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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is Book One considered difficult to read?

2. What complication does geographic scope add to the difficulty of reading Book One?

3. After Athens intervenes in Corcyra, what does Thucydides observe?

4. Which government did Sparta seek to form an alliance with in spite of earlier conflicts?

5. What is detailed in Book Two?

Short Essay Questions

1. From the point of view of allies, how was Athens positioned in the war?

2. What was happening in 432 BC between Athens and Sparta and what was its true purpose?

3. Rather than meet the Peloponnesian land forces head on, what was Pericles' recommendation?

4. Simultaneous to the blockade of Mytilene, what offensive action was taken by Athens?

5. What happened to Brasidas during the unsuccessful assault on Pylos?

6. How did Peloponnesian attacks on Attica in the summer of 428 BC affect Athens?

7. What was Thucydides' reaction to the aftermath of the Corcyran revolt?

8. What did Thucydides identify as the starting point of the war?

9. What indication by 428 BC suggested that military tactics were changing?

10. What might have ended the Peloponnesian war after the battle of Pylos?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay on the subject of slavery during the time of the Peloponnesian War. Stress the differences between Athens and Sparta over the treatment of slaves. Compare these differences with the differences in attitude between North and South in the American Civil War.

Essay Topic 2

Using information about motives and prejudices among both the Spartans the Athenians, write a paper about the absurdity of war. Evaluate what was actually accomplished from the Peloponnesian War. Include your assessment of war in general.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about the strident training and discipline of the Spartan warriors. Show how that even though they were persistent underdogs in the Peloponnesian War, the Spartans behaved with uncommon valor. In preparing for this paper, you might want to look up the story of the Spartan 300.

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