Greek vs. Greek: From 431 to 404 B.C., Greece's two mightiest city-states battled each other for control of land and sea. In the end, both would lose. (World History Play).CHARACTERS: THUCYDIDES, HISTORIAN PERICLES, LEADER OF ATHENS ASPASIA, PERICLES' WIFE * ATHENIAN CITIZEN * LEON, SPARTAN MAN * SIMONIDES, SPARTAN MAN ARCHIDAMUS, KING OF SPARTA * CORINTHIAN AMBASSADOR * DIOMEDON, ATHENIAN CITIZEN * CHRYSANTHE, WOMAN FROM THE OUTSKIRTS OF ATHENS * HECTOR, HER HUSBAND NARRATORS A-D A-D Advance-Decline, or measurement of the number of issues trading above their previous closing prices less the number trading below their previous closing prices over a particular period. NAMES IN RED ARE LEADING ROLES. * Starred characters are fictitious. In 480 B.C., the mighty Persian Empire attacked Greece. Facing an onslaught, the Greek citystates banded together to fight the invaders. At first, the Persians were victorious, overrunning Greece and burning Athens to the ground. But one year later, the combined forces A military force composed of elements of two or more allied nations. See also force(s). of the Greek city-states beat the Persians in battle. The victory showed what the Greeks could do if they were united. But unity did not last long. The two strongest city-states, Athens and Sparta, struggled to gain dominance (control) over the rest of Greece. Athens and Sparta were very different. Athens was the world's first democracy. Its male citizens met in an assembly to vote on laws and make decisions. Under its great leader, Pericles (461-429 B.C.), Athens reached its height of power and prosperity. It was Athens' Golden Age, marked by a blossoming of literature, art, architecture, and philosophy. Sparta, on the other hand, was an oligarchy oligarchy (ŏl`əgärkē) [Gr.,=rule by the few], rule by a few members of a community or group. When referring to governments, the classical definition of oligarchy, as given for example by Aristotle, is of government by a few, usually , ruled by a few rich families. Spartans believed in discipline and obedience. Spartan men lived in military camps, training for war. After the Persian War Several wars are termed "Persian" or called simply "the Persian War:"
Peloponnesian League or Spartan Alliance Military coalition of Greek city-states led by Sparta, formed in the 6th century BC. (see map, p. 19). Tensions grew as Athens forced other city-states to join the Delian League-and treated them as traitors if they tried to leave. The more ambitious the Athenians became, the more alarmed the Sparrans grew. Thucydides, an Athenian general, sensed that war was coming. His account of the growing tensions between Sparta and Athens--and the long, brutal war that followed--is one of the greatest historical accounts ever. SCENE 1 Thucydides: Listen, 0 People, and hear a sad story. A story of brother against brother, city against city. Greek against Greek. Once, Greeks banded together to fight invaders. Then, they turned on each other. I wrote the story of their struggle. This is how it began. Narrator NARRATOR. A pleader who draws narrs serviens narrator, a sergeant at law. Fleta, 1. 2, c. 37. Obsolete. A: The Athenian assembly The Athenian Assembly was created in Athens during Greece’s Golden Age (480-404 BCE). This group of men would meet frequently to discuss and vote on current problems within their city-state. meets in 443 B.C. Pericles: Fellow citizens! The Persians destroyed our city while we Athenians fought to defend Greece. It is only fair that the other city-states in the Delian League help replace the ruins with temples that the world will never forget. Our city--like our freedom--will be the envy of the world. Athenian citizen: Hear, hear! Narrator A: The people of Athens cheer Pericles. But not all Greeks are so happy with Athens. In 441 B.C., the island of Samos revolts. Pericles: Samos must be punished! It cannot leave the League! Aspasia: I hear that Samos does nor want to pay for rebuilding Athens. Pericles: Why? Wherever we Athenians go, we spread democracy! The rebels on Samos are selfish aristocrats. We must show them what happens to traitors! Narrator A: Athens attacks Samos, destroying its ships, raking hostages, and burning down the city walls. SCENE 2 Thucydides: The attack on Samos alarms Sparta. Who would Athens attack next? Narrator B: In 431 B.C, an important visitor comes to Sparta. Leon: Why is the ambassador from Corinth here? Simonides: Haven't you heard? Corinth is angry with Athens. Leon: What has Athens done now? Simonides: It seems the Corinthians tried to crush a rebellion in one of their colonies. The colony asked for help from Athens--and got it. That made the Corinthians boiling mad. Leon: Look, the meeting is about to begin. Corinthian ambassador: We must all stand up to the Athenians. Archidamus: But why fight? Corinthian ambassador: Because the Athenians are never satisfied with peace. We must put a stop to their frightful ambition. Only Sparta can do it--you have the most powerful army in all of Greece. Archidamus: True, but we must not rush into war. The Athenian navy is much more powerful than our navy. Even if we win, the war could drag on Verb 1. drag on - last unnecessarily long drag out last, endure - persist for a specified period of time; "The bad weather lasted for three days" 2. so long that our children will be fighting, too. Narrator B: Finally, Sparta and its allies give Athens an ultimatum