Pericles' Funeral Oration

Pericles' Funeral Oration is a famous speech from Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War (II.34), one of the few complete sources available on the subject of the power struggle between Athens and Sparta during the late 5th century BC.

It was established Athenian practice by the late fifth century to hold a public funeral in honour of all those who had died in war to benefit Athens. The main part of the ceremony was a speech delivered by a prominent Athenian citizen. The Funeral Oration was reputedly delivered by Pericles, an eminent Athenian politician of the 400s BC and the guiding force in Athens during the early Peloponnesian War. However, it is not certain how much of the speech is actually taken from the word of Pericles rather than Thucydides' own interpretation. Thucydides notes in his history that the speeches presented are not verbatim but intended to represent the gist of what was said.

Historically, it is significant because the speech goes well beyond the typical formula of praising the glorious dead. David Cartwright describes it as "a eulogy of Athens itself..."[1]The speech is a glorification of Athens' achievements, designed to stir the spirits of a state still at war.

The most famous and quoted passage of the oration is "Ανδρών επιφανών πάσα γη τάφος" (for famous men the whole world is their tomb).

Notes

[1] "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides"}} "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides", David Cartwright