Athens In Thucydides Funeral Speech For Pericles

In his funeral speech for Pericles, Thucydides spoke of the many great points of the polis of Athens. First, he emphasized Athens's original constitution that was democratic and was not interpreted with regard to class distinctions. Then, Athens was open with knowledge and learning to foreigners unlike other poleis. Next, he expressed that Athens was a strong, independent polis because it was protecting itself alone from a confederation of other poleis led by Sparta. Lastly, he described how the citizens are bold and calculating to create a polis that works together to make a strong, proven reputation. Thucydides used these points to differentiate Athens from the antagonizing poleis that were invading and to show how much better and liberal