NBCT Adolescence and Young Adulthood (AYA) Social Studies Practice Test

Pericles is the Athenian leader famous for both the Funeral Oration and the Golden Age of Athens. The Funeral Oration is Pericles’ well-known tribute to the soldiers who died in war, preserved by Thucydides, in which he extols the virtues of Athenian democracy, civic duty, and equality before the law. At the same time, Pericles led Athens during a period of remarkable cultural and political growth in the mid-5th century BCE, when democracy expanded, and monumental building projects and artistic achievements flourished. This combination of political leadership and cultural flourishing gives the era its name—the Golden Age of Athens. Solon and Draco were earlier reformers with foundational laws, while Thucydides is the historian who records Pericles’ era and speeches.