The Great Civilization Of Athens - 1236 Words

The plague of Athens led to the death and destruction of not only a mass of people, but the entire civilization. This cataclysmic event that ended the great civilization of Athens has inspired countless authors to write about it. Starting at the beginning of 431 BCE, historian Thucydides wrote his take on it. In his work, â€Å"The History of the Peloponnesian War,† Thucydides discussed the social and political consequences of the plague; a personal account on the experiences he lived through. Anywhere during 99-55 BCE, poet Lucretius had his work, â€Å"On the Nature of the Universe,† end with an account of the Athenian plague. Lucretius’s account was nearly an exact translation of Thucydides’ account, but whereas Thucydides wrote historically and genuinely on his experiences on the plague, Lucretius left certain things out and elaborated on others as he wrote it as part of natural phenomenon and laid out his writing to tell, in a didactic poem, the m ental experience of the Athenian people. Thucydides was a historical writer who wrote his recollections on â€Å"The History of the Peloponnesian War.† He began to write at the beginning of the war at 431, as he felt it deserved to be recorded and was â€Å"composed to be a lasting possession for all time. His writing was meant to help and show the future; he wrote regarding the Athenian plague, so if another plague breaks out â€Å"people may know in advance and not be ignorant. 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