Does the Melian Dialogue serve as an emphatic continuation of Pericles’ imperialist policy?

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Published: Apr 21, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/pr.v2.35535
Keywords:
Thucydides Melian Dialogue Pericles Athenian Democracy Athenian Imperialism Peloponnesian War
Stavros Anastasopoulos
a:1:{s:5:"en_US";s:49:"Ph.D. Candidate in Ancient Greek Philology (NKUA)";}
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5359-3012
Abstract

This article is divided into two parts: in the first part I undertake the weighty task of interpreting the Melian Dialogue – the widely known conversation between the Athenians and the Melians, which took place in 416 B.C. – and then I shed light on the immorality that characterizes the views expressed by the Athenians. Athens seeks to conquer Melos by force, basing its decision on the necessity of Athenian hegemony to constantly expand its territorial borders. The second part of this paper examines the three speeches of Pericles – propounded by Thucydides – and attempts to prove that the Melian Dialogue acts as a faithful continuation of Pericles’ imperialistic orations. In this way, it becomes evident that the Melian Dialogue is not just a circumstantial event, caused by the pain and suffering of the Peloponnesian War, but represents as well a carefully considered expansionist policy put into practice by the Athenians throughout the years.

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