Identifier: easternnationsgr01myer (find matches)
Title: The eastern nations and Greece
Year: 1917 (1910s)
Authors: Myers, P. V. N. (Philip Van Ness), 1846-1937
Subjects: History, Ancient
Publisher: Boston New York : Ginn
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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heintellectual, moral, and social virtues of the Athenians, which werefostered by their free institutions, and declared their city to be theschool of Hellas and the model for all other cities. * A bas-relief recently excavated on the Acropolis of Athens. Dr. Charles Waldsteinthinks that this sculpture may have headed an inscription containing the names of thosewho had fallen in battle, which record was placed in some public spot in Athens or onthe Acropolis. Our Athene-Nike would then be standing in the attitude of mourning,with reversed spear, gazing down upon the tombstone which surmounts the grave of herbrave sons. As to the possible connection of this relief with the funeral oration ofPericles, Dr. Waldstein says : Though I do not mean to say that the inscription whichit surmounted referred immediately to those who had fallen in the campaign of 4;;i B.C.,I still feel that the most perfect counterpart in literature is the famous funeral oration ofPericles as recorded by Thucydides.
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Plate XII. The Mourning Athena.* (From a photograph) §253) THE PLAGUE AT ATHENS 229 Continuing, the speaker declared that Athens alone of all existingcities was greater than the report of her in the world; and that shewould never need a Homer to perpetuate her memory, because sheherself had set up everywhere eternal monuments of her greatness. Such is the city, he exclaimed impressively, for whose sake thesemen nobly fought and died; they could not bear the thought thatshe might be taken from them ; and every one of us who surviveshould gladly toil on her behalf. Then followed words of tribute to the valor and self-devotion ofthe dead, whose sepulchers and inscriptions were not the graves andthe memorial stones of the cemetery — for the whole earth is thesepulcher of famous men, and the memorials of them are gravennot on stone but in the hearts of mankind. Finally, with words ofcomfort for the relatives of the dead, the orator dismissed theassembly to their homes.^ Thus did Pericle

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