No wonder that the age of Pericles has been called the golden age of Greek civilisation. So Pericles started a major rebuilding program. Pericles, the man whose name has the meaning “surrounded by glory” behind it certainly lived up to that title, considering the years he ruled Athens is known to be called the ‘Age of Pericles’. Ictinus and Callicrates served as architects for the Parthenon. Artists and sculptors, playwrights and poets, architects and philosophers all found Athens an exciting and enlivening atmosphere for their work. The Age of Pericles runs from the middle of the 5th century to either his death at the start of the Peloponnesian War or the end of the war, in 404. The Age of Pericles: A History of the Politics and Arts of Greece from the Persian to the Peloponnesian War - Vol. It lasted for 27 years. to 429 B.C. ** The image above shows "The Acropolis at Athens" by Leo von Klenze Leo von Klenze [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons The period began in 480 BC when an Athenian-led coalition of city-states, known as the Delian League , defeated the Persians at Salamis . Pericles encouraged growth in the arts, including music and drama. for print copy click here. The days of an aggressive towards Sparta had returned. But then the Peloponnesian War broke out in 431. A statesman of ancient Greece, who tried to unite the country under the leadership of his own city, Athens (see also Athens).Pericles also promoted democracy within Athens. This indeed led to friction between Athens and the other members, but as Athens had naval control over the seas, the only other alternatives were that of the Spartans and the Persians. Though Sparta did envy the port of Piraeus, it was not seen as a threat. Sometimes the term "Classical Age" refers to the entire expanse of ancient Greek history, from the archaic period, but when used to distinguish one era from the next, the Classical Age of Greece begins with the Persian Wars (490-479 B.C.) With the funds available to him, he immediately set about a rebuilding program with his two main objectives of rebuilding the temples on the acropolis and linking Athens with the port of Piraeus. The money was supposed to be for the defense of Athens and its Greek allies. He was descended, through his mother, from the powerful and historically influential Alcmaeonid family. Temples topped the Acropolis, which was behind the Pnyx hill where the assembly of the people gathered. After the death of his wife Aspesia, Pericles lost interest in administration. Pericles, a great supporter of democracy, was a Greek leader and statesman during the Peloponnesian War. Athens Died 429 B.C. By William Watkiss Lloyd. He also led Athens during the period of the Peloponnesian War. Many historians refer to the era as the age of Pericles. Following a huge earthquake in the Peloponesse in 462 B.C. While the latter was courtesy the inheritance, the former was an ability honed through myriad battles. Useful reading: Russel Meiggs, The Athenian Empire; Victor Ehrenberg, From Solon to Socrates. in Athens to an aristocratic family. He suffered from plague and breathed his last in 429 B.C. However, Athens was split over what to do. Was Athens planning another attack on Persia, which in return could lead to the Persians attacking Sparta, as they would be less protected? The Persians had destroyed much of the city during the Persian Wars. The Delian League, which was established to prevent against the Persian threat or attack from outsiders, had seemed to run its course in relation to its original objectives. Pericles was repeatedly elected to be one of the 10 strategoi (generals). Eventually the Spartans reluctantly agreed, as they needed their delegation back. There were also renowned philosophers like Democritus during this period, as well as sophists. The Age of Pericles. Most of the 50 years after the Persian Wars were dominated by the figure of the brilliant Athenian statesman Pericles. The Acropolis was the high point of the city, the original fortifiable area before the city of Athens expanded. 1. Due to this insult which was felt throughout Athens, Cimon was banished in 461 B.C. The period began in 478 BC, after the defeat of the Persian invasion, when an Athenian-led coalition of city-states, known as the Delian League, confronted the … The period during which he led Athens, roughly from 461 to 429 BC, is sometimes known as the "Age of Pericles,". Pericles as Leader While he was not a king or dictator in charge of Athens, Greece, Pericles was the foremost statesman of Athens from 461-429. During the Age of Pericles, a great deal of notable dramatic writers entertained the masses, which included: Aeschylus (~ 525,456 BC) Aeschylus focused on writing pieces centered on mythological and religious themes. In 461 B.C. Formerly known as the Golden Age of Athens, the later part being the Age of Pericles, it was buoyed by political hegemony, economic growth and cultural flourishing. Though the league continued to offer protection to its members, Athens started abusing the league and dominating it for its own personal gain. Amazing world (15) ANCIENT GREECE (3) basic knowledge (27) EARLIEST STATES 16TH MAHAJANPADS (1) INDUS VALLEY (3) LATER VEDIC AGE (3) MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION (3) pre-historic period (1) RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS OF SIXTH CENTURY B.C. Historians of the Archaic and Classical Period, Historians When Greece Was Dominated by the Macedonians, Political Aspects of the Classical Age of Greece, 30 Maps of Ancient Greece Show How a Country Became an Empire, Pericles' Funeral Oration - Thucydides' Version, The Peloponnesian War: Causes of the Conflict, Overview of the Archaic Age of Ancient Greek History, How Athenian Democracy Developed in 7 Stages, The Story of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory, Timeline of Battles and Treaties in Peloponnesian War, M.A., Linguistics, University of Minnesota, Arrian & fragments of Arrian found in Photius. and ends with either the empire-building or the death of the Macedonian leader Alexander the Great (323 B.C.). His achievements included the construction of the Acropolis, begun in 447. After Cimon, the son of Miltiades, became a key politician in Athens, the policy of Athens towards Sparta became less aggressive. At the same time, civil wars break out and entire civilizations collapse. During the Age of Pericles, Athens blossomed as a center of education, art, culture, and democracy. With Pericles warning Sparta that they now had to accept the help of Athens it was taken as a huge insult that the Cimon and the troops were sent back as soon as they reached Sparta. The ancient Greek statesman Pericles (ca 495–429 B.C.) Lecture 16 - Radical Democracy in the Age of Pericles. Pericles was born c. 495 BC, in the deme of Cholargos just north of Athens.