Essays on Ancient Greece

“I do not suppose that I know”. These words are the foundation of Socrates’ teachings. Not only a philosophical archetype, but as a pragmatic individual Socrates’ teachings still remain relevant today. Socrates’ teachings didn’t consist of teaching in the usual manner. Instead, his teachings focused…

Pericles and the Peloponnesian Wars Pericles was the leader of the city-state Athens during the early part of the Peloponnesian Wars, a series of battles with Athens’s main enemy, Sparta. Pericles was also the one who came up with the battle-plan for Athens. While some…

“The only wisdom is to know that you know nothing” are words said by Socrates, who is known as the father of Western philosophy. The persistent belief he had in his lack of knowledge led Socrates on an exploration to find if anyone had any…

Troy vs. the Illiad When focusing on the subject of ancient Greek literature, “The Iliad” is probably one of most important and mysterious epics ever told. This story is believed to have been composed by a blind man named “Homer” sometime between 725 and 675…

Costumes play a huge role in developing a character in a play. Aristophanes points out a common trend in Euripides’ plays: he tends to dress his kings and heroes in rags. This could be to emphasize their suffering, or it could exist to serve a…

The Trojan War According to the Greek legend, the Trojan War was fought between the Greeks and the citizens of Troy. The direct cause of this war was the beauty of Helen of Troy. She was the daughter of the Greek god Zeus and Leda,…

The Battle of Thermopylae in Three Perspectives The Battle of Thermopylae was a famous battle fought between the invading Persians, and the defending Greek city-state alliance. This battle was recorded many historians, including Herodotus and Diodorus, and is even being continued to be written about…

Herodotus’s Thermopylae: A Successful Rendering of History Here I intend to write about the success of Herodotus’s account of the battle of Thermopylae. The first step toward evaluating his success is to determine by what standard we should judge his work. Herodotus himself begins his…

“The Battle of Thermopyale” The author of “Histories of Herodotus” is Herodotus himself. Herodotus was to be considered the “father of history”. He was the first man to record events and how they happened. His work includes factual information along with myths and legends. The…

While many people are happy living their routine lives, there are still those who just desperately crave an escape from their daily lives. Edward Field demonstrates this idea in his poem Icarus. Field takes the myth of Daedalus and Icarus and puts a contemporary spin…