Great Speech - Pericles defends himself - Thucydides

   / @wimbledonchannel   Another famous speech in Antiquity. After violent criticism following setbacks in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta, the leading politician in Athens at the time, Pericles, set out his defence. As he is seen as the instigator of the conflict, convincing many Athenians to vote for war, his strident defence seeks to encourage his fellow Athenians to stay the course and reap the benefits of a successful conflict.