Author: Thucydides
Summary (Slides by nblm)
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Notes
- As per Thucydides, the war between Athens and Sparta broke out because Athens was becoming more powerful. He says that when any new country becomes more powerful than an existing country, it creates conflict and war.
- The more fertile a country, the more immigration into that country. Also in that country some people might hoard more wealth than others. If a country is rocky and generally infertile, there is little immigration, and general peace.
- Athens was a rocky country, so it enjoyed peace for a long time. But as there was conflict in other countries, people started moving to Athens. Since it began to have too many people, eventually people migrated out and created colonies in Ionian cities which in turn increased Athens’ influence.
- All of Greece was not united or claimed common ancestry in the past. Each island or portions of land were managed by tribes. Thucydides says even during the time of Homer, the lands were called by different names. There was no mention of ‘barbarian’ in Homer’s books because there was no such distinction then.
- Hellas and his descendants unified most of the tribes and they collectively began to be called Hellenes (Greeks). Minos was the first person to have established a navy and curbed piracy.
- In the past piracy and plunder were not viewed as deeds of disgrace but of might and strength and people used to glorify it. But in that mode of life, everyone had to carry weapons on them daily to protect themselves. Athens was the first to lay down their weapons and have an easier mode of life.
- As piracy slowed down, big towns with fortified walls, started coming up on shores (when piracy was prevelant, people built towns away from the shores)
- With time, countries built stronger navies. During the Trojan war, Agamemnon had the largest fleet and hence wielded more power. The Trojan war would have ended much sooner if the Greek fleet had all the provisions they needed. Since they didn’t they had to farm or plunder after they reached Troy to sustain themselves.
- With settlement and wealth, more tyrants came up in places. There were wars to consolidate power. Thucydides says that for over 400 years, Athens and Sparta had a form of government without the need for tyrants.
- The first war between the Medes and Athenians took place in Marathon. Ten years later, there was another war, where Athens was burnt and the people became a naval power. They defeated the Persians at Salamis. During this time, the Spartans were united with Athenians. But after the war, there was a division among the Greeks - on one side, people who fought against the Persians and on the other who aided the Persians. After the war, the Spartans were on the side against Athens.
Quotes
- The goodness of the land favoured the aggrandizement of particular individuals, and thus created faction which proved a fertile source of ruin. It also invited invasion. (View Highlight)
- For instance, it is evident that the country now called Hellas had in ancient times no settled population; on the contrary, migrations were of frequent occurrence, the several tribes readily abandoning their homes under the pressure of superior numbers. (View Highlight)
- The Athenians were the first to lay aside their weapons, and to adopt an easier and more luxurious mode of life; i (View Highlight)
- a modest style of dressing, more in conformity with modern ideas, was first adopted by the Lacedaemonians, the rich doing their best to assimilate their way of life to that of the common people. (View Highlight)
- as communication by sea became more common, were tempted to turn pirates, under the conduct of their most powerful men; the motives being to serve their own cupidity and to support the needy. (View Highlight)
- For the love of gain would reconcile the weaker to the dominion of the stronger, and the possession of capital enabled the more powerful to reduce the smaller towns to subjection. (View Highlight)
- It is said that the Corinthians were the first to approach the modern style of naval architecture, and that Corinth was the first place in Hellas where galleys were built; (View Highlight)
- If they had brought plenty of supplies with them, and had persevered in the war without scattering for piracy and agriculture, they would have easily defeated the Trojans in the field, since they could hold their own against them with the division on service. (View Highlight)
- For a short time the league held together, till the Lacedaemonians and Athenians quarrelled and made war upon each other with their allies, a duel into which all the Hellenes sooner or later were drawn, (View Highlight)
- Again, wherever there were tyrants, their habit of providing simply for themselves, of looking solely to their personal comfort and family aggrandizement, made safety the great aim of their policy, and prevented anything great proceeding from them; (View Highlight)
- The policy of Lacedaemon was not to exact tribute from her allies, but merely to secure their subservience to her interests by establishing oligarchies among them; Athens, on the contrary, had by degrees deprived hers of their ships, and imposed instead contributions in money on all (View Highlight)