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The Melian Dialogue, that powerful and bafHing passage in the fifth book of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War (5.84-116), is probably one of the most important Greek texts on ethics prior to the Platonic writings. Renewed reflection upon it, I trust, requires no justification. In this lecture I shall first present a close reading of large portions of the text and then proceed to raise a few of the many and intractable questions this document presents to the reader. Historical problems will be cautiously kept in the background. Prominence will be given instead to some of the pressing philosophical issues which give this text its fascinating and unique character I. Thucydides' Melian Dialogue In the year 416 B.C. while the Peace of Nicias was still in force Athens decided to invade the island of Melos in order to compel it to become a tribute paying member of the Delian League. Melos was originally a colony of Sparta and had been wise enough to try to remain neutral since the beginning of the Peloponnesian War in 431. This proved to be impossible in the long run. Already in 426 Athenian troops under the command of Nicias had made
Proceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy Online – Brill
Published: Jan 1, 1989
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