Philosophy 219
Pericles and the Founding Fathers
Pericles' Funeral Oration
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Pericles' Funeral Oration is
presented to us by the historian
Thucydides in his classic History
of the Peloponnesian War.
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Though Thucydides was alive
(and perhaps present) at the time,
we shouldn’t assume that this is a
transcript.
The occasion was an instance of
the time-honored practice of
providing public funerals to
Athenian soldiers killed in battle.
In this case, for the Athenian dead
from the first year of the conflict
with Sparta.
The setting is the public sepulcher,
Keramikos, just to the north of the
Agora in Athens.
Who was Pericles?
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Pericles (c. 495 – 429 BC) is
commonly acknowledged as
the greatest statesman of
ancient Athens.
He was the most prominent
citizen during what is known as
Athens' “Golden Age.”
His primary contribution was to
transform Athens into the
cultural and educational center
of the Greek world. He also led
the construction of many of
Athens’ most famous buildings,
including the Parthenon.
What about Athens?
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Though Athens in the 5th century BC can be
compared to many of our largest cities (particularly
in terms of their size and cultural significance), the
key to understanding its political situation is to
remember that it was a city-state.
The major Greek cities at the time where for the
most part independent political entities, with their
own, unique political structures.
The Peloponnesian war pitted two quite different
cities (and their allies and vassal cities) against each
other: Athens and Sparta.
Athens and Sparta
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During this period, Sparta was an oligarchy (rule by a
small, elite segment of the population), nominally led by
two hereditary kings, but actually ruled by a small group
of aristocrats known as the Gerousia.
Athens was a democracy, ruled by the citizens,
organized into three bodies.
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The Ekklesia, or Assembly, which passed laws and made policy
decisions, was open to all citizens of Athens.
The Boule, or Council of the 500, was charged with
administering decisions made by the Ekklesia.
The Prytaneis, or "Presidential Council," was a subcommittee of
the boule and charged with the daily affairs of the city.
The Oration
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Though nominally a speech honoring the
war dead, a lot more appears to be going
on in Pericles’ rhetoric.
What do you think is Pericles’ aim?
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Pericles%27s
_Funeral_Oration_(Jowett)
Athens and the U.S.
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What are the similarities that you noticed
between the description Pericles offered of
Athens and our understanding of our
nation?
Any relevant differences?
The Oration and the Declaration
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What about between the rhetoric of the
Oration and Jefferson’s in the Declaration
of Independence?
What is the aim of Jefferson’s rhetoric?
The Bill of Rights
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How are the ideals of the Declaration
embodied in the Bill of Rights?
Let’s take a look at each one and think
about its significance.