History-Makers: Thucydides
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Ahh ancient Greece, it has been entirely too long. Today we'll take a look at the foundational work of my entire career path - Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian war, a book that almost single-handedly set the standard for how we engage in historical inquiry. Also it has the added benefit of being about Ancient Greece so win-win!
SOURCES & Further Reading: "History of the Peloponnesian War" by Thucydides, "Histories" by Herodotus, "Hellenica" by Xenophon, and the 4 straight years I spent studying this in university - Boy do I love doing a video about a topic I'm specifically trained in.
This video was edited by Sophia Ricciardi AKA "Indigo". www.sophiakricci.com/
Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.
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Achievement unlocked: Blue's backstory
More like "Achievement get" xD
next upload is reds trope talks on epilogues.
Now we need Red’s Backstory of how she got the idea to make this channel
1000th like
I love your username
..."They shared their latest playthrough of The Entitled Zeus Game." That, Blue, is one of the best lines on OSP, as a whole.
Next month, the update to Entitled Zeus Game will let you play co-op at Poseidon.
It’s high up there for Blue lines, definitely. Might be a little below: “I see your magic, And raise you ⚡️ Science ⚡️ “ Or their entire Shadow of the Colossus Animated. “It’s a danger noodle!”
It’s a wonderful day in Ancient Greece, And you are a horny Zeus
@@twotimesj6478 every woman in the "world": *o h n o*
You beat me to the punch!
"Luckily, the Internet is purpose-built for shouting into the void" So true!
That came at the moment I was at this comment
We are in the comment section, after all.
People get shocked then the void shouts back. And it has a different opinion.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Sorry, needed to get that out of my system.
'"Luckily, the Internet is purpose-built for shouting into the void" So true!' Jim shouts, into the void
Even history books don’t want to finish themselves.
DONT REMIND ME... argh
Banzai Bot ... because History is never finished.
@@robertnichols2283 Won't be anyone reading it when it is.
I remember somebody wrote "in case of flood, stand on this book" in one of my high school history books. Still makes me chuckle.
If the person writing a history book doesn't even want to finish it, then why should we have to either
ooh, that new intro
Boo hoo I don't like it... though I just don't like change overall... so I'll probably get used to it
Yeah its really nice, then the greek lets do some history
@@AspienPadda OK Sheldon.
Actually no @@fawaaza.7743 it's literally in my username...
Is it a new intro? I thought it was just a segue into the topic
Here's a story my professor once told me about how she got into teaching history: As a college student she was given a History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides and LOVED IT. She loved it so much her classmates would visit her in her dorm and she would help them understand the material in her class. Fast forward a decade or so and she finds herself at a garage sale where she found a couple copies of a History of the Peloponnesian War, she bought one and another older gentleman was buying one too. She got into a conversation with him and she asked him why he was buying it, he said when he was in college he read it as a history major, he wanted to see if it was still as terrible as he remembers and he claims he hated it so much he switched majors
XD That's certainly a reason to buy a book.
Are they married now?
@@MrElionor Oh no lol she started a family with someone else, or should I have just agreed with you and said yes? 🤣
@@ImperatorIke573 Would make for a better story now I am not sure what the point of your last paragraph was?
@@MrElionor The point was she got into teaching because she loved it so much, but when he took a class with that as required reading he hated it so much he changed his major
Legends say that Thucydides and Herodotus would jointly teach the people. Although, Herodotus was more into talking about stories and tropes, ending all his lectures with "...so...yeah", and Thucydides was a lot more into the history talk. He also really insisted upon Sparta. Like, he would find a way to talk about it somehow in most of his lectures. You don't need to cite my sources. Just trust me.
This has to be the pinned comment.
Did you just....
I havent seen your comments in a awhile and honestly I was starting to worry. I hope the Guy without a mustache is doing well too, havent seen him in awhile either.
1 балл
Oh hello
Ah yes, "Ma Boi", one of the most honorable of historic titles
Wish someday I'd be worthy of 'Ma boi'
'Let's do some History' or, as the Spartans would say: *'HISTORY'*
They're quite laconic, yes.
This. Is. HISTORY
Laconic.
Or as the Athenians would say: “HIS-TORY”
@@nickmalachai2227 I love the word laconic.
"I want a untitled Zeus game" -zeus
We know what he's like, so he only gets an ENtitled Zeus Game.
@@timothymclean And in this game you fly around Greece trying to find attractive girls to fuck over!
Basically a dating sim but there are only bad ends, no exclusivity in relationships or even consent, and eventually one of your offspring kills you through sheer statistical certainty.
