To the classical Greeks, hubris meant more than overconfidence or excessive pride. It evoked a deliberate, dishonorable offense against status boundaries, especially those separating humanity from the divine, and was accompanied by physical violence. Committing hubris led to nemesis, which led to destruction.
“Hubris: Pericles, the Parthenon, and the Invention of Athens” by David Stuttard offers an account of Athens during its golden age in the 5th century. It shows how over a course of less than 100 years Athens rose from just another Greek city-state to become the master of the Mediterranean and drift from there to defeat. The author shows that Athens followed the classical pattern of hubris to nemesis to destruction during this period.
