History of the Peloponnesian War

In the course of this winter the Athenians, in accordance with the custom of their forefathers, buried at the public expense those who had first fallen in this war, after the following manner.

Having erected a tent, they lay out the bones of the dead three days before, and each one brings to his own relative whatever [funeral offering] he pleases.

When the funeral procession takes place, cars convey coffins of cypress wood, one for each tribe; in which are laid the bones of every man, according to the tribe to which he belonged; and one empty bier is carried, spread in honour of the missing, whose bodies could not be found to be taken up.

Whoever wishes, both of citizens and strangers, joins in the procession; and their female relatives attend at the burial to make the wailings.

They lay them then in the public sepulchre, which is in the fairest suburb of the city, and in which they always bury those who have fallen in the wars (except, at least, those who fell at Marathon; but to them, as they considered their valour distinguished above that of all others, they gave a burial on the very spot).

After they have laid them in the ground, a man chosen by the state—one who in point of intellect is considered talented, and in dignity is pre-eminent— speaks over them such a panegyric as may be appropriate; after which they all retire. In this way they bury them:

and through the whole of the war, whenever they had occasion, they observed the established custom. Over these who were first buried [*]( Or accordingly over these etc. See note, II. 5. 8.) at any rate, Pericles son of Xanthippus was chosen to speak.

And when the time for doing so came, advancing from the sepulchre on to a platform, which had been raised to some height, that he might be heard over as great a part of the crowd as possible, he spoke to the following effect: