VCE Ancient History Quotes (GREECE)

Polis

"Man is by nature an animal intended to live in the polis"- Aristotle

Polis/Men

"It is men who make the city."- Thucydides

Disunity amongst poleis

"There is no such thing" (as Ancient Greece)- Bradley

Men's role as warriors

"It is… a bright honour… for a man to do battle with the enemy for the sake of his children, and for his land."- Callinus

Men's civic duty (Athens)

"We alone regard a man who takes no part in public affairs not as harmless, but as useless."- Thucydides

Women's role as birthers

"It was all in the business of producing good fighting men."- Kagan

Role of women (Athens)

"Sit quietly and work wools."- Xenophon

Public view of women (Athens)

"a ball-and-chain."- Semonides

Women (Sparta)

"You Spartan women rule over your men."- Athenian women

"Because we are the only women who give birth to real men."- Queen Gorgo

Helots

"are like an enemy sitting in wait for the disasters of the Spartiates."- Aristotle

Life of a slave

"Hard work and sorrow"- Homer

Slaves

"an animate piece of object"- Aristotle

Metics

"The metics are one of our finest resources; not only do they perform many services to us, but they also pay the metic tax."-Xenophon

Periokoi

"Once few, if any, Spartiates practiced a manual craft, the commercial and economic role of the periokoi must have become a very important one."-Plutarch

Aristocracy

"rule of the best men."- Aristotle

Oligarchy

"the sovereignty of a small number"- Aristotle

Tyranny

"Tyrants often started out as popular leaders."

Breaking the aristocracy

"breaking the old aristocracy played an essential role in making possible the constitution that was to come."- Andrew Burn

Solon's reforms- Debt Slavery

"shaking off of burdens. (seisachtheia)- Solon

Solon's reforms

"to the mass of people I gave the power they needed."- Solon in Plutarch

Solon's middle-man stance

"I took my stance with strong shield covering both sides."- Solon

Pisistratus's tyranny

"moderate and good."- Herodotus

Pisistratus's tyranny

"Under [Pisistratus] Athens was both prosperous and stable"- John Thorley

Pisistratus's tyranny

"Age of gold"- Aristotle

Cleisthenes

"champion of the people"- Aristotle

Cleisthenes > Isogoras

"By adding the people to his side, he gained the upper hand over his political opponents."- Herodotus

Ephialtes

"thorough-going democracy"- Plutarch

Sparta after Lycurgus

"well-ordered state"- Herodotus

Gerousia

"council of elders"- Plutarch

Gerousia

"Only in Sparta does it pay to grow old"- Plutarch

Euphorate

"absolute control over their most important affairs."- Aristotle

Apella

"voting was conducted… by shouting and not by ballot"- Cartledge

Sparta

"stolid, warlike"- Pomeroy

Athens

"cultivated, intellectual Athens."- Pomeroy

Geography/ disunity

"The great factor which made for continued disunity… was the nature of the land."- Andrew Burn

Greek proximity to the sea

"like ants or frogs about a pond."- Plato

Colonisation

"The history of the Greeks abroad is an indispensable element of the history of the Greeks at home."- Ridgway

Land shortages and colonisation

"Provide citizens of the motherland with enough fertile land to live a good life."- Pomeroy

Colonisation

"Satisfy the Greek's growing appetite for imported goods."- Pomeroy

Spartan Expansionism into Messenia

Helena Shrader suggested that Spartan expansionism into Messenia was essential to Sparta's rise as a dominant power in Ancient Greece.

Geography of Messenia

"fertile farms"- Tyrtaeus

First Messenian War

"they fought full nineteen years"- Tyrtaeus

Ionian revolt- Aristogoras calling for help

"come rescue the Ionians from slavery; they are the same blood as you, after all."- Aristogoras

Consequence of Athenian involvement in Ionian Revolt

"these ships turned out to be the beginning of evils for both Hellenes and barbarians."- Herodotus

Revenge for Athen's burning of Sardis

"Remember the Athenian"- Slave to Darius in Herodotus

Persian Invasions (490 BCE)- Ultimatum delivered to Greek Poleis

"Submit to Persia…or face the wrath of the 'King of the World'"- In Herodotus

Democracy in action at Marathon

"It is now up to you… whether you will reduce Athens to slavery or ensure its freedom."- Miltiade's speech in Herodotus

Aftermath of Marathon

"The Athenian dead were treated as heroes."- Cartledge

Varying numbers on Persian Army (480/79 BCE)

Herodotus- 1,700,000 Modern Historians- 200,000- 300,000

Unity after Persian Wars

Peter Green suggested that the Persian invasions strengthened Panhellenic identity.

