Mason Kane CAMS 1101 Professor Coppolino Term Paper In this paper I rank these texts in this order of importance for the study of Greek civilization first Homer s Iliad second Thucydides Peloponnesian War and third Aeschylus Oresteia Homer s Iliad is most important as it shows not only strife among men but among gods as well including their role in the conflicts of men Thucydides Peloponnesian War is almost as important as Homer s Iliad showing major strife between large powers and the practices among the Greek people The least important of these three texts is Aeschylus Oresteia giving a powerful theme of internal strife exemplifying the constant power struggles which existed in ancient Greece and the concept of justice As evidence in support of my ranking for Homer s Iliad I will discuss instances where there was strife between the humans internally on the Greek side as well as the main external strife between Greeks and Trojans The role of the gods will also be examined as it is crucial in showing how they have influence In Thucydides Peloponnesian War I will discuss not only the strife between the Spartans and Athenians but the interactions among the people that tell us about Greek ways of life as well It will also be important to talk about the societal conditions which were seen within this text as well Finally for Aeschylus Oresteia I will discuss the killing of Agamemnon Clytemnestra s death and the quest for justice on which the Furies embark Homer s Iliad is the most essential text for the study of Greek civilization not only due to the fact it presents the earliest events between all three of the sources but because of the themes it contains The first theme which will be discussed is the internal strife which exists within the Greek forces This particular issue is between Achilles the greatest Greek warrior and Agamemnon the leader of the Greek army during this war The internal strife among these two powerful men is something that compromises the ability and integrity of the Greek army Agamemnon disrespected Achilles in taking the girl that was supposed to be his prize for fighting whom Achilles loves This internal strife is a valuable component to us as it shows the bad that it can produce Achilles best friend and cousin Patroclus is killed and he blames himself for this saying My friend is dead Patroclus my dearest friend of all I loved him and I killed him Il 18 84 86 Ultimately this internal strife brings Achilles great grief causing him to seek revenge This was essential for the Greeks to win the battle against Troy as it now set Achilles on a path for revenge The external strife between the Greeks and Trojans within Homer s Iliad shows us how this major historical war unfolded Within this text we see the Greeks gain glory in one of the most famous wars in history This tremendous war all started with Paris a Trojan prince taking Helen the wife of Greek king Menelaus back to Troy with him While they may have been in love this was not how things were done and was a massive instance of disrespect This war all started because of a woman and Trojan elders even said Who could blame either the Trojans or Greeks for suffering so long for a woman like this Il 3 164 165 While this shows Helen s great beauty it can still leave many to wonder if this was a worthy cause for the massive war I feel as though the Greeks may have used this to their advantage in their quest for power over others In the Iliad there is also insight as to the god s influence As learned in lectures Zeus is often the guardian of fate and therefore has vast influence over everything that happens We see his influence when he speaks with someone and his wife overhears saying And I m pretty sure that you agreed to honor Achilles and destroy Greeks by the thousands beside their ships Il 1 591 592 I believe this presents how drastically Zeus can affect a situation between the humans The Iliad does a great job at showing Zeus power over all as even the other gods need his permission to be involved in the battle In order to truly understand Greek civilization it is crucial to know how highly they placed the gods and their powers which the Iliad helps us to see Thucydides Peloponnesian War is the next most important text and shows not only strife between the best land and sea powers but important customs too The context given to understand the strength of the Spartans is very helpful for the study of Greek civilization Not only were they physically strong but their political strength enabled them to intervene in the affairs of other states Thuc B1 18 This gives understanding as to why they would be the ones to challenge the imperialistic moves of Athens The presentation of customs in Greek life is a very valuable aspect of this text as well Pericles funeral oration shows an important customary practice for the Athenian people The practice of public funerals for many is not a norm today so including this shows how our societies are different Through this funeral oration it is clear the pride the Athenian people have in their city and the honor they place on the dead Pericles speaks of ancestors and fighting for Athens and finally says also I wanted my words of praise for the dead to be set in the bright light of evidence Thuc B2 42 He makes it a point to show the highest honor is to be placed upon those that die in battle We similarly honor those who die serving in the military praising their bravery and sacrifice as the Athenians do The conditions people faced back then were also exposed within this text During this war the Athenians experienced a plague which killed an estimated 80 000 people The lack of technology and ability to treat sickness is easy to see as the text says As for a recognized method of treatment it would be true to say that no such thing existed Thuc B2 51 This helps to show the extreme difference in technological capability concerning medicine at this time We now have extremely advanced technology and the ability to treat a diverse array of conditions Aeschylus Oresteia helps to show internal strife and common power struggles among families in Greek civilization Clytemnestra begins a cycle of internal strife when she conspires to kill her husband with his cousin Aegisthus Her anger is understandable as Agamemnon sacrificed her beloved daughter and following his killing she says By the justice I exacted for my child Aes Ag 1432 I do not think she thought of the possibility that someone