@@morganrobinson8042 Zeus was surprisingly good at avoiding that end-look at how he handled Thetis. I'd say a dating sim where your partners all meet bad ends but none of them count as game overs.
@@timothymclean The Thetis thing is exactly my point. Eventually he's got to sire something capable and desirous to kill him. He's got literally forever to try and his behavior guarantees it. Eventually he's hit the karmic retribution jackpot. Besides Kratos.
Thucydides: "I need to finish thi~" _ded_ Xenophon: _hides Thucydides under a table_ "...and after all of that. We'll continue." _clears throat_
*Among Us killing noise intensifies*
Xenophon doing a “Weekend at Bernie’s” for Thucydides’ book
Entitled Zeus game is just Zeus in a variety of animal disguises trying to score while Hera tries to catch him.
Hahahaha I'll spend days playing that
You know, that actually sounds like a half decent H-game concept, thigh if it keeps on the animal disguises I probably wouldn't play it...
Instead of 3 Zeus' in a trenchcoat, it's just Zeus in three animal disguises
I'm thinking Resident Evil + dating sim
"...Red graciously let me channel this new enthusiasm into my first ever history video. It is very bad and I am sorry that it exists" Well Blue, considering how great you are doing now and the fact that you made a more polished version later, I don't think it really matters how "bad" the start was.
People who are freaking out about starting a channel because they're afraid of being bad need to understand this.
Everyone starts somewhere. There's no shame in things being rough at the start. :P
I’ll be honest - I don’t care for the Shakespeare videos. When Red started with the animated sketches, THAT is where I got invested. A similar evolution occurred with Radio Dead Air and Lindsay Ellis’ channel - which is to say that channels and creators change and THAT’S FINE!
@@kenna176 When you start you have no subscribers anyway, so nobody will see the terrible stuff!
S Heutink Plus one day you can do a react/"look how much I've improved!" video.
Greece be like: imagine being one unified nation
well since we weren't the hre im fine with it
Ancient Greece: Imagine being a nation together - not my style! - Renaissance Italy liked that - The modern United Kingdom will remember that
Madness!
Greece... or the US now
America: I know right, so funny.
As a person who grew up in Greece i took how fun history was as a granted... thanks ancient greek historians you made my school years a bit less miserable!
Helps when your culture basically started western history
@@matthewjohnson4583 ironic that Greece is just a old man with his crippling debts and his glory days becoming a shadow of himself
I became so enamored with Thucydides' book -- read in a philosophy class about war and peace -- that I asked the professor to let me read an excerpt aloud in class. I chose the bit about how some bored Athenians who were waiting out a storm in a little cove began building a fort *because they were bored* and provoked one of the greatest battles of the war. The descriptions of the battle are as exciting as any movie. The moral pointed by my professor is that much of history just happens by accident. So yes! Please! How about the Theban Band next?
Wait which battle was this?
@@lsedge7280The Battle of Pylos, you really have to read about it, it's hilarious 😂
Blue: "Go read the Iliad." Me: *is in the middle of Book 22*
Do you get people asking you why on earth you are subjecting yourself to that?
@@cryptidflower9240 Because The Iliad is an amazing book. It features a talking horse.
What version of it is good to start with?
@Simon X I know I’m reading it that’s why I’m asking because I get asked all the time 🤣 also correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the Iliad cut off before the horse shenanigans (I haven’t finished it)
@@stripedblueoranges525 I've been reading the Robert Fagles translation. I'm no expert, though.
blue's laughter at absurd moments of history is absolutely contagious and fills me with joy
PSSST! Hey guys! I think Blue likes domes
I am starting to think the same thing
I myself am also a domosexual
@@loganitee6046 Don't you mean Duomosexual?
Blue? Likes domes? Noo
Feels a little out of character don’t you think?
For Trope Talk: Can you guys go over a musical trope called "Dies Irae". It's a musical trope with orgins over a millenium old, and is practically evrywhere un music scores. It's honestly amazing and I get super excited whenever a score uses it. The Dies Irae is the themesong for the Shining. It's used in Star wars and plenty of other movies. It is easily able ti be recognized as the whistle chant that AURORA sings in Frozen's "Into the Unknown". It would be pretty cool ig you guys could do a video on it
Sounds really interesting!
the channel Sideways did a video on it. Very interesting topic.
Try asking Diva of the Musical Hell channel. Musicals are, unsurprisingly, her thing.
@@jennifermckay5585 I agree, Sideways adores the Dies Irae
@@jennifermckay5585 Which video?
I've never been this early so I have no joke prepared
Last time I was this early Zeus hadn’t starting f*cking over Greece, figuratively and literally.
@Raven Animations well,he did it before there was internet,so that just means you were never early.
