[139] The promotion of such an arrogant imperialism is said to have ruined Athens. [42] John Fine, on the other hand, suggests that the first peace between Athens and Persia was concluded in 450–449 B.C.E., as a result of Pericles' strategic calculation that ongoing conflict with Persia was undermining Athens' ability to spread its influence in Greece and the Aegean. This relationship aroused many reactions and even Pericles' own son, Xanthippus, who had political ambitions, did not hesitate to slander his father. [87] Therefore, although they agreed to leave, many rural residents were far from happy with Pericles' decision. During the Age of Pericles, Athens blossomed as a center of education, art, culture, and democracy. Always cautious, he never undertook of his own accord a battle involving much uncertainty and peril and he did not accede to the "vain impulses of the citizens. [95] According to Plutarch, just before the sailing of the ships an eclipse of the moon frightened the crews, but Pericles used the astronomical knowledge he had acquired from Anaxagoras to calm them. He issued his so-called Congress Decree in 449 BCE inviting all the city-states to gather for talks on a unified country but when Sparta refused to attend, the initiative stalled. Throughout the work, he emphasizes how the city has been able to achieve its greatness through the freedom of thought and expression of the people. The painter Polygnotus (5th century BCE) created his famous works which were later immortalized by Pausanias (c. 110 - 180 CE). [92] When the enemy retired and the pillaging came to an end, Pericles proposed a decree according to which the authorities of the city should put aside 1,000 talents and 100 ships, in case Athens was attacked by naval forces. [5][6] One interpretation of the anecdote treats the lion as a traditional symbol of greatness, but the story may also allude to the unusual size of Pericles' skull, which became a popular target of contemporary comedians. Pericles - son of Xanthippus; Athenian politician, 5th century B.C. In this work, Pericles praises the soldiers who fell in battle, the bravery of their Athenian ancestors, the families who sacrificed loved ones for the city, and encourages survivors to honor the memory of the fallen. In the first legendary oration Thucydides puts in his mouth, Pericles advised the Athenians not to yield to their opponents' demands, since they were militarily stronger. Triremes Inquiry Unit “Pericles' Funeral Oration,” in Thucydides (c.460/455-c.399 BCE), Peloponnesian War (Book 2.34-46) Triremes Inquiry Unit “This famous speech was given by the Athenian leader Pericles after… Learn more Pericles came from a rich and high-ranking noble family. According to Paparrigopoulos, history vindicated Cimon, because Athens, after Pericles' death, sank into the abyss of political turmoil and demagogy. 64-65). A freelance writer and former part-time Professor of Philosophy at Marist College, New York, Joshua J. [120], Critics of Pericles' strategy, however, have been just as numerous as its supporters. Greek Sources About Pericles . Crassus and Nicias1 • Demetrius and Antony1 • Demosthenes and Cicero1 • Dion and Brutus1 • Fabius and Pericles1 • Lucullus and Cimon1 Tiberius Gracchus & Gaius Gracchus and Agis & Cleomenes1 • Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus1 • Themistocles and Camillus, 1 Comparison extant Plutarch relates more than the other ancient authors, but he seems almost wholly dependent on Athenian comedy and stories from the Socratic circle for his information, all of which is difficult to verify. Platias Athanasios G., Koliopoulos Constantinos. Pericles, Prince of Tyre, became a voluntary exile from his dominions, to avert the dreadful calamities which Antiochus, the wicked emperor of Greece, threatened to bring upon his subjects and city of Tyre, in revenge for a discovery which the prince had made of a shocking deed which the emperor had done in secret; as commonly it proves dangerous to pry into the hidden crimes of great ones. [26] Hence, he enacted legislation granting the lower classes access to the political system and the public offices, from which they had previously been barred on account of limited means or humble birth. [18] The historian Loren J. Samons, argues, however, that Pericles had enough resources to make a political mark by private means, had he so chosen. [98] This is considered to be a monumental oration, revealing Pericles' virtues but also his bitterness towards his compatriots' ingratitude. [70] Beloch also believes that Pericles deliberately brought on the war to protect his political position at home. Certain city-states would align themselves with either Athens or Sparta, the two most powerful, depending on self-interest and this created the web of alliances which would form the opposing sides of the war. Early accounts simply state that the Spartans did not like the look of Cimon’s soldiers. - Melissa Schwartzberg, Barbarians are expelled from Gallipoli by, Kresilas sculpts the idealised portrait statue of, Pericles Of Athens And The Birth Of Democracy, Thucydides: The War of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, PLUTARCH: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans. In 447 B.C.E. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. [9] Temporarily, he managed to tame the people's resentment and to ride out the storm, but his internal enemies' final bid to undermine him came off; they managed to deprive him of the generalship and to fine him at an amount estimated between 15 and 50 talents. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'newworldencyclopedia_org-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_4',167,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'newworldencyclopedia_org-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_5',167,'0','1']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'newworldencyclopedia_org-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_6',167,'0','2'])); Between 438 B.C.E.-436 B.C.E. [115] The two basic principles of the "Periclean Grand Strategy" were the rejection of appeasement (in accordance with which he urged the Athenians not to revoke the Megarian Decree) and the avoidance of overextension.