THEORIGINSOFHISTORY

InvestigatingThucydides'Portraiture

By AfeefahAlly 998985479 For K.Blouin HISA07H3

UniversityofTorontoScarboroughCampus November10,2011

AfeefahAlly K.Blouin HISA07H3 10November2011 TheOriginsofHistory:InvestigatingThucydides'Portraiture Historyisanecessitythatgivespeopletheiridentityandallowsthemtofindtheir bearings.Throughexaminingimportantfiguressuchasarmygeneralsandleaders,orsignificant events,groups,ideasandmovementsthroughouthistoryitallowsforabetterunderstandingof thepast.However,rarelyismuchattentionpayedornotedtothehistoryofhistoryandtheidea ofrecordingpasteventsinanobjectivemanner.Rarelyisthoughtgiventothefirsthistorybooks, thefirsthistoriansandthefirstconceptionsofhistory.However,likeanystudyofanancient civilizationforinstance,thehistoryofhistoryinitselfisjustasimportantinbringingabouta furtherunderstandingofthepast. IntheRoyalOntarioMuseum,thereresidestheheadportraitofThucydidesthatwas foundinEurope,specificallyinItaly.ItcanbefoundinRoom309intheGreeceexhibitunderthe inventorynumber,957.159.Theobjectis36.8centimetreshigh,madeofmarbledatingfrom approximately2ndto1stcenturyBC.Scholarsbelievethatthisbustisacopyofanoriginalthat wasmadeinGreecearoundthe4thcenturyBCbutwhichwaseventuallylostatsomepointin history.1ThisparticularheadportraitureisfrontfacingfeaturingThucydideswithatrimmed moustache,aloosewavybeard,ahighforeheadandshortcurlyhair.Hehassemipronounced cheekboneswithdeepseteyesandanarrownose.Hisearoftheleftsideofhisheadisslightly bentandtheportraitureextendstothebaseofhisneck.Heappearstobeexpressionlessbutat thesametimeitiseasytoseethestudiousandgravelookonthefaceofthisgreatman. TheancientGreek,ThucydideswasneitheranAchillesorJuliusCesaryetheisfamous throughouthistoryforhisverycompilationofhistorythatisalsoaclassicworkofpoliticsDespite thishowever,verylittleisknownofhislifeandwhatlittleisknownhasbeenderivedfromhis ownbook,TheHistoryofthePeloponessianWar. Thucydidesisbelievedtohavebeenbornaround450to460B.C.2andbelongedtobotha wealthyandnoblefamilythatwasconnectedtomanyofthemosteminentfamiliesofAthens.His fatherwasamanbythenameofOlorus,anamethatwasconnectedtoThrace,anancient kingdominsoutheasternEurope.3OloruswasalsoconnectedtoaroyalkingofThracewhowas
1 ROM."BustofThucydides."ROMImages.RoyalOntarioMuseum.Web.5Nov.2011. 2 ThucydidesandRexWarner.HistoryofthePeloponnesianWar(Baltimore:Penguin,1962),10 3 Finley09

believedtoalsobeenrelatedtothegreatAtheniangeneralandstatesmanCimon,leaderofthe conservativepartythatopposedPericles4aswellasthevictorofMarathon,Miltiades.5Onthe otherhand,littleisknownofhismotherotherthanthefactthatshewasawomanbythename ofHegesypuleanditisnotknownwhetherornothehadanysiblings.6 Thucydideswasconsideredtobefromamongthericharistocratswhosefamilyisknown tohaveownedminingconcessionsaswellashadpoliticalinfluenceinThrace.7Whenthe PeloponessianwarbetweenAthensandSpartabeganoutin431B.C.,Thucydidesbegantowrite whatisnowconsideredtobeoneoftheclassicsoftheGreekcivilization,anindepth documentationofwhathedeemedtobethegreatestwarinhistory.8Intheinitialyearsofthe war,theAthenianstrategywastowithdrawAttica'spopulationbehindthecitywalls.This resultedinovercrowdedconditionsthatresultedinanepidemicthatravagedthecitykilling thousands,evenaffectingThucydideshimselfsometimearound430to427.9Fortunately Thucydidesrecoveredfromtheplaguewhereuponin424hewaselectedasageneral10toleada forcetosavetheimportantAtheniancolonyofAmphipolis.11However,themissionheledwas unsuccessfulandratherthanfacingtheangryAthenianAssembly,hewentintoexileonlyto return20yearslaterwhenAthensfell.12Hediedsoonafterhisreturn.13 ItwasduringhisexilethatThucydidesaccomplishedhisgreatestfeat,writingahistoryof thePeloponnesianwarwhichisnowtheonlysourcefortheperiodhedescribes.Whilethefirst historian,Herodotuswrotedecadesaftertheeventshedescribedinhisbook,14Thucydidesoften participatedintheeventshedescribedorinterviewedthosewhotookpartintheeventhewas researching.15Likewise,ThucydideswasalsomuchmorecriticalthanHerodotusofcertain themesthatheidentifiedwithpoetryandoraltradition.Inanunprecedentedstep,heeliminated fromhishistoryallreferencestodivineinterventionaswellasanysuspicioussourcesandchosea
4 ThucydidesandRexWarner.HistoryofthePeloponnesianWar(Baltimore:Penguin,1954),02 5 JohnHFinley.Thucydides(AnnArbor:UniversityofMichigan,1963),09 6 RobinSDoak.Thucydides:AncientGreekHistorian(Minneapolis,MN:CompassPoint,2007),17 7 SimonHornblower.Thucydides(Baltimore:JohnsHopkinsUP ,1987),01 8 PerezZagorin.ThucydidesanIntroductionfortheCommonReader(Princeton,NJ:PrincetonUP , 2005),01 9 Warner, 1954, 02 10 RobinWWinksandSusanP .Mattern.TheAncientMediterraneanWorld:fromtheStoneAgeto A.D.600(NewYork:OxfordUP ,2004),8889 11 Warner,1963,22 12 Livingstone,SirRichard.Thucydides:HistoryofthePeloponnesianWar(London:OxfordUP ,1960), xii 13 Livingstonexii 14 Winks76 15 Hornblower79

