The Republic ~ Introduction

Posted on July 29, 2017 by cleopatra

“Socrates: I walked down to the Piraeus yesterday with Glaucon the son of Ariston to make my prayers to the goddess.”

Well, I’ve finished History of the Peloponnesian War (except for my final post), yet I’m afraid I’m going to continue on the same track with The Republic and put a number of my readers to sleep. But I am enjoying this history project ….. as we’ve meandered through Herodotus, then Thucydides, and now Plato, you do see changes and developments within the Greek culture and worldview that can’t be ignored. And since our civilization, to a certain extent, grew out of it, I believe it’s valuable to learn something about that development. I anticipate that Plato will be more interesting, but possibly more frustrating. It doesn’t seem like it was only the ancients who wanted to strangle Socrates …..

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The History of the Peloponnesian War – Book VIII

Posted on July 27, 2017 by cleopatra

Isle of Chios
Frederic Leighton
source ArtUK

History of the Peloponnesian War

Book VIII: While Athens is paralyzed in disbelief about the catastrophic Sicilian expedition, Sparta takes advantage of their weakness and begins to foment strife among Athenian allies. They instigate revolts in Chios and Miletus, as well as other areas that pay tribute to Athens. The Athenians fight back with some success. Various battles and political strategems abound, with Alcibiades coming to the forefront, inciting unrest and disagreement wherever he goes, a result of his selfish manipulations. Finally the Peloponnesians suspect him of subterfuge as he is now tight with the Persian, Tissapherne, and the Athenians mistrust him as well. It is unclear as to whether Alcibiades’ urging is the main catalyst, but suddenly Athenian groups break from their beloved democracy and revolt against it, sending envoys back to Athens to overthrow the democracy and establish oligarchies along the way. Their actions are so ill-planned that the areas they convert are so intoxicated with their new freedom that they begin self-government and the intended plan of the reform set to them by the Athenian envoys is completely ignored.Sparta and Persia form an alliance and Alcibiades is up to his usual no-good, playing off Sparta and Athens against each other with the help of Tissapherne, the corrupt Persian governor.

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The History of the Peloponnesian War – Book VII

Posted on July 23, 2017 by cleopatra

A Dream of Ancient Athens
Sydney Herbert
source ArtUK

History of the Peloponnesian War

Athenian navy, Sicily
source Wikimedia Commons

Book VII: Gylippus has great success in Syracuse, turning the tide of the war in favour of the Sicilians, capturing outposts and generally making a great nuisance of himself. Nicias is ill with a kidney condition and writes to Athens to send more armaments, as Alcibiades has turned traitor, Lamachus is dead and he is the only general left. They immediately send Eurymedon with ten ships which is hardly encouraging, and Demosthenes sets to gather more reinforcements to leave in the spring. Meanwhile Gylippus prods the Syracusans to engage the Athenians in a sea battle and although they lose, he is able to capture three forts with loads of supplies and this feat is labeled “the first and foremost cause of the ruin of the Athenian army”. Athenians ships fail to stop other Spartan ships from leaving Peloponnese and an Athenian supply vessel is destroyed, further damaging the Athenian cause, and with a Spartan invasion at Decclea, a second war front springs up for the beleaguered Athenians. Thucydides relates complete disbelief that, in spite of all they had suffered and the emerging war on the home front, they still stubbornly clung to their Sicilian expedition.

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The History of the Peloponnesian War – Book VI

Posted on July 19, 2017 by cleopatra

Ruin of Greek Theatre, Taormina, Sicily
Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller
source Wikiart

History of the Peloponnesian War

Book VI: The Athenians decide to attack Sicily although ignorant of the island’s size and number of inhabitants. Sounds like a bad idea. Thucydides now gives a history of the people who settled the island which is very interesting, so don’t skip it if you read this book. Lots of expelling from cities is included. I’m amazed at how many people were often just kicked out from where they had lived for years and had to go elsewhere. However, Thucydides relates it as an unsurprising regular occurrence, so obviously my reaction is very different than the people of that time.

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History of the Peloponnesian War – Book V

Posted on July 1, 2017 by cleopatra

History of the Peloponnesian War

Book V: After the armistice is concluded, Cleon, emboldened by his success in Pylos, leads an expedition through Thrace to Torone where he takes Torone, destroying some of Brasidas’ fortifications. He makes Eion his base and Brasidas makes Amphipolis his, whereupon Cleon attacks, however in his delusions of grandeur he misjudges his ability, and tries to retreat too late. In the fighting, Cleon is killed but his nemesis, Brasidas, is also fatally wounded.