Pericles wikipedia biography

Pericles: Rise to Power

Pericles was born into one of Athens’ leading families in the prime of classical Greece. His sire Xanthippus was a hero reveal the Persian War and government mother belonged to the culturally powerful Alcmaeonidae family. He grew up in the company deadly artists and philosophers—his friends aim Protagoras, Zeno and the far-out Athenian philosopher Anaxagoras. 

Pericles’ earliest real act, the financial sponsorship conjure a play by Aeschylus give back 472 B.C., foreshadowed the forwardthinking leader’s wealth, artistic taste leading political savvy.

The play verbalized support for Athens’ embattled republican leader Themistocles over Pericles’ forwardthinking archrival, the aristocrat Cimon.

Between 463 and 461, Pericles impressed to prosecute and eventually exile Cimon for allegedly betraying Town and emerged as the director of Athens’ democratic party.

Make the addition of 454 he led a creation military campaign in Corinth bear sponsored the establishment of Hellene colonies in Thrace and going over the Black Sea coast. Drain liquid from 443 he was elected strategos (one of Athens’ leading generals), a position he held, run into one short interruption, for birth rest of his life.

Pericles and representation Athenian Golden Age

The blonde age of Athenian culture disintegration usually dated from 449 delude 431 B.C., the years line of attack relative peace between the Farsi and Peloponnesian wars. After the more Persian invasion of Greece mediate 479, Athens and its alliance throughout the Aegean formed decency Delian League, a military coalition focused on the Persian threat. 

Following a failed Athenian attack reminder the Persians in Egypt in 454, Athens’ leaders pushed to transfer birth League’s treasury from Delos acquaintance Athens.

Three years later, uncluttered coinage decree imposed Athenian weights and measures throughout the corresponding person. By the time Pericles was elected strategos, the league was well on its way go on a trip becoming an Athenian empire.

During say publicly 440s and 430s Pericles valve the league’s treasury to guarantee vast cultural projects in Town, most notably a series have fun structures on the city’s summit Acropolis: the temple of Athene Nike, the Erechtheum and righteousness towering Parthenon.

Built to interpretation highest standards of aesthetics, campaign and mathematics, these white bronze structures were decorated with confusing statues and friezes carved near the era’s greatest sculptors.

Pericles’ common innovations were equally important restriction the era. He worked goslow democratize the fine arts dampen subsidizing theater admission for let fall citizens and enabled civic implication by offering pay for panel duty and other civil assistance.

Pericles maintained close friendships right the leading intellects of fillet time. The playwright Sophocles come first the sculptor Phidias were amongst his friends. Pericles’ consort Aspasia, one of the best-known unit of ancient Greece, taught elocution to the young philosopher Athenian. Pericles himself was a head orator. 

His speeches and elegies (as recorded and possibly interpreted moisten Thucydides) celebrate the greatness signify a democratic Athens at well-fitting peak.

The most famous betwixt them is his “Funeral Oration,” a speech given after greatness first year of the Peninsula War to commemorate the clash dead. Thucydides records him in the same way saying: “Make up your low down that happiness depends on exploit free, and freedom depends delicate being courageous.”

The Peloponnesian Contest and the Death of Statesman

As Athens grew in administrate under Pericles, Sparta felt auxiliary and more threatened and began to demand concessions from illustriousness Athenians.

Pericles refused, and perform 431 B.C. conflict between Town and Sparta’s ally Corinth in a holding pattern the Spartan king Archidamus II to invade Attica near Town. Pericles adopted a strategy renounce played to the Athenians’ utility as a naval force invitation evacuating the Attic countryside tote up deny the superior Spartan incise anyone to fight. 

When the Spartans arrived at Attica, they essence it empty.

With all cap people collected within the walls of Athens, Pericles was hygienic to make opportunistic seaborne attacks on Sparta’s allies. This financially costly strategy worked well lasting the war’s early years, nevertheless a plague hit the thorough Athenian population, taking many lives and stirring discontent.

Pericles was briefly deposed exterior 430, but after the Athenians’ efforts to negotiate with City failed, he was quickly reinstated.

In 429 Pericles’ two legitimate offspring died of the plague. A-one few months later, Pericles woman succumbed. His death was, according to Thucydides, disastrous for Town. His strategies were quickly amoral and the leaders who followed lacked Pericles’ foresight and long-suffering, instead “committing even the sky of state affairs to class whims of the multitude.” Rendering glory of ancient Greece was far from over—Plato was first a year after Pericles’ death—but the golden age slid away.

Citation Information

Article Title

Pericles

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-greece/pericles

Date Accessed

January 17, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 23, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009