69
@@voidpickle5684 exactly
"The internet is purpose built for shouting into the void" This is the most accurate description of the internet I have ever heard.
I'm greek and your accent on that " ας κάνουμε ιστορία " was really good.
"Why am I up at one am?" asked the Americans to the Australian; For this. And nothing else.
Since he is mentioned in this video, I would like to share my favorite quote from Xenophon: "he made it honorable to steal as many cheeses as possible..." - on Lycurgus's Spartan Laws.
Notable later quote: "That will take care of itself" - provided it is churned and renneted.
Oh, also: "...he ordered others to beat these (the stealers of cheeses)."
I'm glad you acknowledged how complicated Thucydides Greek can be, I remember once having to translate a short excerpt in the class textbook that was basically impossible, it basically consisted of two dozens repetitions of indefinite articles in various declensions with a few negations etc. thrown in "My plan for this work is not this but this by way of this so that this and not that." this was supposed to make sense apparently (it is actually part of his explanation of his plan and style of work). Of course not all of his writings achieved that level of impenetrability another excerpt used in the same text book (copying from a translation I found on-line translator one Richard Crawley) goes: "For I suppose if Lacedaemon [Sparta] were to become desolate, and the temples and the foundations of the public buildings were left, that as time went on there would be a strong disposition with posterity to refuse to accept her fame as a true exponent of her power... Still, as the city is neither built in a compact form nor adorned with magnificent temples and public edifices, but composed of villages after the old fashion of Hellas, there would be an impression of inadequacy. Whereas, if Athens were to suffer the same misfortune, I suppose that any inference from the appearance presented to the eye would make her power to have been twice as great as it is." [because Athens had a lot more magnificent temples with large stone foundations.] from Book I, Chapter 1, section X. So Thucydides may not have been much of an anthropologist, but as an archaeologist I mentioned this to commented this is a worthwhile insight in Archaeology. My other favourite Thucydides quote is attributed by a later (Roman era) author Dionysius of Halicarnassus "`ιστορια φιλοσοφια 'εστιν 'εκ παραδειγματων" ("history is philosophy by way of examples")
History summarised: Wales 🏴please!
J P I would love that
But then they would have to pronounce Welsh, and nobody wants to try that.
🏴🐋
@@someonesdadwasstreaming304 Agreed, but it's an uphill fight, every time.
I am not descended from the Morgans, but I say: YEAHY! to that.
I'm Greek and I had to read both Thucydides and Xenophon in the original for my high school Ancient Greek classes. Thucydides' sentence construction is so complex it gives you a migraine and the text is drier than the Sahara desert. Xenophon on the other hand, is truly a joy to read. Much simpler sentences, without losing anything in depth and gravity. And the events are narrated in such an immediate and exciting way that sometimes you think you're reading an adventure novel - and yet it all happened!
oh, so he's like the first "source: dude trust me" guy
Good night.
I am your god
Last time I was this early, the Theodosian walls still stood unbreached.
@@samrevlej9331 rookie. Last time I was this early there was a conflict regarding Rome vs Reme
@@arthasmenethil7208 You complete and utter fool! Last time I was this early the Great Pyramids of Giza hadnt been built!
Blue: flexes by saying 'lets do some history in greek' Also Blue: still mispronounces hop-li-te
1:15: The caption guy didn't even try. That's hilarious.
Im trying to remember if I see you in every OSP video or every tfs video. . . either way we have similar tastes
@@chaotik7853 I don't comment on _every_ video on either channel. But I do engage with the KZhead comment section more often than most psychiatrists would advise.
Indigo spares no expense in snarky editor's notes
Me on the surface: Yay! New History makers! Blue backstory! My inner shadow: Josephus must come soon...
Josephus is a riot. Looking forward to his highly biased shenanigans!
Imagine being a historian who dedicates there life to studying a historian who dedicated there life to studying a historian. There are historians out there like that
There are almost certainly historians who study this entire concept.
Ah yes. Learning college level ancient history while avoiding finishing my work in my college level early modern history class. What could I possibly be doing better with my life than this
"entitled zeus game" someone make a mod
Might be tricky to do, considering the kinds of games Zeus gets up to...
@@timothymclean... especially as a waterfowl!
Lirazel64 Sadly, *that* makes more sense than when he turned into a literal rain of gold coins to sleep with a woman.
Who's to say the goose isnt already Zues faffing about. He got into all kinds of shape shifting phenomenon
5:30... So the original Historian _immedeately_ jumped to Polandball/Hetalia anthromorphization. Classy.
