Athens vs. Sparta (Thucydides, Pt. 3)

8 months ago
12

A continuation of our lecture series on Thucydides, author of The History of the Peloponnesian War, this one on Athens (the Delian League) versus Sparta (the Peloponnesian League) - two radically different visions of political economy. We examine Athenian democracy, headed by Pericles, its navy (the trireme) and the Golden Age of Athens in general exemplified in the glorious structures of the Acropolis, namely the Parthenon, and Greek art, literature, culture, learning, and philosophy - the era of Socrates. We then examine Sparta, also known as Lacedaemon. The Spartans / Lacedaemonians created a land-based oligarchy focused almost exclusively on military might and strength, founded, according to legend, on a constitution of laws formulated by Lycurgus. Sparta dominated the Peloponnese, and allied with Corinth and Thebes for the purposes of taking down Athenian naval power.

Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
2:08 - Golden Age of Athens
6:56 - Athenian Democracy
15:03 - Sparta

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Dr. Jonathan Barth received his PhD in history from George Mason University in 2014. He specializes in the history of money and banking in the early modern period, with corollary interests in early modern politics, empire, culture, and ideas. Barth is Associate Professor of History at Arizona State University and Associate Director of the Center for American Institutions at Arizona State University.
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