Peloponnesian War Propaganda: Classical Athens vs. Corinth

Peloponnesian War Propaganda: Classical Athens vs. Corinth 

Authors:

Katherine Petrole, MA Museum Studies

Steinmetz Family Foundation Museum Fellow, Corinth Excavations, American School of Classical Studies at Athens

Dr. Ioulia Tzonou-Herbst

Assistant Director, Corinth Excavations, American School of Classical Studies at Athens

Contributor:

Nancy Antonellis

High school Latin and Classical Humanities teacher, Brockton, Massachusetts

Overview: This experience will introduce students to the Peloponnesian War (5 th c. BCE), which forever changed the political landscape of Ancient Greece and was one of the most significant wars in the history of the world. The end of the war signaled the end of the golden age of ancient Greece and paved the way for Macedonian rule. Interpreting and analyzing primary sources for both sides of the conflict, students will be asked to think about the perspective of both city- states at the start of the war. Students will take into account two different sources of evidence we use to create history: literary and archaeological evidence. Texts include in them the bias of the author, in this case Thucydides and his love of Athens. Archaeological evidence is in need of interpretation by the archaeologist or the historian who is called to make sense of the past, so the bias in this case is on the part of a person far removed from the past.

Goal: Students will use and interpret evidence to make meaning of the legacy and history of the Peloponnesian War by studying text from an Athenian perspective and archaeological evidence from Corinth supporting the Peloponnesian perspective.

Mission:  The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) advances the knowledge of Greece in all periods, as well as other areas of the classical world, by training young scholars, sponsoring and promoting archaeological fieldwork, providing resources for scholarly work, and disseminating research. The ASCSA is also charged by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports with primary responsibility for all the American archaeological research, and seeks to support the investigation, preservation, and presentation of Greece’s cultural heritage.