Download File

Cassandra Gill
Major Oral Presentation
8 November 2013
Honors 101-A
The Changing Ethos in Athens
Importance of the Peloponnesian War
 The reversal of the Golden Age and man's greatest potential to savagery
 “The ancient world was torn apart by a conflict that was as dramatic, divisive, and
destructive as the world wars of the twentieth century.”
 “The war changed the Greek world and civilization forever.”
Thesis
 "The change in government at the end of the Peloponnesian War did not cause the shift in
the polis of the Athenians. The shift in the polis was caused by a change in the ethos that
started to occur even prior to the war. The war was simply the catalyst that further
exacerbated a changing Athenian ethos which helped bring about the destruction of the
Athenian polis."
 In other words, we are going to be analyzing how Athens moves away from its original
virtues and values from before the Peloponnesian war to the end.
The Contrast between Athens and Sparta
 To show you just how dramatic this shift in the Athenian ethos was, we will be making
comparisons to Sparta and how the war affected Sparta’s ethos.
o Examine pictures
o Sparta is the perfect comparison because their fixed, harsh isolated view of the world
does not experience similar shifts in culture.
 Spartans are set in their ways and are unwilling to heed new advice. This is
clear when the Spartan King responds to this in the Speech of Archidamus:
“. . . our city has always been famous, always free; and this slowness of ours
is really nothing but clear-headed self-control. It is this that gives us our
unique ability to restrain our arrogance in success, and to yield less than other
people to misfortune. When people try to excite us with praise into doing
something dangerous, we do not let the pleasure of it overcome our better
judgment; and if someone tries to spur us on with harsh criticism, we do not
let ourselves be swayed by our anger. Our discipline makes us good soldiers
because our self-control is the chief cause of a sense of shame, and shame of
courage. . . .” (1:84).
o Meanwhile, Athens was a constantly evolving culture that was a trade center of the
world at the time.
 This is evident in the Speech of the Corinthians when they say to the Spartans,
“We don’t think you have thought through what sort of people these
Athenians are: your struggle will be with people totally different from
yourselves. They love innovation, and are quick to plan and then to carry it
out in action, while you are good only for keeping things as they are, and you
never invent anything or even go as far as necessary in action” (1:70).
 Interestingly, the different struggles the cultures experience
foreshadow the outcomes at the end of the war.
Original Athenian Values
(Commentary on Pericles’s Funeral Oration)
Now these values that we are going to be discussing were evident at the beginning of the war and
clearly seen in Pericles’s Funeral Oration. Though the Funeral Oration happened during the war,
Pericles exemplified all that was virtuous about Athens before their culture truly changed.
In Pericles’s opinion, their magnificence was attributable to their democratic government. In it,
the focal point of a citizen’s thoughts was to work to increase the grandeur of Athens. Through
this obligation, the individual was freed. No matter how rich or poor a man was, he had this
personal freedom and was able to contribute to the city’s splendor. This idea created equality
among the politas.


Complete Devotion to the City & the Common Good
o Corinthian Speech describing Athens: “And as for their bodies, they devote them
utterly to the service of the city as if they were not their own, while they keep
total possession of their minds when they do anything for its own sake”
(1:70).
o Pericles’s Funeral Oration: “When the power of our city seems great to you,
consider then that this was purchased by valiant men who knew their duty and
kept their honour in battle, by men who were resolved to contribute the most
noble gift to their city: even if they should fail in their attempt, at least they would
leave their fine character [arête] to the city.”
. . .“For in giving their lives to the common good, each man won praise for
himself that will never grow old” (2:43).
Democratic Ideals
o Pericles’s Funeral Oration: “We live together without taking offense on private
matters; and as for public affairs, we respect the law greatly and fear to violate it,
since we are obedient to those in office at any time. . . .” (2:37).



o Democracy was so important that Pericles said, “For we alone think that a man
who does not take part in public affairs is good for nothing. . .” (2:40).
Equality
o Pericles’s Funeral Oration: “When it is a question of settling private disputes,
everyone is equal before the law”
“ … No one is held back by poverty or because his reputation is not well-known,
as long as he can do good service to the city” (2:37).
