On Justice, Power, and Human Nature

by Thucydides; Woodruff, Paul; Woodruff, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780872201682
• ISBN10: 0872201686
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-10-01
• Publisher: Hackett Pub Co Inc

Summary

Designed for students with little or no background in ancient Greek language and culture, this collection of extracts for The History of the Peloponnesian War includes those passages that shed most light on Thucydides' political theory -- famous as well as important but lesser known pieces frequently overlooked by nonspecialists. Newly translated into spare, vigorous English, and situated within a connective narrative framework, Woodruff's selections will be of special interest to instructors in political theory and Greek civilisation.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	ix
Bibliographical Notes	xxxiii
Maps	xxxvi
Thucydides On Justice, Power, and Human Nature
Early History and Method	1	(14)
Thucydides' preface [i.1]	1	(1)
The archaeology [i.2-20]	2	(10)
On historical method [i.21-22]	12	(3)
Origins of the War	15	(24)
Thucydides' explanation for the war [i.23]	15	(1)
Debate at Sparta in 432 [i.66-88]	16	(14)
Meeting of the Peloponnesian League in 431 [Summary of i.118-24]	30	(1)
Pericles' war speech [i.140-46]	31	(5)
The war begins with an attack on Plataea [ii.1-8]	36	(3)
Pericles and the Plague	39	(20)
The Funeral Oration of Pericles [ii.35-46]	39	(7)
The plague: human nature laid bare by a natural disaster [ii.47-54]	46	(5)
Military operations of 430 [ii.55-58]	51	(1)
Pericles' last speech [ii. 59-64]	52	(4)
Thucydides' judgment of Pericles [ii.65]	56	(3)
Justice and power: Plataea and Mytilene	59	(30)
Further events of 430 [ii.66-70]	59	(3)
The siege of Plataea [ii.71-78]	62	(4)
The Mytilenean debate [iii. 37-51]	66	(10)
The Plataean debate [iii.52-68]	76	(13)
Human Nature Laid Bare in Civil War	89	(8)
The civil war in Corcyra [iii.81.2-85]	89	(5)
The end of the Corcyrean insurgents [iv.47.3-48]	94	(3)
Justice and Power: Acanthus and Melos	97	(14)
The Spartans at Acanthus [iv.84.2-87]	97	(3)
Events leading to the Peace of Nicias [Summary]	100	(2)
The Melian dialogue [v.84-116]	102	(9)
The Sicilian Expedition	111	(44)
Sicilian antiquities, [Summary of vi.2-6]	111	(1)
Debate at Athens [vi.8-26]	112	(11)
Launching the expedition [Summary of vi.27-105]	123	(6)
Defeat of the expedition [vii.1-viii.1, Summary and Translation]	129	(26)
Aftermath of the Sicilian Expedition [Summary]	155	(6)
Dates	161	(2)
Glossary	163	(8)
Index	171