ThucydidesandThePeloponnesianWar(431to404B.C.).ppt

Thucydides and The Peloponnesian War(431 to 404 B.C. ) Lecturer: Wu Shiyu Email: shiyuw@ /bbs 1. Products in the Age of Pericles Phidias Showing the Frieze of the Parthenon to his Friends The Acropolis of Athens 1. In the Age of Pericles This first democracy in history gave birth to the liberal arts (learning suited to a free individual as defined by Aristotle). Products of the tolerance and freedom of thought and speech Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. 2.1 Thucydides and History A product of the Athenian democracy History grew in the Athenian democracy, as a means of educating from the lessons of the past. It is no coincidence that our first true history of Herodotus, although written by a non-Athenian, was written for Athenian audience, and first narrated to them. The second of the great historian of the history is Thucydides. 2.1 Thucydides and History He is an Athenian citizen (460～400B.C.). And his history, immortal pages describing the Peloponnesian War, still as timely and as vivid today, as when they were first written. Thucydides (460～400B.C.). Thucydides Herodotus 2.1 Thucydides and History Thucydides was born to a wealthy family. He was a partisan of Pericles; he is a tremendous admirer of Pericles. As a youth, we are told, Thucydides heard a reading of Herodotus history at the Olympic Games, and he was moved to tears. 2.1 Thucydides and History 他生活的时代正值雅典的极盛时期，也是古希腊文化的全盛时期。伯里克利等人的政治演说，埃斯库罗斯、欧里彼德斯、索福克利斯等人的戏剧，诡辩派(又称“智者派”)的哲学，希罗多德等人的历史著作，以及“医学之父”希波格拉底所代表的“实验的”“科学”精神，都对他产生了极大的影响。成年以后，他也像大多数贵族子弟一样，凭借家族的门第和个人的才干而步入仕途。 2.1 Thucydides and History In 424, elected general, one of the ten generals for the year, and he was entrusted with an extremely important command in the northeastern part of Greece, around the city of Amphipolis, Amphipolis, an Athenian stronghold, absolutely essential to protect the Athenian grain supply from the Black Sea, its gold very important to the Athenian economy. Assaulted by a Spartan