Thucydidean Historiography Flashcards
In what way does Thucydides differ in periodic views to his contemporaries?
constructs idea of one long and broader conflict - the Peloponnesian war - as opposed to 1st phase then 2nd being made up of Archidamian war, choppy period of peace, then Ionian war
When is the generally agreed decade in whihc Thuc was born?
460-50 BCE
When is Thuc believed to have started writing? Evidence?
late 430s
he himself asserts (1.1) that his writing began when the war began
What is a major omission in Thuc’s narrative? Why would this have been left out?
Peace of Kallias
Could have been a move to emphasise the importance of his own subject matter rather than the Persian wars which precedes his period
Why are the problems w Thuc as a source difficult to accept and amend?
He provides the most complete evidence for the period
What is Thuc’s stated purpose for his work? What appears to be his rhetorical purpose?
record the greatest war that has ever occured (1.1)
build a narrative to suit his preconceived ideas and arguments
What personal characteristics appear to have affected Thuc’s rhetoric?
aristocratic background and subsequent oligarchic tendencies
What is the main method Thucydides has used that distorts reality in his narrative?
selectivity
In what way was Thuc and Hdt similarly distinct from the contemporary historical/memorialising forms?
designed a new genre of LITERARY history (methodological similarity)
In what ways was Thuc different from Hdt? (3)
He openly endeavoured to distinguish himself from what he thought of as inadequate traditional forms of public historical thought whereas Hdt embraced them more.
Linearization as opposed to Hdt’s far more frequent chronological deviations
Lack of a narrator which enhanced the authority of the piece, especially when a narrator is referred to in the process of research
PRESENTATIONAL DISSIMMILARITY
In what ways does Thuc’s work stand apart from a modern idea of history? (2)
He starts with his own knowledge and preconceptions then builds up with evidence rather than starting with the latter.
Lack of overall cause and effect thinking
What does Thuc say about the accuracy of his record of speeches?
they are generally in line with the overall intent of the speech within its context but he couldn’t promise the reproduction of the exact words used
Why are speeches an important part of the recon of ancient history? (2)
contribute to an understanding of the feelings of an individual/audience at the time
they acted as key causal factors in the ancient world as they impacted important agents and events
What does Macleod say on the accuracy and reality of the speeches in Thuc?
They are not direct reproductions of the reality but rhetorical distillations of the significant points of the speech and characteristics of the individual
What is Hdt’s the first of alongside being the first historical work?
earliest prose piece that we have