War Strategies between Athens and Sparta

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Reflective reading journal entry ends in question- Pomeroy et al. Chapters 7-9
Athens was the most prominent Greek city state, but little information was known about Sparta because there were few records and buildings that highlight aspects of the Spartans culture. The Thirty Years’ Peace created in 445 was agreed between the Athenians and Spartans where each city state would continue relations with their allies without interference from either Athens or Sparta and disagreements settled through arbitration and Athens made allied with Corcyra (Pomeroy et al.188-190). A look at the beginning of the different city states highlights how they differed and the influence of war on their viability and culture, and military prowess was an integral part of the Spartan society.
Sophocles plays in the fifth century dramatize the events in ancient Greece, understanding the role of art and literature in the Greek society is important to evaluate how this influenced new art forms and how interactions with other people affected Greek culture. For instance, the defeat of Persia was closely associated with more innovations in the tragic drama art. Ancient sources normally have bias, and readers ought to be more careful to identify their biases. While Thucydides, the Athenian historian wrote about the Peloponnesian War, he did not finish his work and he added some things to fit the history.
In Sophocles’ tragic play “Antigone”, there are conflicts on the role of women in private and public life in Athenian society. Antigone buries her rebellious brother, and acts like a man, which makes the people fearful and hostile (Fordham University). Antigone tells Creon “Yea, for these laws were not ordained of Zeus, and she who sits enthroned with gods below, Justice, enacted not these human laws”. In the passage, the heroine defied her uncle, Creon and justified her decision to bury the brother, Polyneices and her action is deemed criminal that she had to be brought before the king, even while focusing on the religious rites as being above the moral authority and ...