"Now you know better" _Knowing Better fans suddenly collectively gasp_
Daddy knowing better
Omg. Right? If Blue watches Knowing Better, you know it's good shit!!
9:54 Very relatable moment from Xenophon.
I didn't know how much I needed to hear Blue speaking Greek until I heard it.
The Athens emblem is an owl, as in Athena, the patron of Athens. Goddammit Blue you did it again
Well that's because Athens also used an owl as their symbol. He's just using the symbol Athens used.
Only cares about the military and politics? r/hostorymemes would love him.
They probably do. I really hope they do
KAKAKAKAKAKAK this is wonderful! PRANK! It is terrible! I looked in the mirror and saw something UNPRETTY: my face. KAKAKAKAKAKA! But I am happy agayn because I have TWO HOT GIRLFRIENDS and I use them to get views on my videos! KAKAKAKAK!!! Good day, dear soen
@@AxxLAfriku I see that you are still doing this. Everywhere. No matter the context.
@@AxxLAfriku what ARE you?!
AxxL ok we get it you’re ugly and have two hot girlfriends
You still not knowing where you were going after you had a major gives me such light & hope. That and how something and artistically grand as assassins creed could spur you into your current self. Beautiful backstory Blue 💙
8:54 “the absence of romance in my history, I fear will detract somewhat from its interest” Way to uphold this amatanormative society, Thucydides geez
amata-what-ative? is that where you normalise amaterasu
Dylan Fell amatonormativity the societal assumption and pressure that everyone enjoys, desires, and needs a romantic relationship in life
@@sentientmarshmallow4644 Oh...i'm Not touching that with a ten foot pole
Honestly, it just follows the same thinking big-budget movies do now. If you want it to be popular it's gotta have a romantic subplot (even though a significant portion of the audience finds them distracting).
When my mom was still in high school she told my grandma she wanted to see the movie Grease my grandma went with my mom and her friends thinking it was a documentary about Ancient Greece
I was in a skating duet doing Grease and I also thought it was about Greece -
Luthien Tinuviel Honestly if there was ever a Ice skating show about Ancient Greece I think Blue would be one of the first people in line for tickets
@@thefrogbert6295 and I would love to be in it. I was so disapointed by our cotumes cause I wanted to dress in a Grecian style....
8:58 I don't know if it's just because it caught me so much of guard but this made me laughing so hard one of my roomates checked to see if I was ok. Also I'm reading Thucydides' book for school this semester so having some background info is nice. (It also adds fuel to my theory of OSP stalking me and making videos relevant to my life as this is like the 17th time a video has been made just as the video's subject becomes relevant to me .... I'm on to you OSP)
To be honest, your Ancient Greek and Italian history videos are some of my all-time favorite content that exists on the internet, so please do go make more of these things
It's okay to miss talking about Ancient Greece, Blue. Honestly, I've missed you talking about it.
Ooo some OSP history, I feel so honored.
Economics? If you kept studying you would have been Green. Ha ha, **stonks**
"Tries to emulate the style but gives up halfway through, it's hilarious" - you know what else is hilarious? This video
In the panhellenic exam (its like the SATs of Greece at the end of highschool) students have to translate a text from ancient attic Greek to modern Greek. The thing is that its a text that they do not study during their courses, but one they see for the first time during the exam. I remember that every year students were praying that it would not be a passage from Thucycides' work because my dude was writing like a 14 year old angry girlfriend. He would not use a period for the life of him, but also use very strange vocabulary. On the other hand everyone wanted Xenophon as his way of writing was far simpler. Of course when I took my exam it ended up being a Thucydides passage and Im still mad about it.
Finally getting to watch one of these the day of release, two minutes after it's upload no less
"Plutarch took note of this because his characters f*quack" lol
Blue's over sarcasm is particularly on point in this video
I have really enjoyed your videos on history and Red’s on literature and mythology. The two of you provide very down to Earth information on some fascinating tales, combining witty, entertaining humor with a genuine passion for your interests. I can’t thank you enough for all your dedication.
I actually love this channel. It got me into history and mythology. Thanks for making awesome videos 👍🏻👍🏻
At some point I heard "Thiccydides", and now I can't help but imagine dummy thicc historians goofing off
Prolly one of my favourite series on KZhead. Partially because it lets me score extra points with my history teachers so thanks for carrying me through my Abitur, Blue!
Blue don't you dare diss your old videos I still watch those 😤
Alternate title: Thucydides the creator of Blue
For April fools you should do a history of Greece, but ita actually on the musical Grease.
History and philosophy are some of my greatest passions. It really makes me happy that you found a book that showed you how awesome it can be.
