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Pericles’ Funeral Oration, by painter Philipp von Foltz (1852).

Things Worth Remembering: The Men Who Were Worthy of Athens

In fifth-century BCE Greece, Pericles gave a speech on the sacrifices of war—and the heroes who deserve ‘the noblest of all tombs.’

By Douglas Murray

March 3, 2024

Welcome to Douglas Murray’s column, Things Worth Remembering, in which he presents great speeches from famous orators we should commit to heart. To listen to Douglas recite Pericles’ funeral oration, scroll to the end of this piece.

Many of the greatest speeches of all time are about war. 

Knowingly or not, all great warriors who have rallied their people have been hitting a gong that has sounded for millennia. 

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