Justice (XXVI – XXVII)
Piety (XXVI – XXVII)
Athenian Justice Originally
 Disputes be settled without violence by a duly constituted authority
 That an agreement be kept, even when it is in the interests of one party to abrogate it.
 That overreaching and avarice (pleonexia) be avoided
 That tyranny be avoided (XXVI – XXVII)
Athenian Culture Had Already Been Changing
 Distancing away from the gods, separation of the world of the gods and humanity where
they were more intertwined in the past
 The gods are mentioned so briefly throughout the text
 Movement away from gods is already a shift away from the original Greek culture and
values
 Most of Greece had been moving away from their strong focus on the past to being more
concerned with the present.
 Pericles’s Funeral Oration: “We are proving our power with strong evidence, and
we are not without witness: we shall be the admiration of people now and in the
future. We do not need Homer, or anyone else, to praise our power with words
that bring delight for a moment, when the truth will refute his assumptions about
what was done” (2:41).
 However, it should be noted that Sparta was determined to stay deeply connected
to their past and tradition despite others challenges to their culture. This was made
clear when their King claimed in the Speech of Archidamus: “These practices
were passed down to us by our ancestors and they have always helped us” (1:85).
 Moral decay and avarice in Athens starts the war because Athens overreached in power
(XXV).
 "I believe that the truest reason for the quarrel, though least evidence in what was
said at the time, was the growth of Athenian power, which put fear into the
Lacedaemonians and so compelled them into war. . . ." (1:23)


The Corinthians called out Athens for subjugating people and taking away the
freedom of others, which goes against democratic ideals (1:69).
Speech of Archidamus: “The opinions of the majority came down to this: that the
Athenians were guilty of injustice, and they should go to war right away”
(1:79).
The Crumbling Values under the Plague
 The Assault on Justice, Piety, Equality, Complete Devotion to the City & the Common
Good
o “Not knowing what would next happen to them, they became indifferent to every
rule of religion or law” (2:52).
o Even the sacred convention of the funeral procedure crumbles when it is found to
be more expedient to pile up bodies anonymously (2:52).
o “The great lawlessness that grew everywhere in the city began with this disease,
for, as the rich suddenly died and men previously worth nothing took over their
estates, people saw before their eyes such quick reversals that they dared to do
freely things they would have hidden before – things that they never would have
admitted they did for pleasure. And so, because they thought their lives and their
property were equally ephemeral, they justified seeking quick satisfaction in easy
pleasures. As for doing what had been considered noble, no one was eager to take
any further pains for this, because they thought it uncertain whether they should
die or not before they achieved it. But the pleasure of the moment, and whatever
contributed to that, were set up as standards of nobility and usefulness. No one
was held back in awe, either by fear of the gods or by the laws of men;
worshipped or not, seeing that they all perished alike. . . .” (2:53).
The Further Destruction of Virtue in the Civil War in Corcyra
 In an open civil war in Corcyra, the democrats accused the oligarchs “. . . of subverting
the democracy, but some of the victims were killed on the account of private hatred, and
some by their debtors for the money they had lent them. Every form of death was seen at
this time; and (as tends to happen in such cases) there was nothing people would not do,
and more: fathers killed their sons; men were dragged out of the temples and then killed
hard by; and some who were walled up in the temple of Dionysus died inside it” (3:81.2).
“So neither side thought much of piety” (3:82).
o The dispute between the two political parties was not settled without violence.
Moreover, in the fight the Athenians had initiated, the warriors had no concern for
the value of piety.


The trouble with the atrocious civil war in Corcyra is that it is representative of the civil
wars that occurred all over Greece, including Athens.
o “Civil war ran through the cities; those it struck later heard what the first cities
had done and far exceeded them in inventing artful means for attack and bizarre
forms of revenge. And they reversed the usual way of using words to evaluate
activities. Ill-considered boldness was counted as loyal manliness; prudent
hesitation was held to be cowardice in disguise, and moderation merely the cloak
of an unmanly nature. A mind that could grasp the good of the whole was
considered wholly lazy. Sudden fury was accepted as part of manly valor, while
plotting for one’s own security was thought a reasonable excuse for delaying
action. A man who started a quarrel was always to be trusted, while one who
opposed him was under suspicion” (3:82).
