Swords and other weapons were worn by ancient Greeks in like manner as they would wear their normal clothes; in fact, weapons were necessary accessories to any fashion statement. Did the people tout around weapons because they were eccentric, or because they were prudent? Thucydides, an Athenian general and historian during the Peloponnesian War, said that the reason why arms were a part of daily life in Athens was because they were an indispensable tool to maintain life and protect property. Once Athens became more civilized however, weapons became an inconvenience and almost unnecessary altogether. Thus weapons fell out of use in Athenian fashion. The reason Athens stopped carrying weapons was due to the fact that they simply didn't need them any longer and their persons and their property were safe whether they carried a sword or not.
However, Melissa Lane writing for The Newyorker, shared a different interpretation of what Thucydides said on the use of weapons in Athens: "...Thucydides reported that the Athenians were the first to lay aside their weapons. Whereas men in all Greek societies used to carry arms at home, this had been a sign of an uncivilized era of piracy in which the most powerful men could dominate all the rest. Laying aside the everyday wearing of weapons was part of what Thucydides believed had allowed Athens to become fully civilized, developing the commerce and culture that made her the envy of the Greek world. The Romans, too, banned the carrying of weapons within the pomerium, the sacred boundary of the city."
Her definition reports that Athens laid down their weapons, and then became civilized. Whereas, what actually happened was that Athens became civilized and then had no need of weapons. The machine that is The Left, would have America believe that we need to give up our guns, and then become civilized, when the opposite is true. We need to become more civilized, and then give up our guns because we don't need them. When murder and crime goes up, so does the need for weapons. If people think we should do away with guns because they cause barbarism, they need to question their premiss because reality tells a different story. In all truth, barbarism creates a need for guns. The questions debated in the public forums then, should not be pro-gun control or antigun gun control, but what is the best way to eliminate barbarism. Once the need for arms no longer exists, the people will exercise their own gun control privately.
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