Democracy in Athens and the Persian Wars

"A sense of the preciousness of freedom… left the Assembly unwilling now to barter it for peace."- Tom Holland

MIxed loyalties amongst Persian Army

"The truly missing link among the Persians was political freedom."- Lane Fox

Delian League

“an organisation designed to fight the Persians” (Pomeroy)

Athenian Expansionism

“truest cause” (Thucydides)

Athens vs Sparta

“whale” “elephant” (Voctor Davis Hanson)

Athens vs Sparta

“magnificent navy of Athens” vs “invincible hoplites of Sparta” (Thucydides)

First Peloponnesian War

“essentially between Sparta’s allies and the Athenians” (Terry Buckley)

Long Walls

“effectively turned Athens into an island” (Nancy Evans)

Long Walls

“virtually invulnerable” (Kagan)

Corcyra

“first among the causes of the Peloponnesian War” (Thucydides)

Potidaea

'“materially hastened the outbreak of war” (Plutarch)

Megarian decree

“embargo spelled hunger and desperation” (Cartledge)

Megarian Decree

“fatal to Megarian trade” (Pomeroy)

Pericle's’ Strategy

“fortress Athens” (Thucydides)

Plague

“people in good health were all of a sudden attacked by violent heats in the head” (Thucydides)

Plague

“population was reduced by about a third” (Jennifer T Roberts)

Pylos/Sphacteria

The wider Greek world was “stunned” (Thucydides)

Pylos/Sphacteria

“much of the Spartan mirage rested on the appearance of invulnerability” (Victor Davis Hanson)

Cleon

“the most violent of the citizens” (Thucydides)

Brasidas

“gifted diplomat” (Goldsworthy)

Cleon and Brasidas

“two greatest enemies of peace” (Thucydides)

Outcome of the Archidamian War

“brought no useful result to either side” (Kagan)

Peace of Nicias

“It was soon found that the Peace of Nicias had settled nothing” (Russell Meiggs)

Alcibiades

“Chameleon” (Plutarch)

Alcibiades argument

“Money as well as glory” (Thucydides)

Nicias argument

“aims will not be easily realised” (Thucydides)

Sicilian expedition

“All was lost. Ships. Men. Everything.” (Thucydides)

Revolts after Sicilian expedition

“showed a readiness to revolt” (Thucydides)

Decelean/ Ionian War

“The Spartans surpassed the Athenians in naval dominance” (Naiden)

Decelean/ Ionian War

“limitless gold of Persia” vs “impoverished Athens” (Victor Davis Hanson)

Oligarchic Coup of 411 BCE

“there was nothing else to do that was better” (Aristotle)

Arginusae

“Bitterest of victories” (Nancy Evans)

Pericles building program

“created in a short time for a long time” (Plutarch)

Death of Pericles

“tragic loss” (Thucydides)

Slaves to Decelea

Athens lost 20,000 slaves according to Donals Kagan

Lysander

“Greece could not have borne two Lysanders” (Eteokles in Plutarch)

Treasury of Delian League

“greatest act of embezzlement in Greek history” (Vlacos)

Potidaea

“tough demands on a state that had committed no wrong” (Terry Buckley)

Spartan raids

“devastation of Attica” (Kagan)

Alcibiades

His recall from from Sicily was a “crucial factor in the defeat” as it removed “Athens’ most talented general” (Terry Buckley)

Alcibiades

“public conduct of the war was excellent” but in his private life, he “offended everyone”

Nicias

“old, sick, by nature timid” (Victor Hanson Davis)

Nicias

“legendary caution” “turned a probable tactical defeat into an unnecessary strategic catastrophe” (Victor Davis Hanson)