7 pm The reading of Thucydides is progressing nicely. I am on Book VI. As indicated yesterday, the majority of the time is spent reading. Here are a couple of additiional observations:

• Women and children have been mentioned a couple of times. In the case where a city is captured they become slaves. Greece may be promoted as the cradle of democracy, but there is a massive difference in their civilization between times of peace and times of war.
• I continue to be amazed at how ruthless the war is. It is more common to kill prisoners than to keep them.
• The war consists of a 10 year period of fighting, a "peace" of 7 years, and another period of 10 years of fighting (I think)
• Much of the fighting occurs in areas other than in Peloponessia, such as Thrace, Ionia, Sicily, Albania.
• There is also a lot of intrigue where factions opposed to the people in control betray their comrades. There is a strange mix of honor and dishonor.
• One of the traditions is for the victors to erect a "trophy" indicating their success.
• Another tradition is to declare a truce after the battle is over and let the vanguished collect their dead