drywritingstylethathedeemedtobemorepracticalthanentertaining.16Consequently,hiswork isdrasticallymorescientificaswellasobjectivethantheworkofHerodotus.Itcontainsacritical approachtopasteventswithaphilosophicaloutlook,greatpowersofdescriptionaswellasan intricatestyle.Whatisalsoimportanttorememberisthatduetothefactthatwritingwasstillin itsinfancy,officialreportswerenotavailable.17Asaresult,allofThucydides'materialhadtobe completelyandlaboriouslycollectedbywordofmouth.Therefore,Thucydides'Historyofthe PeloponessianWarisundoubtedlytheworkofagenius. Whentheoriginalsculpturewasmadearound4thcenturyBC,Greecewasinastateof majorupheaval,particularlyintheregionsofAtticaandSpartawherethePeloponessianwarhad justdevastatedvastamountsoftheregion'spopulation.IncertainareasofGreeceaneconomic depressionaswellaspoliticalrestlessnessresultedinconstantwarfare.18Despitethedevastation andunrestinsomeareastheGreekcivilizationstillforgedforward.Manystatesenjoyeda vigorouseconomiclife,producingcompellingartandprofoundthought.19Ruinedfarmswere restored,therewasagrowthinbothcosmopolitanism,productionofmarbleandbanking.20 Furthermore,therewasadeclininginterestinreligionwhichisdiscerniblefromanincreasein nonreligiousarchitectureandsculpture.21Thisperiodisalsoknownfortheriseofthe Macedonians.In338BC,PhilipofMacedonjoinedtogethertheGreekworldbutwasassassinated soonafter.22Asaresult,hissonAlexandersucceededhim.Throughouthisreignin4thcenturyBC, AlexandersucceededintopplingthemightyPersianempireandconqueredavastterritoryand wasthusnamedAlexandertheGreat.23Whenhediedin323BC,severalstatesarosefromhis empireandtheGreekswereconqueredbytheRomansinthefollowingcentury.24 WhilethebustofThucydidesrevealslittleabouttheperiodinwhichitwasproduced,it doesdemonstratetheprocessthroughwhichGreeksculptorsridthemselvesofcertainart conventionsandbegantoseethingsastheywerewiththeirportraitsdisplayingsignsofageand strongcharacter.25ThroughexaminingThucydidessculpture,itiseasytoseeheisportrayedwith
16 DavidCartwright.AHistoricalCommentaryonThucydides:aCompaniontoRexWarner'sPenguin Translation(AnnArbor:UniversityofMichigan,1997),02 17 W.A.Heurtley,,H.C.Darby,C.W.Crawley,andC.M.Woodhouse.AShortHistoryofGreece:from Earlytimesto1964(Cambridge:University,1965),24 18 GeorgeWillisBotsfordandCharlesAlexanderRobinson.HellenicHistory(NewYork:Macmillan, 1956)346 19 Botsford346 20 Botsford347349 21 Botsford353 22 Heurtley 26 23 Winks 103 24 25 Heurtley 22

