Specific Quotes Flashcards
(28 cards)
Herodotus about his truthfulness
‘for myself, I am obliged to say what has been said, but I am not obliged to believe it all’
Herodotus about the finances of the different Persian kings
Darius was a retailer, Cambyses a master of slaves, and Cyrus a father: Darius tended to conduct all his affairs like a shopkeeper’
- ‘Cyrus was gentle and saw to it that all good things would be theirs
Herodotus about Persian luxury
when they had carried out their orders and Pausanias saw the golden and silver couches with sumptuous coverings and the tables, also of gold and silver, all set out with a magnificent feast, he was struck with wonder at the good things lying infront of him’
Herodotus about the untruths of the Persians (Darius)
for where a lie must be told, let it be told. We strive for the same goal whether we lie or tell the truth’
Aeschylus presentation of Xerxes
effeminate and weak- ‘from unmanliness’
Aeschylus presentation of Darius
- Chorus about Darius
o They say in the reign of Darius they had enjoyed a good life in well-ordered cities, safety from defeat, ‘godlike Darius’
o They had strong and famous armies
o He took cities without ever leaving his own
Behistun Inscription quotes about legitimisation
‘I am Darius, the great king, king of kings’
‘Auramazda bestowed kingship upon me’
Traces lineage through other kings and then back to Achaemenes
Quote from Sarapaeum in Egypt
‘Son of Ra, Cambyses’
Aristotle on the downsides of changing laws
- ‘The people will not be as much benefited by making an alteration as they will be harmed by becoming accustomed to distrust their rulers’
Word Aristotle used to describe women living with wealth rather than men
‘Dissolutely’
Xenophon on a lack of adherence to the Laws of Lycurgus
‘They neither obey their god nor the laws of Lycurgus’
Polybius commendations of Lycurgus
- Says his legislation was ‘excellent’
- His wisdom should be regarded as ‘superhuman’
Plutarch describing the birth of Alexander
‘Possessed of a lion’s spirit’
‘He wanted a legacy of conflict, war, and of glory to be won’
Plutarch about Alexander’s adoptions of some Persian culture
‘He began wearing eastern dress during his leisure hours’
Arrian about Alexander’s military tactics
‘Alexander ought to win this battle openly and without trickery’
Babylonian astronomical diary tablet about Gaugamela
- Mentions the lunar eclipse
- Alex as ‘the king of the world’
Curtius Rufus about Alex’s adoptions of Persian culture
- ‘assumed the Persian garb, not even fearing the omen of changing from the insignia of a victor to the dress of the conquered’
- Alex said he was wearing the spoils but he also assumed their customs and spirit
- made his friends and cavalry wear the dress that was ‘repugnant to them’
Josephus about Gessius Florus
‘ scoundrel’
Josephus about Albinus
‘At this time were those seeds sown which brought the city to destruction’
Josephus about the 4th philosophy
‘The infection which spread from them among the younger sort, who became zealous for it, brought the public to destruction’
Josephus about what the oracle had said
‘At about that time, one from their country would become ruler of the habitable world’
Cassius Dio- Boudicca’s Speech
‘You have learnt from experience how different freedom is from slavery’
Cassius Dio about gender
‘All of this was inflicted upon them by a woman, a further reason for their deepest shame’
Tacitus speech of Boudicca
‘It is a British custom to fight under female leadership’
‘The gods side with just vengeance’
