Pericles' Funeral Oration
431/430 BCEAthens
about 2,455 years ago
A famous speech in Thucydides' History, said to be given by Pericles at the public funeral for the dead of the war's first year.
"Pericles's Funeral Oration" is a famous speech from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War.
The speech was supposed to have been delivered by Pericles, an eminent Athenian politician, at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) as a part of the annual public funeral for the war dead.
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
Short and sourced: tap any line to see the sentences it rests on.
The funeral
By the late 5th century BCE, Athens held a public funeral for all those who had died in war.
By the late 5th century BC, it was customary for Athens to hold a public funeral in honour of all those who had died in war.
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
The remains lay in a tent for three days, then went in procession in cypress coffins, one for each Athenian tribe.
The remains of the dead were left in a tent for three days, then a funeral procession was held with ten cypress coffins carrying the remains.
Each coffin represented one of the Athenian tribes
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
They were buried in a public grave at Kerameikos, and a leading citizen chosen by the state gave a speech.
Finally, they were buried at a public grave (at Kerameikos) and a speech was delivered by a prominent Athenian citizen chosen by the state.
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
The speech
Pericles is said to have given it at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BCE).
The speech was supposed to have been delivered by Pericles, an eminent Athenian politician, at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC)
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
Unlike the usual funeral speech, it skips Athens' past military deeds and honours the dead by praising the city they died for.
Pericles departs most dramatically from the example of other Athenian funeral orations and skips over the great martial achievements of Athens' past
Thucydides's Pericles thus decides to praise the war dead by glorifying the city for which they died.
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
He praises equal justice under the laws, a city open to foreigners, and advancement by merit rather than class.
If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences
We throw open our city to the world, and never by alien acts exclude foreigners from any opportunity of learning or observing
advancement in public life falls to reputations for capacity, class considerations not being allowed to interfere with merit
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
He calls Athens the school of Hellas.
In short, I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
He urges the survivors to be as resolute in the field as the dead were.
You, their survivors, must determine to have as unfaltering a resolution in the field, though you may pray that it may have a happier outcome.
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
To the widows he says a woman's greatest glory is not to be spoken of at all, for good or ill.
Pericles addresses the widows of the dead only here, telling them that "the greatest glory for a woman is not to be spoken of at all, either for good or ill."
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
How we know
Thucydides recorded it in book two of his History, and says his speeches give the main ideas, not the exact words.
The "Funeral Oration" was recorded by Thucydides in book two of his famous History of the Peloponnesian War.
Thucydides says early in his History that the speeches presented are not verbatim records but are instead intended to represent the main ideas of what was said
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
Pericles very likely gave a speech then, but there is no agreement on how close Thucydides' version is to it.
We can be reasonably sure that Pericles delivered a speech at the end of the first year of the war, but there is no consensus as to what degree Thucydides's record resembles Pericles's actual speech.
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
Plato, in his Menexenus, credits it to Pericles' companion Aspasia.
Plato, in his Menexenus, ascribes authorship to Pericles's companion, Aspasia.
From Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-25.
Related
Events
- 431 BCEThebans attack Plataea and the war begins
- 431 BCESpartan army invades Attica
- 430 BCEPlague breaks out in Athens
- 429 BCEPericles dies
Words about it
Every line here is ours, written from Wikipedia, Pericles's Funeral Oration (opens en.wikipedia.org) (text CC BY-SA 4.0) and checked line by line against the sentences it cites. Where Wikipedia relies on Plutarch or another ancient writer, so do we, and we say so.