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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. What innovation does Gylippus utilize in the second battle at Syracuse?

2. Why does Thucydides create his own chronology for his history?

3. What makes it plausible that Thucydides begins his history from first-hand knowledge?

4. What is the first step in the unraveling of the Athenian force?

5. Why does the Athenian attack on Messana fail?

Short Essay Questions

1. Besides a war history, what value is placed on the History of the Peloponnesian War?

2. What happened to the dialogue between Melos and Athens?

3. How did Syracuse put the Athenian forces on the defensive?

4. What commonly held belief did Thucydides reject but observed its impact on the war?

5. What was Thucydides' intention for his history of the war in terms of future reference?

6. After the defeat at Syracuse, what was the condition of of the Athenian league?

7. How did the peace of Nicias finally break down?

8. What explanation is given to the stylistic density and complexity of History of the Peloponnesian War?

9. In 422 BC, what caused the popularity of the Athenian general, Cleon, to rise?

10. Who was the charismatic Athenian who promulgated an anti-Spartan alliance in the Peloponnesus? What weakness did he seem to have?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Write a paper about the social structure of Sparta. Discuss the Helots in terms of both their benefit to the country and their threat. Discuss the Perioeci and why they had special privileges that even Spartans did not enjoy. Discuss Sparta as a good example of a totalitarian form of government.

Essay Topic 3

For most of the Peloponnesian War, Athens was under a land siege. Although it had little influence on the economy of Athens, imagine how it might have affected civilian life and write a paper on your idea of the limitations such a siege would put on a population.

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