 Violence was becoming the answer to all problems in Athens and their ethos
continued to change drastically.
The dividing Athenian political parties did not care about the common good and justice.
o “These parties, you see, were not formed under existing laws for the good, but for
avarice in violation of established law. And the oaths they swore to each other had
their authority not so much by the divine law, as by their being partners in
breaking the law. And if their opponents gave a good speech, if they were the
stronger party, they did not receive it in generous spirit” (3:82).
o “And though they pretended to serve the public in their speeches, they actually
treated it as the prize for their competition; and striving by whatever means to
win, both sides ventured on most horrible outrages and extracted even greater
revenge, without any regard for justice or the public good” (3:82).
 The democratic spirit of Athens was demising.
The Decay of Justice in the Melian Dialogue
 Athens is overreaching with avarice.
o At the beginning, the Melians had stayed at peace with both sides. Later on,
however, when the Athenians drove them to it by wasting their land, they were
openly at war (Pg. 102).
 Athens is not settling the dispute without violence and disregards the democratic system
of debate because of avarice.
o The Athenians call for a “cruel fate” is the Melians do not surrender completely to
them on their terms (5:93).
o Even when the Melians call for a peaceful solution with a just debate, the
Athenians ignore their argument and do not recognize their equality as a fellow
Greek city-state (3:86-111).



The Melians: “So you would not accept a peaceful solution? We could be
friends rather than enemies, and fight with neither side” (5:94).
Overly concerned pride and power, the Athenians ignore the virtue of parity
and respond: “No. You enmity does not hurt us as much as your friendship
would. That would be a sign of our weakness to those who are ruled by us; but
your hatred would prove our power” (5:95).
The Melians continue to cry for justice: “Why do your subjects reason so
unfairly that they put us, who never had anything to do with you, in the same
category as themselves, when most of them were your colonies, or else rebels
whom you defeated?” (5:96)
The Spartan Contrast to the Melian Dialogue with Brasidas’s Speech
 While the Athenian ethos was disintegrating, the Spartans remained true to their cultural
values even in the harsh times of war.
 Brasidas exemplified this when he uses intelligence to settle a fight with the Acanthians
during the war. To win over the Acanthians to the Peloponnesian League, he appeals to
justice, moderation, piety, fairness, openness, virtues, and even democratic ideals like
freedom.
o Brasidas did not first look to use force.
 “Thucydides tells us that his virtue and good conduct made a good impression
on the cities there, winning many friends for Sparta” (Pg. 97).
o He settled his fight through debate and appeals to doing the common good for all.
 “My army and I were sent here, Acanthians, to make good the reason we
Lacedaemonians gave for this war when we began it: to fight Athens for the
freedom of Greece” (4:85).
o Observing their rights and equality as a fellow Greek city-state, Brasidas guarantees
justice and fairness if they join Sparta.
 “Now if any of you are holding back fear of certain people [oligarchs],
because you think we will turn the government over to them, take heart: you
have the strongest guarantee that I did not come to take sides in civil war”
(4:86).
o He does not forget the gods and their ancestors when he swears by the god and the
heroes as witness that he came there to do good (4:87).
o Brasidas is not looking to add the Acanthians to the Peloponnesian League to expand
Spartan power. He wants the Acanthians to join them to stop Athens for the common
good of Greece.
 “Empire is not our goal; it is what we are working to stop in other people” (4:87).
The Collapse of Equality, Democratic Ideals, Justice, Piety, Complete Devotion to the City, and
the Common Good
 Oligarchy Now Considered a Viable Form of Government
o The cause of oligarchy gained momentum as “Athenian conservatives believed
that if they could set up a stable oligarchy in Athens they would earn the
confidence of the Persians, and so obtain from them the money they needed for
their survival as a naval power” (Pg. 156)
 Ending Equality, Democratic Ideals, and Justice in Athens
o An oligarchy did take over Athens and “one of the most important of the oligarchic
reforms was the elimination of all forms of state pay for public service (except for
military service). Such payments enabled the poor to take part in government, and
indeed may have enticed them to do so” (Pg. 156).
o “. . .under an oligarchy, allies would be put to death violently without trial. . . .”
