Identifier: storyofancientna00west (find matches)
Title: The story of the ancient nations : a text-book for high schools
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Westermann, William Linn, 1873-1954
Subjects: History, Ancient
Publisher: New York : London : D. Appleton and Company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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ian, his work shows but fewtraces of prejudice in favor of his native city. It is markedby keen judgment, insight into the causes of events and theireffects, and a- literary style which of itself would have madehis book remarkable. In the field of historical writing,as in the drama, in sculpture, and in architecture, Athensproduced in Thucydides one of the worlds geniuses. 209. First Period of the War, 431-421 B. C— Pericles, thenan old man, was the directing spirit at the outset of thewar. His plan of campaign was to use the naval strengthof the Delian League to harass the coastline of some of themembers of the Peloponnesian League, and to destroy theircommerce. Sparta and her followers were strong onlyupon land. All they could do, therefore, was to march intoAttica and ravage the country, burning the crops, anddestroying the olive groves, up to the great walls of the city.Meantime the ships of the Athenians brought food fromoutside into the harbor of the Piraeus. So long as Athens
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POWER OF THE ATHENIAN EMPIRE BROKEN 167 retained her supremacy on the sea she seemed invincible;but the fighting strength of the city was lessened by a greatplague which broke out in the crowded city in the year430 b. c, and lasted for several years. In 429 b. c.Pericles himself fell a victim to it, along with thousands ofothers. The war dragged on for ten years. It was waged withcruelty and bitterness upon both sides, but without decisiveresults. At last, when the leaders of the war party, Cleonat Athens and Brasidas in Sparta, had both fallen in thesame battle, in the attack upon the Thracian city of Am-phipolis which was held by Brasidas, the contestants tiredof the endless fighting. In 421 b. c. a treaty was made,called the Peace of Nicias after the Athenian general whonegotiated it. This left matters much as they were whenthe war broke out. 210. The Sophists and the New Teaching.—Just beforethe Peloponnesian War, there arose in Greece a class ofmen called Sophists, whose busine

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