“The ‘Funeral Oration’ is a grand example of fanaticism. This speech by Pericles, along with its harmony, is a sermon of passion that accompanies pain and death but also conveys a sense of superiority. While we can only speculate about Thucydides' level of involvement in the context of the ‘Funeral Oration,’ we can nonetheless ponder the idea that the historian remains in the shadow of the great politician and orator when he delivered the ‘Funeral Oration,’ a monument to virtue and courage.

We should note that Thucydides stays away from political factions and ideologies. However, he unrelentingly criticizes the democrats for their mistakes and their deviations from the rules of genuine democracy, the very one celebrated by Pericles, while at the same time he accuses the oligarchy and its supporters, particularly those who played a role in the political life during the Peloponnesian War.

The objectivity of the historian is a virtue of his. Some insignificant deviations do not negate the rule. His objectivity in unfolding the events playing out in the foreground of history is his strength. He criticizes the justice of the strong and the imposition of violence.”