(8: 48.5-6).
o Disputes are certainly not being settled without violence by a duly
constituted authority anymore
 No More Piety, Complete Devotion to the City, and the Common Good
o “Most of the Four Hundred fell into the private ambition that is fatal to an oligarchy
grown out of democracy. For at once each of them claimed not merely to be equal to
the others, but to be the top man by far. In a democracy, on the other hand, if a man is
defeated in an election he bears it better, because he does not think he has been beaten
by his equals” (8:89.3).
o Looking to be the dominant ruler, each man in the Four Hundred wants to
become a tyrant, which would be a complete obstruction to what justice
originally is considered in Athens.
Moral Abyss
 “As the violence spread it brought a collapse in the habits, institutions, beliefs, and
restraints that are the foundations of civilized life. Religion lost its restraining power.
Truth and honor disappeared, ‘and society became divided into camps in which no man
trusted his fellow’ (3:83.1)” (Kagan XXIV).
Questions
1. What would you prefer: the dynamism of Athenian culture that leads to its own demise,
or the rigid, fixed nature of Sparta where stability endures? In other words, if you were a
Spartan would you rather be an Athenian? Or vice versa, if you were an Athenian, would
you rather be a Spartan? Why?
2. With the end of the Peloponnesian War and this movement away from knowledge and
traditional values, was this a movement away from happiness to the Greeks? Was their
focus on instant selfish pleasure only a temporary happiness to mask their pain?
3. What exactly is the role of the cosmos in Sparta compared to Athens? What is the general
Greek notion of the role of the cosmos at this time?
4. Do you think this change in ethos could happen to us if something dramatic happened in
the not so distant future? Do you think our governmental system is flawed enough that it
could allow for cataclysmic events to occur?
Works Cited
"205 A Brief History of Classical Greece, Classical Drama and Theatre." 205 A Brief History of
Classical Greece, Classical Drama and Theatre. Creative Commons Attribution, n.d.
Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
<http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/ClasDram/chapters/051clasgk.htm>.
This was a map showing how the Spartan and Athenian alliances divided Greece.
"Ancient Athens - Image Page." Wikinut. Wikinut Ltd, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
<http://www.wikinut.com/img/1srpb234k3_wdtg5/Ancient-Athens>.
This showed the structual beauty of Athens.
MAPS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. FORVM ANCIENT COINS, n.d.
Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
<http://www.forumancientcoins.com/Articles/Maps/Maps_of_the_Ancient_World.htm>.
These were ancient maps of Athens and Sparta.
"Harry's Athens Greece Guide." Athens Greece Guide Index. Harry's Greece Travel Guides, n.d.
Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <http://www.greeceathensaegeaninfo.com/h-athens/>.
This picture showed just how industrial Athens was.
Kagan, Donald. The Peloponnesian War. New York: Viking, 2003. Print.
This provided me background about just how important the Peloponnesian War was. The
two quotes at the beginning of the presentation describing the importance of the
Peloponnesian War were taken from the back cover of this book. Additionally, the
information I dictated orally about the Golden Age I found in this book.
Lerner, Marshall. "The Peloponnesian War." Spartanusm. Tangient LLC, n.d. Web. 07 Nov.
2013. <http://spartanusm.wikispaces.com/The Peloponnesian War>.
From here I took a picture of a battle in the Peloponnesian War.
"Lost Trails: Herodotus Project | Sparta." Lost Trails: Herodotus Project. Lost Trails, LLC, n.d.
Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <http://www.losttrails.com/pages/Hproject/Sparta/SpartaMap.html>.
This was the ancient map of Sparta.
"Reproduction of Ancient Athens." Athens - Ancient Athens. Ellen Papakyriakou/Anagnostou,
n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. <http://www.sikyon.com/athens/monuments/monum_eg.html>.
This was the picture of Athens that I used on the opening page of my power point.
"The Inquisitive Loon." The Inquisitive Loon. Wordpress.com, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 07 Nov.
2013. <http://theinquisitiveloon.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/the-peloponnesian-war/>.
From here I took the pictures of Pericles’s Funeral Oration and of the chaos in the city of
Athens.