Thucydides 2022

A semester-long journey studying the Peloponnesian War.

To the question why they broke the treaty, I answer by placing first an account of their grounds of complaint and points of difference, that no one may ever have to ask the immediate cause which plunged the Hellenes into a war of such magnitude. The real cause, however, I consider to be the one which was formally most kept out of sight. The growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Sparta, made war inevitable. Still it is well to give the grounds alleged by either side, which led to the dissolution of the treaty and the breaking out of the war.¹

This project is a compilation of assignments for the Catholic University of Portugal’s BA in Political Science and International Relations’ course on geopolitics and geostrategy during Spring 2022.

During this course me and my colleagues had the priviledge to study Thucydides’ account of the Peloponnesian War that raged in the late 4th century BCE — an account of the highest value for many fields — just as war once again broke over Europe.

Over the semester our class was challenged to write: a memorandum; two essays; and a video essay. The following are the results of this effort: an experience of what it was like to read Thucydides in 2022, when conquest was brought back into the fold.

Democracy Under Threat

An analysis on the resilience of Athenian democracy in the final stages of the Peloponnesian War and the failure of the oligarchic coups of 411 BC in Thucydides.

The Peace of Nicias

A short video on the Peace of Nicias, and how this treaty demonstrated that Athens had grown too tired to continue the war and thus accepted a temporary stalemate.

Thebes' Assault on Plataea

An inquiry on Theban opportunism regarding Plataea, the opening target of the Peloponnesian War, in Thucydides.

Aftermath of the Battle of Sybota

A mock memorandum directed towards Corinth’s political leaders following the battle of Sybota.