Today's Passage
This passage comes from Pericles' Funeral Oration, delivered in 431 BCE during the first year of the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
“Further, we provide plenty of means for the mind to refresh itself from business. We celebrate games and sacrifices all the year round, and the elegance of our private establishments forms a daily source of pleasure and helps to banish the spleen; while the magnitude of our city draws the produce of the world into our harbour, so that to the Athenian the fruits of other countries are as familiar a luxury as those of his own.
“If we turn to our military policy, there also we differ from our antagonists. We throw open our city to the world, and never by alien acts exclude foreigners from any opportunity of learning or observing, although the eyes of an enemy may occasionally profit by our liberality; trusting less in system and policy than to the native spirit of our citizens; while in education, where our rivals from their very cradles by a painful discipline seek after manliness, at Athens we live exactly as we please, and yet are just as ready to encounter every legitimate danger. In proof of this it may be noticed that the Lacedaemonians do not invade our country alone, but bring with them all their confederates; while we Athenians advance unsupported into the territory of a neighbour, and fighting upon a foreign soil usually vanquish with ease men who are defending their homes. Our united force was never yet encountered by any enemy, because we have at once to attend to our marine and to dispatch our citizens by land upon a hundred different services; so that, wherever they engage with some such fraction of our strength, a success against a detachment is magnified into a victory over the nation, and a defeat into a reverse suffered at the hands of our entire people. And yet if with habits not of labour but of ease, and courage not of art but of nature, we are still willing to encounter danger, we have the double advantage of escaping the experience of hardships in anticipation and of facing them in the hour of need as fearlessly as those who are never free from them.
Modern Translation
Furthermore, we provide abundant opportunities for the mind to find respite from work. Throughout the year, we hold festivals and religious ceremonies, while the refinement of our private homes offers daily pleasure and dispels melancholy. The greatness of our city attracts goods from across the world to our harbor, making the products of foreign lands as readily available to Athenians as our own local produce.
Regarding our military approach, here too we differ from our enemies. We keep our city open to all, never using exclusionary laws to prevent foreigners from learning about or observing anything, even though enemy eyes might sometimes benefit from our openness. We rely not on secrecy and stratagems but on the inherent courage of our citizens. In education, while our rivals subject their children from infancy to harsh training in pursuit of toughness, we Athenians live as we choose, yet remain equally prepared to face any legitimate threat. As evidence, consider that the Spartans never invade our territory alone but require all their allies, whereas we Athenians march unsupported into neighboring lands and, fighting on foreign soil, typically defeat with ease those defending their own homes. No enemy has ever faced our complete forces because we must simultaneously maintain our navy and deploy citizens on numerous land operations. Thus, when enemies encounter only a portion of our strength, they exaggerate a minor victory into triumph over our entire nation, or transform a small setback into a crushing defeat. Yet if we can match others' readiness for danger while living in comfort rather than hardship, with natural rather than trained courage, we gain a double benefit: we avoid experiencing difficulties before they arise, and when the moment comes, we face them as bravely as those who know nothing but constant struggle.
Historical Context
This passage comes from Pericles' Funeral Oration, delivered in 431 BCE during the first year of the Peloponnesian War. Pericles, Athens' leading statesman, is honoring the war dead while articulating Athenian values and identity. He contrasts Athens' open, democratic society with Sparta's closed, militaristic system. The speech serves multiple purposes: consoling the bereaved, justifying Athens' imperial policies, and rallying citizens for the long conflict ahead. Thucydides uses this oration to present an idealized vision of Athens at its height, creating a poignant contrast with the city's eventual defeat. The speech becomes a defining statement of democratic values and cultural confidence, though modern readers should note the tension between Pericles' rhetoric and Athens' aggressive imperialism.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Athenian Festivals
Athens celebrated numerous religious festivals throughout the year, including the Panathenaea honoring Athena and the Dionysia featuring dramatic performances. These events combined religious observance with civic pride and cultural display, reinforcing social cohesion while showcasing Athens' wealth and sophistication to visitors.
Learn more →Spartan Agoge
The 'painful discipline' refers to Sparta's agoge, a rigorous education system beginning at age seven. Boys endured physical hardship, minimal clothing, and scarce food to develop toughness. This contrasts sharply with Athens' more diverse education emphasizing rhetoric, philosophy, and arts alongside physical training.
Learn more →Athenian Naval Power
Athens' navy was the foundation of its empire, controlling the Aegean and enabling trade networks that brought global goods to Piraeus. The need to maintain this fleet while conducting land operations stretched Athenian resources, as Pericles acknowledges, but also demonstrated the city's exceptional organizational capacity.
Learn more →Athenian Democracy and Openness
Unlike Sparta's xenophobic policies, Athens welcomed foreigners (metics) who contributed to its economy and culture. This openness reflected democratic confidence but also created security vulnerabilities. The contrast between closed Sparta and open Athens became a defining feature of Greek political thought.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Pericles (12.1-2)
Plutarch describes Pericles' building program and cultural policies, showing how Athens used its wealth to create the monuments and festivals mentioned in this speech, while also noting criticism of imperial extravagance.
Read passage →Aristotle: Constitution of Athens (24.3)
Aristotle discusses how Athens' imperial revenues funded public festivals and building projects, providing economic context for the cultural abundance Pericles celebrates while noting the system's dependence on tribute from subject allies.
Read passage →Xenophon: Constitution of the Lacedaemonians (2.1-14)
Xenophon details the Spartan education system that Pericles critiques, describing the harsh training, communal meals, and constant preparation for war that contrasted with Athenian freedom and individualism.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does Pericles' characterization of Athenian 'openness' relate to modern debates about democracy, security, and immigration?
- Is there a contradiction between celebrating individual freedom and maintaining an empire that restricts others' freedom?
- How might Pericles' emphasis on 'natural' rather than 'trained' courage reflect class prejudices in Athenian society?
- Does this passage reveal strengths that actually contributed to Athens' eventual defeat in the war?