You know I’d really love to see you guys do a video on Xenophon’s Anabasis. That would be a fantastic video
Thucydides had some great quotes in his history, my favorite goes something like this: ”it was the rise of Sparta, and the fear this instilled in the hearts of Athenians which made war inevitable” Paraphrased as I haven’t read many 2000 year old books lately
it was the other way around, ”it was the rise of Athens, and the fear this instilled in the hearts of Spartans which made war inevitable”
@Norgafel @TeutonicEmperor1198 Only one of you could be right. This calls for a duel!
@@xercesshal whooa there cowboy... this is how Peloponesian wars are started.😅
@@tylerdurden3722 as a self-proclaimed god of mischief, that was my plan all along
“My boi” yes
I was literally just rewatching some old videos and wanting some new content. my prayers have been answered
I can't even thank you enough for your channel and especially your videos about ancient Greece. I finished my BA degree in history, with a focus on ancient Greek and Roman history, about a decade ago and have ended up in the workforce in a completely different area (IT!). Your videos help me keep my base knowledge fresh on the subjects I love the most.
Thucydides is Ma Boi as well. His book changed my life. It's simply brilliant.
I'm requesting a history of Hellenica Xenophon just to complete the historical retelling. Really enjoying the history makers, Blue. Could I also request a stupor mundi OSP episode? I know controversial pick but very interesting history maker!
If there is one thing I took away from my freshman history class, it's that no one will love me as much as my history teacher loved Thucydides.
Blue: *pointing at some well-based narration of WWII or something like that* This is perfect BUT *pointing at Thucydides* I like this Also, your backstory was so moving, it almost made me cry. Such emotion
3:08 Athens: The Only Navy That Matters™
Would love to see a video about the aftermath of Alexander the Alright’s death and the collapse of his empire please!
A short video won't do it justice. What we need is a well financed HBO series. It'll knock Game Of Thrones off it's pedestal with ease.
The ending...just like the books! I liked this video, nice job Blue!
Lol, that ending. Thanks for uploading & looking forward to your next video!
5:22 If Thucydides stated the trend of viewing states as characters, does that mean he's responsible for making the first countryball comics?
I don't think anything will ever be as funny to me as 10:32
I am glad that Thucydides brought your awesome videos to us!
Always a pleasure to open KZhead and see a new osp video.
@9:37 Speaking of Xenophon, have you guys ever considered doing a video on the life/works of this guy?
Ooo, yeah, I read a book about his departure from Persia and it was hella interesting!
“Anti Persian death crusade” - I snorted that was so funny and true
I will ALWAYS appreciate Classical Greece content!
legit just studying good ole Thucydides - great timing you guys ;)
Hi historian here: there is no archeological evidence for Spartans yeeting their children off of cliffs. That rumor was probably started to make Spartans look barbaric compared to the other city-states. As far as we can tell there was no actual instance of this happening.
That reminds me of the "common knowledge" of the so called "ättestupan" in Swedish. It was supposed to be a place where people in ye olden times would make the old people throw themselves of a cliff (and/or where you threw them off the cliff). But, just as in your case - absolutely no archaeological evidence of it actually existing. Most likely it never did.
In fairness, since the text about the baby pit came up during the discussion of possible bias, it might have been referring to supposed atrocities that would paint Sparta in an unfavorable light, not something that should be taken at face value.
The mo' you know
Wasn't there a reference in Plutarch's Life Of Lycurgus, about some sort of selection of children at birth, where they were examined... ? not that Life Of Lycurgus is anything much but Mythology... a-historical to a great degree - ?
Blue: Talks about Greek History My Brain: Ooh I remember that from Assassin's Creed! Brasidas? more like BROsidas!
Idk this video just helped bring up my vibes when I was down. Love y’all work and wish you guys the best
Some delightful backstory for the channel! Always fun to hear people talk about how they got to where they are now, particularly KZheadrs. Also, I would 100% buy a copy of Thucydides with a cover like that. Probably finally read it, too. XD
"Only cares about war and politics" Same...although I also care about economics (since it's relevant to the previous two).
any chance you can do sima qian the one who basically codified how the chinese do history?
Love the new intro. On second note: I really hope you guys cover Diogenes one of these days - his life is wild.
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS AAAAAA
Athens: Damn you Alcibiades!
First Time watching Blue's videos?
This channel is helping my brother get all of my history references. Thanks
Always love these videos!
Last time I was this early it was the cold war
He said it in Greek, and φίλε, he said it right
Your athenian empire video and Alcibiades video is how I found you when j was in college and matched up perfectly with my class on ancient Greece at the time! I'm grateful for them, it's how I discovered this channel!
"do I look like an armrest to you?" had me spitting my drink out! thanks!