A Society Discovered

A Society Discovered

Researchers have recently uncovered evidence of an advanced civilization, named Athens, that flourished in the 400's B.C. That evidence is in the form of three writings, which have recently been discovered. One of these works was, "The Peloponnesian War", written by Thucydides, who was believed to have been a historian in Athens. The next two forms of writings were poems written by Sophocles and Aristophanes. These two poems were entitled "Antigone" and "Lysistrata." All of these works point out many different aspects of this great civilization. Athens' democratic form of government, military strength, love of the arts and theater have made Athens one of the most well rounded and culturally diverse civilizations to have ever existed.

In Thucydides' writings he talked of Pericles' funeral oration. During the same winter after the war the Athenians gave a public funeral for those that had lost their lives in the war. Pericles, who was the son of Xanthippus, was chosen to give the traditional speech in praise of the dead. In reading the speech many important aspects of the Athenian culture were revealed. They are all very valuable and should be recognized.

Athenians respected their ancestors and forefathers for sacrificing their lives so future generations could enjoy a good life full of freedom. Also, they loved recreational games and leisure time. There were sporting events, contests, and sacrifices regularly during the year. They also were very calm and collected in their thoughts and never rushed into things. "The worst thing is to rush into action before the consequences have been properly debated" (Pericles, C&T book-Butler University 44). In addition the Athenians were very proud of the strong military systems. "This is because we rely, not on secret weapons, but on our own real courage and loyalty" (Pericles, C&T book-B.U. 43). They are so strong when the Spartans would invade them they would bring all of their allies as opposed to the Athenians who were never confronted by any enemy when they were at full strength. "If our enemies engage a detachment of our forces and defeat it, they give themselves credit for having thrown back our entire army; or, if they lose, they claim that they were beaten by us in full strength" (Pericles 44). By far the most important aspect was the system of government.