ια[›] According to Kagan, Pericles' vehement insistence that there should be no diversionary expeditions may well have resulted from the bitter memory of the Egyptian campaign, which he had allegedly supported. The process by which the Delian League transformed into an Athenian empire is generally considered to have begun well before Pericles' time,[53] as various allies in the league chose to pay tribute to Athens instead of manning ships for the league's fleet, but the transformation was speeded and brought to its conclusion by measures implemented by Pericles. [33] He then unsuccessfully tried to take Oeniadea on the Corinthian gulf, before returning to Athens. ", "For men can endure to hear others praised only so long as they can severally persuade themselves of their own ability to equal the actions recounted: when this point is passed, envy comes in and with it incredulity. [104] Nonetheless, these persecutions did not undermine Pericles' morale, although he had to burst into tears in order to protect his beloved Aspasia when she was accused of corrupting Athenian society. But only for a short time. 6. [68], Beyond these initial prosecutions, the ecclesia attacked Pericles himself by asking him to justify his ostensible profligacy with, and maladministration of, public money. [26] According to another historian, Justin Daniel King, radical democracy benefitted people individually, but harmed the state. Ostracon mentioning Pericles, son of Xanthippus. Early years [edit | edit source]. [125] Others, such as Donald W. Knight, conclude that the strategy was too defensive and would not succeed. The Age of Pericles, however, could not last any more than any other in history. Pericles, as commander-in-chief, led the Athenian forces in a number of battles but neither side could gain a significant advantage. [55] Either because of a genuine fear for its safety after the defeat in Egypt and the revolts of the allies, or as a pretext to gain control of the League's finances, Athens transferred the treasury of the alliance from Delos to Athens in 454–453 B.C.E. Cunningham Lawrence S., and John J. Reich. Mark, Joshua J. He also avoided convening the ecclesia, fearing that the populace, outraged by the unopposed ravaging of their farms, might rashly decide to challenge the vaunted Spartan army in the field. Greek Primary Sources Biblical Worldview Questions Name: _____ 2 5. Pericles. [78] The Athenians' justification was that the Megarians had cultivated the sacred land consecrated to Demeter and had given refuge to runaway slaves, a behavior which the Athenians considered to be impious.[79]. This was because he did not have to adapt what he said in order to please his hearers, in an attempt to gain power by improper means, but his standing allowed him even to speak against them and provoke their anger. [80] At that time, the Athenians unhesitatingly followed Pericles' instructions. Pericles was born in Athens, in 495 BCE, to an aristocratic family. ", "Rather, the admiration of the present and succeeding ages will be ours, since we have not left our power without witness, but have shown it by mighty proofs; and far from needing a Homer for our panegyrist, or other of his craft whose verses might charm for the moment only for the impression which they gave to melt at the touch of fact, we have forced every sea and land to be the highway of our daring, and everywhere, whether for evil or for good, have left imperishable monuments behind us. Anaxagoras, in fact, is said to have influenced Pericles’ public demeanor and acceptance of fate, especially after the death of Pericles’ sons from plague. Sparta insulted Athens by dismissing this sizeable force while welcoming the aid of other city-states. (117). Infoplease knows the value of having sources you can trust. [134], Ancient Greek writers call Pericles "Olympian" and vaunt his talents, referring to him "thundering and lightening and exciting Greece" and carrying the weapons of Zeus when orating. c.490 BCE from Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War. [94] Unwilling to engage the Spartan army in battle, he again led a naval expedition to plunder the coasts of the Peloponnese, this time taking 100 Athenian ships with him. [19], Around 462–461 B.C.E. "[82] Another consideration that may well have influenced Pericles' stance was the concern that revolts in the empire might spread if Athens showed herself weak. [10][12] Pericles' manner of thought and rhetorical charisma may have been in part products of Anaxagoras’ emphasis on emotional calm in the face of trouble and skepticism about divine phenomena. The period during which he led Athens, roughly from 461 to 429 B.C.E., is sometimes known as the "Age of Pericles," though the period thus denoted can include times as early as the Greco-Persian Wars, or as late as the next century. Athanasios G. Platias and Constantinos Koliopoulos. [15] If this was so, Pericles must have taken up a position of leadership by the early 460s B.C.E. [99] Ancient sources mention Cleon, a rising and dynamic protagonist of the Athenian political scene during the war, as the public prosecutor in Pericles' trial.[99]. (History, II.34-46). [75] Thus, at the start of the Peloponnesian War, Athens found itself in the awkward position of entrusting its future to a leader whose preeminence had just been seriously shaken for the first time in over a decade. Pericles Funeral Oration Primary Source. In exchange for retracting the Megarian Decree, the Athenians demanded from Sparta to abandon their practice of periodic expulsion of foreigners from their territory (xenelasia) and to recognize the autonomy of its allied cities, a request implying that Sparta's hegemony was also ruthless. During the Persian invasion of 480 BCE, Athens had rallied the other city-states to defense and, afterwards, assumed a dominant position. The ostensible accusation was that Cimon betrayed his city by acting as a friend of Sparta. Soon after the war began, the great leader who had directed the city through the first conflict died in 429 BCE; the plague struck the city and Pericles was among its victims. Hippocrates (c. 460 - c. 370 BCE), who inspired the Hippocratic Oath still taken by physicians today, practiced medicine at Athens while Herodotus (c. 484 - 425/413 BCE), the Father of History, traveled and wrote his famous work. Kagan believes that Cimon adapted himself to the new conditions and promoted a political marriage between Periclean liberals and Cimonian conservatives. [23], Even after Cimon's ostracism, Pericles continued to espouse and promote a populist social policy. Ober, Josiah. "[138], Pericles' most visible legacy can be found in the literary and artistic works of his Golden Age, most of which survive to this day. Tracy compiles and translates the scattered, elusive primary sources relating to Pericles. Power, or its equivalent wealth, created the desire for more power, more wealth. The First Peloponnesian War was fought between Athens and Sparta for supremacy although the actual conflict would primarily involve Athens and Corinth, an ally of Sparta. [32], In the mid-450s the Athenians launched an unsuccessful attempt to aid an Egyptian revolt against Persia, which led to a prolonged siege of a Persian fortress in the Nile River Delta. 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