ultimatum (ŭl'tĭmā`təm), in international law, final, definitive terms submitted by one disputant nation to the other for immediate acceptance or rejection. . Archidamus: Tell Athens that peace is still possible--but it must give all Greek city-stares their freedom. SCENE 3 Narrator C: Back in Athens... Aspasia: How are you going to answer the letter from Sparta? Pericles: I am so excited about the new temple. It will be beautiful! Aspasia: I agree. Now what about the Spartans' letter? Pericles: Ah, my brilliant Aspasia, you know when I am avoiding a topic, don't you? But to answer your question, the Spartans don't scare me. Aspasia: But they're tough--they spend their whole lives training for war. Pericles: The Spartans may be good soldiers, but Athens controls the sea. The Spartans may attack our farms and villages. But strong walls protect our city. Then, we will counterattack Attacking an attacker. Even though a criminal hacker or other agent is attempting to penetrate a security perimeter or damage systems, the counterattack must not violate applicable laws. Sparta and its allies by sea. Narrator C: Pericles speaks to the assembly in 431 B.C. Pericles: Citizens of Athens! We must give the Spartans a firm answer. If we are not firm, other cities in the Delian League may rebel. And then, Athens will lose its power. Diomedon: What should we do? Pericles: All Athenians must move inside the city walls. We must not fight the Spartan army  This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. on land. But inside our city walls, we will be safe. Diomedon: But how will we win? Pericles: We will wait them our--and at the right time, attack them by sea. SCENE 4 Thucydides: The war starts. After months of fighting, Pericles gives a speech to rally his people. Pericles Citizens! We must never forget what we are fighting for: Athens! We are a democracy--our government is in the hands of the many and not the few. Our laws ensure equal justice for all, but that does not prevent people who are talented from rising to the top. We love beauty, and we cultivate the mind. But we're tough, too. And we all participate in our city's government. We alone regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs Those public information, command information, and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense. Also called PA. See also command information; community relations; public information. as a useless citizen. Athens is like a school for all of Greece--other Greeks learn from us. Thucydides: Pericles' speech stirs Athenians to fight on, despite many hardships. SCENE 5 Narrator D: The next year, Athens is hit by a terrible plague. Chrysanthe: Life has been so hard since we were forced to leave our farms and crowd into the city. How I miss our vineyards and olive trees. Hector: I know. By now the Spartans have probably destroyed In air operations, a damage assessment on an enemy aircraft seen to break off combat in circumstances which lead to the conclusion that it must be a loss although it is not actually seen to crash. them! Chrysanthe: And our people are wasting away Noun 1. wasting away - a decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse atrophy, wasting amyotrophia, amyotrophy - progressive wasting of muscle tissues tabes - wasting of the body during a chronic disease because of the plague. It's because we're so crowded behind the city walls. The plague spreads so fast. First the child gets sick, then the mother, then the father ... Hector: There are so many piles of bodies with no one to light their funeral pyres! Chrysanthe: And where are the birds? All the birds seem to have disappeared from the city. Hector: You are not your normal cheerful self, wife. Is something wrong? Chrysanthe: My head is burning up. Narrator D: She faints. Hector: Oh no! I hope you don't have the plague, too. Narrator D: But she does. The plague kills one out of every four Athenians. EPILOGUE ep·i·logue also ep·i·log n. 1. a. A short poem or speech spoken directly to the audience following the conclusion of a play. b. The performer who delivers such a short poem or speech. 2. In 429 B.C., Pericles also died of the plague. War dragged on for another 25 years, until Athens was defeated. But neither side truly won the war. Both Athens and Sparta were shattered shat·ter v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. , and Greece never attained its former greatness. As historian Will Durant Noun 1. Will Durant - United States historian (1885-1981) Durant, William James Durant later said, the Peloponnesian War Peloponnesian War (pĕl`əpənē`zhən), 431–404 B.C., decisive struggle in ancient Greece between Athens and Sparta. It ruined Athens, at least for a time. was "the suicide of Greece." Your Turn: Think About It 1. How were the Athenians different from the Spartans? 2. Did the Spartans have a choice about going to war? Explain. 3. Was Athens justified in forcing other city-states to become democracies? Thucydides' History of the Pelopponesian War http://clasics.mit.edu/Thucydides/pelopwar.html Washington State University's World Civilizations http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/WORLD.HTM HTM HyperText Markup (file extension) HTM Hand To Mouth HTM harmful-to-minors HTM Held-to-Maturity HTM High Tide Mark HTM Hazlo tú mismo (Spanish: do it yourself) HTM Hierarchical Temporal Memory |
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