Abstract
This article explores Ancient Greek paradeigmata—“examples”—as instances of applied history and as actions undertaken, not to achieve a material objective, but because they convey a certain message—meaning that they are examples of strategic communication. It discusses the semantics of paradeigma, its associated grammatical constructions, and its explicit function in juridical oratory—where perhaps the idea of making a paradeigma out of someone originated—before examining cases of wilfully established paradeigmata in Thucydides. The article argues that Thucydides portrays paradeigmatic action as an unreliable method of communication that contributes to communication breakdown, which contributes to the tragic aspects of Thucydides’ narrative. Copyright Fredrik Sixtensson, 2026. Published with license by Koninklijke Brill BV. This work is published by Koninklijke Brill BV. Koninklijke Brill BV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Schöningh, Brill Fink, Brill mentis, Brill Wageningen Academic, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Böhlau and V&R unipress. Koninklijke Brill BV reserves the right to protect the publication against unauthorized use and to authorize dissemination by means of offprints, legitimate photocopies, microform editions, reprints, translations, and secondary information sources, such as abstracting and indexing services including databases. Requests for commercial re-use, use of parts of the publication, and/or translations must be addressed to Koninklijke Brill BV.