Born to Xanthippus and Agariste, an Athenian of noble family, Pericles is known for holding sway over the Golden Age of Athens from the 450’s BC to 429BC and was responsible for rebuilding the city after it was attacked by the Persians, and also for the commission of the Parthenon.
He had naturally great mental powers that were greatly improved by attending the lectures of Zeno and other philosophers, and possessed great oratory skills, which was very important in a time when many of the electorate were not literate. He became a commander, a statesman and an orator, gaining the esteem of the people by both his address and liberality – the prosperity and happiness of the Athenian people was his primary concern and he did everything he could to ensure this happened; the people held him in high regard because of this.
He gained power after using ostracism to remove his only formidable political opponent, Cimon, by accusing him of acting as a friend of Sparta and betraying his city. After this the was a lack of any real opposition, and so he became the unchallengeable leader of Athens until his death in 429BC.
He intended to enforce reforms to Athenian democracy to take it to a new plane, such as the introduction of state pay to members of juries, so not only the rich could afford to sit on them – this both removed unjustified privilege and promoted equality of opportunity.
Pericles made war against the Lacedaemonians, and restored the temple of Delhi to the care of the Phocians, who had been improperly deprived of that honourable trust. He was also the father of the Peloponnesian War, fomented by his ambitious views, which he led for two years but it continued for twenty-five years after his death. His great Funeral Oration, given at a state funeral for the war dead, is well known as a celebration of Athens and her victories, veering from normal eulogy format and stirring the spirits of a state still at war, and was one of the last examples of his impressive talents as an orator.
At length he lost popularity but this was only temporary and all honours were restored to him. He died after a fatal pestilence that prevailed in that year, aged sixty-nine.
Basically, Pericles is known for being a determined, successful and altogether heroic leader; a citizen and soldier, an image presented as ‘fair of face and sound of heart’ (kalos kai agathos) – and by all accounts he really, really was.
(apologies for not posting for awhile, exams have been crowding my head, but I promised a post about Pericles and I intended to deliver)
cynicides 