ἀρχὴ τῆς θαλάττης - ἀρχὴ τῶν κακῶν? Kompetitive Motivationen bei Thukydides, Ps.-Xenophon und Isokrates

Abstract

After observing that the thalassocracy was a key point of political consideration in the 5th and 4th centuries B.C., this article focuses on the moral interplay between Thucydides, Ps.-Xenophon and Isocrates. A proper analysis of the semantics of greed, ambition and power in an intertextual dialogue and from the sea-hegemony perspective attempts to show how competitive values of timê, deos and ôphelia have influenced the political thinking in the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. and how Isocrates applies a moral approach in pursuing the success and in combining competitive and cooperative values, which he defines as „just greed”. The special weight is laid by Isocrates instead of deos on the combination of virtue and eunoia as far as success in foreign politics is concerned, but he does not condemn entirely the political realism of Thucydides.