I’m going to take a break today from reading and posting. Well, except for this post, which will ramble about my first (remembered) introduction to Thucydides. I was an impressionable third-grader when my parents decided to go see “Patton”. For some reason, they decided to take me. The theater was so crowded we had to […]
Tag: Thucydides
This post looks at Chapters 89 – 135 of Book Four, covering the winter of 424/3 BC through the spring of 422 BC. Included in this section is the battle of Delium, one of the major ground battles during the entire Peloponnesian War. All quotes come from the Thomas Hobbes translation. Map of Ancient AtticaDelium […]
Map of ancient Greece Five hundred chapters to go. Not that I’m counting. This post looks at Chapters 52 – 88 of Book Four, covering the summer of 424 BC. As you might have guessed from the subjects in the post heading it was a busy few months. All quotes come from the Thomas Hobbes […]
The first fifty-one chapters of Book Four cover activity that occurred in 425BC. I’ll focus on the Athenians setting up fortifications at Pylus (as spelled in my version, “Pylos” in most modern texts) and their siege of the Spartans on the island of Sphacteria. All quotes come from the Thomas Hobbes translation. Pylus can be […]
The last chapters of Book Three, from Chapters 86 to 116, reflect a change in strategy in the war for Sparta and Athens and Thucydides’ narrative changes to follow the activity. Also, as the war progresses, new characters emerge as significant players in the history. There is a lot going on in this short section […]
Map of Greece Corcyra (Corfu) is located toward the upper left (c1) Plataea isn’t depicted, but is southwest of Thebes (E4) Picture sourceThe post’s title comes from Leo Strauss’ essay on Thucydides and it describes perfectly the short section in Book Three, Chapters 51 – 85, covering the fall of Plataea and the civil strife […]
Map of ancient Greek world Picture sourceThis post looks at the first fifty chapters of Book Three, covering the revolt of Lesbos (with a focus on Mytilene) and the remarkable Athenian speeches of Cleon and Diodotus. All quotes come from the Thomas Hobbes translation unless otherwise noted. And you can’t imagine the restraint I’ve had […]
The Athenian empire (and surrounding areas) around 450 BC Picture source (I’m recycling this picture since it has the cities/regions mentioned in this post)This post looks at the end of Book Two (Chapters 66 – 103), covering from Pericles’ last speech to the end of the third year of the war. All quotes come from […]
The Plague of Athens by Michael Sweerts Picture sourceThis post looks at Book Two Chapters 47 – 65, which covers part of the second year of the war (430BC). All quotes come from the Thomas Hobbes translation. I realize I’m loading up on the quotes in this post, but I hope they prove helpful. Plague […]
This post looks at Book Two through the first 46 chapters. All quotes come from the Thomas Hobbes translation. Spartan strategy The Spartan king Archidamus attempted to dissuade his countrymen from declaring war against Athens in Book One (chapters 80 – 85). Archidamus raised the following concerns: Athens would be a powerful foe, a war […]