Historical Falsification in the Attic Funeral Oration

FAIN: FT-12972-76

Kenneth R. Walters
Wayne State University (Detroit, MI 48201-1347)

To research the historical falsification in the Attic Funeral Oration. The oration was customarily recited over Athenian war dead by a prominent citizen, however, the speeches touched only briefly on the dead, rather it became a vehicle for disseminating political ideas about the Athenian State originally based loosely on mythology. It will be shown how through falsification the oration had an impact on later political theorizing in Athens.