Pericles' Funeral Oration

The repeated invasions of Attica, conducted by Sparta, sparked the Peloponnesians Wars. After multiple battles, Pericles held a funeral oration honoring the fallen in which he declared, “We are willing to go into danger with easy minds and natural courage rather than through rigorous training and laws, and that gives us an advantage... In this, as in other things, our city is…

Liberty and freedom is often overlooked in some countries but other countries have never seen freedom or liberty before. That is because our vast world has many different forms of government with different forms of control, two being democratic rule and absolute rule. Democracy by definition is a system of government by the whole population or all eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. Many countries today have democratic governments such as the United States…

Pericles goes so far, as to convince the grieving families and members of the crowd that they should be proud of their sons, and he glad that they died at an opportune moment, “They know that this at least is gain- to meet an honorable end (as they now have) and to grieve honorably (as you do) for those whose lives were cut off at the fortunate moment” (Wills 255). Both ancient Greek culture and modern American culture share this idea of indoctrinating the people to believe in the nobility of…

In his funeral oration, Pericles speaks of the intangible qualities that make Athens great, beyond their simple military might. He talks about how the Athenians treat other peoples and says “when we do kindnesses to others, we do not do them out of any calculations of profit or loss: we do them without afterthought, relying on our free liberality” (Thucydides 2.41). Pericles believes that every decision does not have to be made out of selfishness. According to this philosophy, one can and should…

under the rule of Pericles was a true democracy has been a subject for controversy. Some historians argue that Pericles was an elected ruler and that Athens was “ruled by her first citizen” instead of by the people while others argue that Athens was a true democracy based on the actions of the Athenian city-state and the way their government was set up . However, Athens under the rule of Pericles should be considered a democracy for several reasons. These reasons include Pericles’ rise to…

instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy.”2 You can see from this 1 “Western Civilization I; Section 7: Athenian Democracy,” Regent University, last modified August 3, 2013. 2 Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War: The Funeral Oration of Pericles, (Regent University, 2018), 1. 2 statement that the Athenians thrived on living as a group than having to rely on the few to make decisions for the rest. A Major downside to this Athenian way of life, especially compared to…

to serve the public, we reward our most distinguished citizens by asking them to make our political decisions. Nor do we discriminate against the poor. A man may serve his country no matter how low his position on the social scale" (Document 3). Pericles was describing a democracy where everyone had the same chance to help serve their country but everyone is expected to participate in civic affairs in this type of government regardless of their position on the social scale. The Greek historian…

Ancient Greek statesman Pericles was the leader of Athens 460-429 B.C. After a battle between Athens and Sparta during the Great Peloponnesian War, he gave a funeral oration to honor the Athenians that had been killed. He expressed the idea that Athenians must put aside their wants and strive for the greater good of the city, reflecting on Athens’…

art captured and documented Greece during their highest and lowest times. Artistry, especially, became more popular during the country’s prime time, also known as the Classical Age of Greece. In 447 BC, Pericles, an democratically elected leader during Classic Greece, also known as the Age of Pericles, used the tax money from the Delian League to rebuild the demolished Athenian Acropolis, now known as the Parthenon (Document 7). This was a defining moment in Ancient Greek history as this sacred…

From the beginning of civilization, power and leadership have played an important role in guiding and uniting populations of people. This power can be used or exerted in various ways by the leadership of the population to either expand one’s territory or even to make laws. The difference and similarities between the ancient forms of power and leadership are dependent on each civilization’s governing style and code of laws. Dating back to one of the first written legal codes, during the time of…