Courage in Thucydides

Edith Foster

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Chapter 22 Courage in Thucydides

In: Brill's Companion to Courage and Cowardice in Ancient Warfare

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Edith Foster

Edith Foster
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 630–652

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004749290_023

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Abstract

This chapter argues that Thucydides developed an untraditional conception of courage as a capacity for purposeful action. Correspondingly, in Thucydides the opposite of courage is a tendency to inactivity, indecision, delay, or slowness. These two traits are paradigmatically associated with Athens and Sparta, respectively, but a closer look shows that either trait can be associated with either city. Section 2 examines the fluctuations and reversals of courage in Thucydides’ battle narratives, suggesting that in Thucydides neither innate nor trained courage is fully reliable against adverse circumstances and perceptions. Moreover, a brief study of panic shows that Thucydides may attribute the panicked flight of armies to circumstances beyond human endurance. A more reliable courage that can endure through a series of positive and negative experiences without becoming overwhelmed often depends on training and especially leadership, as a review of Thucydides’ Sicilian narrative demonstrates. Section 3 turns to leadership, discussing several military exhortations, that is, speeches with which commanders attempt to teach their men that they can prevail in a coming battle and what they need to do; the section concludes with a discussion of the military and political importance of a leader’s reputation for courage. Section 4 briefly discusses cowardice in Thucydides, showing that Thucydides mostly leaves accusations of cowardice to his speakers. Section 5 discusses the bravery of women and mercenaries, neither of whom Thucydides treats much differently from regular soldiers. Section 6 discusses the conceptions of courage found in Pericles’ funeral oration, showing how these differ from Thucydides’ conceptions of courage. The final section, Section 7, suggests that Thucydides’ untraditional concept of courage suited his aim to write an impartial narrative based on the evidence of all combatants’ actions.

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Brill's Companion to Courage and Cowardice in Ancient Warfare

Series: Brill's Companions to Classical Studies, Volume: 12 and Brill's Companions to Classical Studies: Warfare in the Ancient Mediterranean World, Volume: 12

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004749290

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 02 Dec 2025

Subjects
- Classical Studies
  - Ancient History
  - Greek & Latin Literature

Front Matter

Introduction

Part 1 Courage and Cowardice: Setting the Groundwork

Part 2 Philosophy

Part 3 Courage and Its Limits

Part 4 The Individual and the Collective

Part 5 Fear and Flight, Punishment and Reward

Epilogue

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Chapter 22 Courage in Thucydides

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Brill's Companion to Courage and Cowardice in Ancient Warfare

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