This is aretē; this is the best human prize and the fairest for a young man to win." The man who fights without pause among the promachoi "is a common good {xynon esthlon} for the polis and all the people {demos}." … "If he falls among the promachoi and loses his dear life, he brings honor to his town {asty} and his people {laoi} and his father." Young and old alike lament him / and his entire polis mourns with painful regret. / His tomb and his children are notable among men, / and his children's children, and his genos hereafter … / but if he escapes the doom of death … having prevailed {in battle}, … / all men give place to him alike, the youth and the elders…. / Growing old he is distinguished among his citizens. Never does his name or his excellent glory {kleos} perish, but even though he is beneath the earth he is immortal.
( Donald Kagan )
[ Men of Bronze: Hoplite Warfare ]
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