α[›] He was the son of the politician Xanthippus, who, although ostracized in 485–484 BC, returned to Athens to command the Athenian contingent in the Greek victory at Mycale just five years later. The Age of Pericles was a period of tremendous creativity and learning that peaked in the mid-400s B.C. The Age of Pericles runs from the middle of the 5th century to either his death at the start of the Peloponnesian War or the end of the war, in 404. Pericles initiated the building of the Acropolis structures. Often times, he is seen as the father (or the founder) of tragedy. From confederacy to empire The Athens assumed the leadership of the Aegean Greeks after the battle of Mycale. Athens used the league in many ways, such as economically, territorially, religiously and politically. Pericles Greek General of Athens Born c. 495 B.C. Sparta was very fragile at this time and had to ask Athens for assistance. Pericles was a prominent and influential Greek statesman, orator and general of Athens during its golden age – specifically the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. 2. Cimon became the influential figure in policy towards Sparta. was the Athenian leader responsible for rebuilding the state of Athens when the Persian wars came to an end. Athens Nationality Greek Military General (Strategos) Pericles (c. 495-429 B.C.) A golden age started in Athens with great cultural and artistic attainment. There is a single name that signifies this artistic period: Pericles. Age of Pericles . Agariste was the great-granddaughter of the tyrant o… Athens under Pericles saw the construction of the Acropolis and the glory of the Parthenon, begun in 447 BCE. The last phase in the political development of Athens and its democracy occurred during the political ascendancy of the democratic leader Pericles. In this video we will examine the rise of Pericles as well as the Golden Age of Athens. The plague was especially deadly because people were crowded together within the walls of Athens, Greece, for strategic reasons connected with the war. After Themistocles being banished into isolation in 471 B.C. The Golden Age of Pericles is finally over and the Greece of the Classical Period enters one of the most intense periods of its history. (2) rig vedic age (4) top 10 (20) vedic age … In 461 B.C. He was so important to Athens that his name defines the Periclean age ("The Age of Pericles"), a period when Athens rebuilt what had been destroyed during the recent war with Persia (the Greco-Persian or Persian Wars). The war he will witness is to be the greatest he has ever known. No cover image. Pericles was strongly influenced by Aspasia, a female philosopher and courtesan from Miletus, who lived in Athens, Greece. 2. The other side argued that helping would strengthen Greece as a whole and also be in a position to prevent a further Persian attack should it happen. The famed Athenian sculptor Pheidias, who was also responsible for the chryselephantine statue of Athena, supervised this project. Under Pericles, they became post-Persian-War propagandistic messages about the superiority of Greeks – especially Athenians. Fifth-century Athens is the Greek city-state of Athens in the time from 480 to 404 BC. Gill is a Latinist, writer, and teacher of ancient history and Latin. ** The image above shows "The Acropolis at Athens" by Leo von Klenze Because of a recent citizenship law, Pericles couldn't marry a woman who wasn't born in Athens, so he could only cohabit with Aspasia. He had new temples and statues built across the city. when Pericles became the leader of Athens, he moved the treasury from Delos to the acropolis. Pericles, along with many others, died of an undetermined plague during the war. After some trickery by Themistocles, who visited Sparta and a group of Spartan delegates who went to Athens, the Spartans were persuaded that the walls were in no way a threat to them. Besides war, the Classical era in Athens, Greece, produced great literature, philosophy, drama, and art. Why would Athens need these walls surrounding them? Pericles, (born c. 495 bce, Athens—died 429, Athens), Athenian statesman largely responsible for the full development, in the later 5th century bce, of both the Athenian democracy and the Athenian empire, making Athens the political and cultural focus of Greece. Pericles was one of history’s most formidable statesmen. So, that period is known as the ‘Age of Pericles’. The Age of Pericles was known as a period of _____ and _____ Parthenon Pericles is responsible for constructing this famous building which took 15 years, 20,000 tons of marble and $3 billion (in today's money) to complete. Pericles definition, Athenian statesman. During his reign from 461 B.C. Eventually the members of the league came to realize what Athens was doing. His father, Xanthippus, was a distinguished soldier and political leader. Golden Age of Pericles 18-12-2012 15:39 Fifth century BC was a period of Athenian political hegemony, economic growth and cultural flourishing, also known as Classical Greece , the Golden Age of Athens or else The Age of Pericles . A giant of the 5th century BC, he oversaw the golden age of classical Athens. as a prism through which to view this brief but remarkable era, and to ask why that echo has persisted for so long. there was an uprising of the helmots against Sparta. The characteristics of the Periclean age have been discussed here. Pericles (/ ˈ p ɛr ɪ k l iː z /; Attic Greek: Περικλῆς Periklēs, pronounced [pe.ri.klɛ̂ːs] in Classical Attic; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a prominent and influential Greek statesman, orator and general of Athens during its golden age, specifically the time between the Persian and the Peloponnesian Wars. With the promise of freeing Greece from the domination of Athens, most of Greece took the side of Sparta. 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