6/29/2023 0 Comments Peloponnesian war bookNicias had negotiated the aptly-named Peace of Nicias previously in 421 BC which paused the ongoing conflict between Athens and Sparta until the Athenian Sicilian Expedition 421 BC. Nicias was the voice for moderation in Athens. Thucydides offers two contrasting views on the Sicilian proposition: Nicias, the sober-minded Athenian general (or strategos) who is fervently opposed to interventionism. the old and young, rich and poor are all united in support of the expedition as is necessary for an empire), while the skeptics are forced into silence for fear of being unpatriotic. The old, middle-aged, and young citizens all see an easy occupation of Sicily that will yield great riches and power (i.e. A rising and powerful love of Athens or a fervent patriotism arises among the Athenians. He continues by discussing the current zeitgeist in Athens. Thucydides begins to explain the expedition by offering a history of the origins of Sicily and its people. The Sicilian Expedition represents the turning point in the war. Thucydides claims the Peloponnesian War is the greatest event or movement in human history, and the most important part of this great war takes place in Books VI-VII: The ill-fated Sicilian Expedition.
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