visiblewrinklesinhisforeheadthusgivinghimanolderappearance.Furthermore,anumberof fourthcenturystatues,mostofthemwithseveralRomancopieshavebeenidentifiedtoknown personagesofAncientGreece.However,formanyofthesestatues,includingThucydides',thereis noexternalevidenceofchronologyandthusstylehasbeenusedastheonlycriteriontodate thesesculptures.Thucydides'portrait,forinstance,retainedsomeofthefifthcenturyremoteness andsimplicityoftheplanes,andmaythereforebeplacedinthefirsthalfofthefourthcentury.26 Asaresult,thissculptureprovidesevidencethatitoriginatedfromfourthcenturyGreeceand thatitwasprobablymadebecauseofThucydides'distinguishedroleinsocietyorsimplyasan ornament.Inaddition,RomancopiesofGreeksculptureswereusuallymadebecauseportraitsof GreekphilosophersandintellectualswereusedintheRomanperiodtodecoratetheluxuryvillas ofwealthyupperclassRomans.27Thesesculpturesservedasamanifestationoftheirclassical educationandlendingauthoritytotheirintellectualpursuits.28TheseimagesofGreeksofthe distantpastassertedtheowner'ssenseofhimselfasaneducatedperson.29Asaresult,thismay havebeenwhythiscopyofThucydides(madefromtheoriginalthatwassculptedinGreece)was foundinItaly.Consequently,thissculptureallowsforanunderstandingofbothGreekartaswell asaglimpseofhowgreataninfluenceaswellasarolethatGreekcultureplayedinRoman culture.Otherthanthat,thesculptureprovidesverylittleinformationregardingThucydidesor theperiodinwhichitwasproduced.Itcontainsnoextraoraccompanyingwritingandneitheris ittheoriginalbutdoesallowushowevertovisualizeThucydidesashelookedwhilehewasalive. Inconclusion,Thucydideswasandstillisprobablyoneofthegreatesthistoriansacademia haseverseen.Hewenttogreatlengthstocompilehishistoryandattemptedtomakeitas unbiasedashepossiblycould.Althoughbynomeansishishistoryperfectorwithoutfault, Thucydidesundoubtedlytookanunprecedentedstepinthecompilationandobjectivityofhis historybook.ThesculptureofhimthatcanbefoundattheRoyalOntarioMuseumnotonlygives avisualconceptionofthisgreathistorianbutalsodemonstratesthathewasprobablyconsidered tobeaveryeducatedman,especiallybytheRomans.Asaresult,numerouscopiesofhisoriginal headportraiturehavebeenfoundinItaly,forinstancetheoneattheRoyalOntarioMuseum. Furthermore,itisimportantthateventodaypeoplerecognizethecontributionsthatThucydides madetohistory.Afterall,inordertounderstandtoday,itisnecessarytounderstandhistory.
26 GiselaMarieAugustaRichter.GreekPortraits(BerchemBruxelles:Latomus,RevueD'tudes Latines,1955),30 27 SheilaDillon.AncientGreekPortraitSculpture:Contexts,Subjects,andStyles(Cambridge: CambridgeUP ,2006),39 28 Dillon39 29 Dillon 40

Works Cited Botsford, George Willis, and Charles Alexander Robinson. Hellenic History. New York: Macmillan, 1956. Print. "Bust of Thucydides." ROM Images. Royal Ontario Museum. Web. 5 Nov. 2011. <http://images.rom.on.ca/public/index.phpfunction=image&action=detail&sid=mntlqky2 n97erl5lm3oe&ccid=6039>. Cartwright, David. A Historical Commentary on Thucydides: a Companion to Rex Warner's Penguin Translation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1997. Print. Dillon, Sheila. Ancient Greek Portrait Sculpture: Contexts, Subjects, and Styles. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2006. Print. Doak, Robin S. Thucydides: Ancient Greek Historian. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point, 2007. Print. Finley, John H. Thucydides. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1963. Print. Heurtley, W. A., H. C. Darby, C. W. Crawley, and C. M. Woodhouse. A Short History of Greece: from Early times to 1964. Cambridge: University, 1965. Print. Hornblower, Simon. Thucydides. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1987. Print. Livingstone, Sir Richard. Thucydides: History of the Peloponnesian War. London: Oxford UP, 1960. Print. Richter, Gisela Marie Augusta. Greek Portraits. Berchem-Bruxelles: Latomus, Revue D'tudes Latines, 1955. Print. Thucydides, and Rex Warner. History of the Peloponnesian War. Baltimore: Pennguin, 1962. Print. Winks, Robin W., and Susan P. Mattern. The Ancient Mediterranean World: from the Stone Age to A.D. 600. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. Print. Zagorin, Perez. Thucydides an Introduction for the Common Reader. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2005. Print.