Considering the evolution of democracy and civilization to this day, is there any reason to believe the Persians should have defeated the Greeks in the Persian War? Why could the legacy of Ancient Greece be considered "profoundly ambiguous"? John Green considers the lasting implications of the Persian Wars, while also highlighting Greek culture in Athens, the structure of city-states, and the motivations of Athenians and Spartans in the Peloponnesian Wars.

Concepts

realism, socrates, philosophers, ancient greece, greek philosophers, pericles

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Additional Tags

herodotus, zoroastrian, city-state, pericles, realism, socrates, social studies

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Classroom Considerations

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Includes primary source quotations from Pericles, Herodotus, and Thucydides
• Touches upon notion of historical bias
• Offers thought-provoking questions that can be used as discussion starters or writing prompts 
• Includes a teacher and student resource for extension activities about early civilizations

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.3 SL.11-12.3 RH.6-8.1 RH.6-8.2 RH.9-10.1 RH.9-10.2 RH.11-12.1 RH.11-12.2 RH.11-12.7