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What does Pericles say about Athens?
In the climax of his praise of Athens, Pericles declares: “In short, I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas; while I doubt if the world can produce a man, who, where he has only himself to depend upon, is equal to so many emergencies, and graced by so happy a versatility as the Athenian.” Finally, Pericles …
What is Pericles Funeral Oration about summary?
The most important thing to remember about the Funeral Oration is that it is a speech, intended to persuade its listeners. Pericles praises Athens so that people will keep fighting; he praises the sacrifices of the dead so that others will imitate them.
What was the name of the most famous speech that Pericles gave?
Share. In 431 BCE the Athenian statesman Pericles delivered one of the most influential speeches of all time, his Epitaphios or Funeral Oration. The occasion was at the funeral of the first Athenian soldiers to lose their lives in the Peloponnesian War.
Who was Pericles and what did he do?
Pericles, (born c. 495 bce, Athens—died 429, Athens), Athenian statesman largely responsible for the full development, in the later 5th century bce, of both the Athenian democracy and the Athenian empire, making Athens the political and cultural focus of Greece.
What is the historical significance of Pericles Funeral Oration?
Pericles’ funeral oration was a speech written by Thucydides and delivered by Pericles for his history of the Peloponnesian War. Pericles delivered the oration not only to bury the dead but to praise democracy. Pericles, a great supporter of democracy, was a Greek leader and statesman during the Peloponnesian War.
Who was Pericles Funeral Oration meant to honor?
In 431, shortly after the Peloponnesian War had broken out, Pericles delivered his famous Funeral Oration to commemorate those troops who had already fallen in battle.
How many years did Pericles serve as Athenian general?
Plutarch says that Pericles stood first among the Athenians for forty years. If this was so, Pericles must have taken up a position of leadership by the early 460s BC – in his early or mid-thirties. Throughout these years he endeavored to protect his privacy and to present himself as a model for his fellow citizens.
What happened in Athens during the golden age of Pericles?
Pericles increased Athens’ power through his use of the Delian League to form the Athenian empire and led his city through the First Peloponnesian War (460-446 BCE) and the first two years of the Second Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE).