. The use of anger can also be used. They would need to believe that a bad action has been committed against them and the focusing on the need for punishment. A final way to counter the use of fear and terror is by the use of spite. This is different than anger because of the belief that the enemy is going to receive some good that they do not deserve. They will then fight to prevent and to stop the enemy from their undeserved good. In ancient Greece and seen in Thucydides writing fear…
Among the most renowned literary works are those of the ancient Greeks. Literary works by the ancient Greeks include historical documentation, along with tragedies based on conflicts. According to the historian Thucydides, the greatest conflict was the Peloponnesian war between the Athenians and Spartans, along with each of their allies. In the opinion of Thucydides, the Peloponnesian war was due to the growth of Athens and the fear, the growth caused in the Spartans and their allies (Thucydides, Book I, chapter I). Accounts of events by Thucydides, for Francis Cornford, are not merely historic, but rather works of art. The History of the Peloponnesian War according to Thucydides is artistic through carefully crafted speeches and captivating…
Herodotus was a Greek historian whose work encompassed Western civilization involving conflicts between Greece and the Persian Empire. There were many differences between the Greeks and the Persians. For instance, the Greeks struggled to find freedom during 480 B.C – 400 B.C. They were determined to train their soldiers, especially Spartan warriors, to be brave, courageous, and strong for defensive purposes from Persian invasion. On the other hand, the Persians differed from the Greeks because they believed their Empire needed more power. The Persians exercised gaining absolute power under their leader, Xerxes, by invading civilization west of Asia to strengthen their Empire. Xerxes’ intentions for invasion were also based on vengeance from previous battles for expansion of their Empire. Xerxes motives for invading Greece were tyrannical, and the events that lead the Persian Empire western invasion were based on reckless intentions from a ruthless leader.…
In today’s society many things can be considered as heroic. In the epic poem, The Iliad and the Odyssey by legendary Greek author, Homer. The main character is a war hero named Odysseus is very intelligent and really strong but is also portrayed as arrogant and at times a horrible leader at times but he is still a war hero nonetheless. But the times have changed, the men who fight in war are no longer worshipped how they were in the ancient times. So with that being said, Odysseus would not be considered a hero today.…
The epic story told in Trojan War is considered by many to be a starting foundation of Greek mythology and to other modern stories we still tell today. It is a story of envy, disloyalty, cleverness, and persistence that few stories can challenge. Greek myths such as The War on Troy tell of epic tales of gods and goddesses working together and even feuding among each other in order to create a more desirable world for themselves. They are the stories of people dealing with and overcoming personal and cultural issues as represented by the gods in a society where history and storytelling go hand in hand. These so called myths…
In Thucydides, “The Funeral Oration of Pericles”, I will analyze and summarize the excerpts used within our primary source course packet to comment upon the core questions of being human, having purpose, the natural world and the just society that was created by the great civilization of Athens. The oration that Pericles delivers at the funeral for the fallen soldiers in the first year of the Peloponnesian war provides an excellent vision of the things that made the warriors and citizens of Athens strive to achieve honor or Arete. Pericles speaks of valor, ancestry, parenthood and many more honorable facets of the Athenian society and it’s implication within it’s society and societies beyond, “ [F]or Athens alone of her contemporaries is found when tested to be greater than her reputation…[R]ather the admiration of the present and succeeding ages will be ours”. (Thucydides Page 33)…
The Persian and Peloponnesian wars were both significant conflicts that tested independence. Documenting these wars was obviously hard at this point of civilization, but two men did, and are now known as the great writers of their time. When analyzing the writings of Herodotus and Thucydides, the authors must be compared and contrasted. Though it is almost impossible to know the complete accuracy of their accounts, analyzing the writing style will give us a good sense of their validity.…