What are the prescribed sources for Athens in the age of Pericles, and how do you weigh a contemporary historian against later writers?
The prescribed sources for the Athens depth study: Thucydides as a contemporary historian (the funeral oration and the growth of empire), Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia as a later constitutional account, Plutarch's Life of Pericles as a much later biography, and how to weigh contemporary against later evidence.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History guide to the prescribed sources for the Athens in the Age of Pericles depth study, explaining how to use Thucydides as a contemporary historian (the funeral oration, the growth of empire), Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia as a later constitutional account and Plutarch's Life of Pericles as a much later biography, and how to weigh contemporary against later evidence.
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What this dot point is asking
Because OCR's GCSE is an ancient-history course, the Athens depth study prescribes the ancient sources you must study, and the source-utility question is worth real marks. This page teaches how to handle the three key prescribed authors: Thucydides (a contemporary historian), Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia (a later constitutional account), and Plutarch's Life of Pericles (a much later biography), and how to weigh contemporary against later evidence.
The answer
Thucydides: the contemporary historian
Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia: the later constitution
Plutarch's Life of Pericles: the much later biography
Weighing contemporary against later evidence
Earlier is usually more authoritative, but a later source can still be the most useful for a particular enquiry, which is why you always judge usefulness for the question.
Examples in context
A model answer turns the difference in date into part of the evaluation, judging each source by what it is good at.
Try this
Q1. Which of the three prescribed authors is contemporary with Pericles, and which is the latest? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Thucydides is contemporary (he lived through the period); Plutarch is the latest, writing around AD 100.
Q2. Explain why a later source such as the Athenaion Politeia can still be very useful. [Short source evaluation]
- Cue. Because it gives a clear, systematic description of how the democracy was organised (offices, Council, courts, the lot), so it is highly useful for the structure of the system, even though it was written after the period and must be weighed for its date and purpose.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J198/01 20198 marksStudy Source A (Thucydides, a contemporary) and Source B (Plutarch, writing around AD 100). Which is more useful for understanding Pericles' Athens? [8-mark depth-study source-utility question]Show worked answer →
A depth-study source-utility question (AO3). Judge usefulness through content and provenance, not date alone.
Thucydides. A contemporary Athenian historian, present in the period, analytical and careful, but selective and writing with hindsight and his own interpretation of power.
Plutarch. A moralising biographer writing centuries later, valuable for Pericles' reputation and anecdote, but very late and dependent on earlier sources.
Judgement. Conclude that Thucydides is generally more useful as a near-contemporary analytical account, but Plutarch adds biographical detail and the later tradition; usefulness depends on the enquiry, not simply on which is earlier.
OCR J198/01 20218 marksStudy Aristotle, Athenaion Politeia, on the Athenian constitution. How useful is this source for understanding how Athenian democracy worked? [8-mark depth-study source-utility question]Show worked answer →
A depth-study source-utility question (AO3). Judge usefulness through content and provenance.
Content. The Athenaion Politeia gives a systematic description of the offices, the Council, the courts and the use of the lot; draw out the detail.
Provenance. It is a later, fourth-century analytical account from Aristotle's school, valuable for its clear description of the system but written after the period and shaped by later debate; it is not contemporary with Pericles.
Judgement. Conclude that it is highly useful for the structure of the democracy but must be set against its date, and judge value for the specific enquiry rather than labelling it reliable or unreliable.
Related dot points
- The democratic reforms of 462 to 429 BC: the reforms of Ephialtes stripping power from the Areopagus, Pericles' introduction of pay for office and jury service, and how these changes created a radical direct democracy, studied through Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia and Plutarch.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the democratic reforms of Ephialtes and Pericles between 462 and 429 BC, covering the stripping of power from the Areopagus, the introduction of pay for jurors and office-holders, how Athens became a radical direct democracy, and how to use Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia and Plutarch as sources.
- The workings of Athenian democracy: the Assembly, the Council of 500, the popular courts and the use of the lot and ostracism, who counted as a citizen, and the exclusion of women, slaves and metics, studied through Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia and Thucydides' funeral oration.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on how Athenian direct democracy worked between 462 and 429 BC, covering the Assembly, the Council of 500, the popular courts, the lot and ostracism, who counted as a citizen, and the exclusion of women, slaves and metics, studied through Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia and Thucydides' funeral oration.
- The transformation of the Delian League into an Athenian empire: the founding of the League against Persia, the move of the treasury from Delos to Athens in 454 BC, the suppression of allies who revolted, and how empire funded Athenian power and the building programme, studied through Thucydides.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on how the Delian League became an Athenian empire between 462 and 429 BC, covering the founding of the League against Persia, the move of the treasury from Delos to Athens in 454 BC, the suppression of revolting allies, and how empire funded Athenian power and the building programme, studied through Thucydides.
- The career and leadership of Pericles: his repeated election as general (strategos), the building programme on the Acropolis, the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War and his strategy, his death in the plague of 429 BC, and the debate over whether Athens was ruled by the people or by Pericles, studied through Thucydides and Plutarch.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the leadership of Pericles between 462 and 429 BC, covering his repeated election as general, the Acropolis building programme, the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War and his strategy, his death in the plague of 429 BC, and the debate over whether Athens was ruled by the people or by one man, studied through Thucydides and Plutarch.
- The AO3 source skills: making supported inferences from a source, comparing two sources, and judging how useful a source is for a stated enquiry using content, provenance (nature, origin and purpose) and contextual knowledge, rather than labelling a source reliable or biased.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History skills guide to the AO3 source questions, explaining how to make supported inferences, compare two sources, and judge how useful a source is for a stated enquiry using content, provenance and contextual knowledge, with a method that transfers across the Greek and Roman options.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Ancient History J198 specification — OCR (2017)
- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War (Perseus Digital Library) — Perseus Digital Library