Pericles

The Peloponnesian wars began during this Golden Age. No amount of fighting stopped the Golden age from occurring though. Pericles came to prominence at the beginning and part of his agenda was to rebuild the Acropolis. The Athenian Acropolis was destroyed by the Persians when Athens had to abandon their home for safety. Amongst the rubble was the temple of Athena. Pericles had the temple, also known as the Parthenon, rebuilt first. The…

In this present democratic society, political debates over policy are at the forefront of the collective conscious of the American people, particularly at this stage in the election cycle. Those of us living in the postmodern age, however, tend to fall into the highly fallacious mindset wherein democracy is thought of as being an invention of the recent age, and an idea about which we can learn very little by appealing to the ancient world which is so rife with stories of empires and conquests.…

gathered from the book “The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures” by Lynn Hunt it claims that the Athens are more at fault for these problems. A reason that points the finger to Athens having most of the fault is their Golden Age general Pericles. Pericles was a selfish general who only thing he wanted was to revive his popularity among the Athenians. Because even though when the Athens and Spartans where discussing a solution…

In his eulogy to Pericles in chapter 65, Thucydides places the Athenian leader above his successors. Throughout the chapter, Thucydides portrays Pericles as an ideal leader because of his moderate and conservative policy in peace and his deliberative plan of action during the war. Pericles was a man who led people instead of being led by them, who, “by his rank, ability, and known integrity, was enabled…

Life of the Greek Artist Phidias Artist’s Life and Times Phidias was a sculptor, painter, and architect from Athens who lived between 490-430 B.C. He rose to prominence when Pericles ascended to power in 449 B.C., and he was given the mantle to lead all artistic undertakings in Athens. After the victory over Persia, Pericles commissioned his close friend and adviser, Phidias, to build major statues for the city in order to beautify it. During this period, he created among other works, the three…

Thucydides describes different events that take place during the Peloponnesian War. Keeping the chronology in mind, he gives us each and every detail of the war that he also lived through. Thucydides uses elaborative speeches throughout the text, Pericles’ eulogy being the best of them. While these elaborative speeches and debate are persuading and motivating, they also reflect the oral culture among the Greeks. Thucydides interpretation of the causes and events of the Peloponnesian War is…

In around 450 B.C., the Athenian general Pericles attempted to combine his influence by utilizing open cash, the duty paid to Athens by its associates in the Delian League coalition, to bolster the city-state's craftsmen and scholars. Above all else, Pericles paid artisans to fabricate sanctuaries and other open structures in the city of Athens. He contemplated that along these lines he could win the doling so as to back of the Athenian individuals out a lot of development occupations; in the…

Herodotus and Thucydides are the first Greek historians credited for documenting history. Not only are Herodotus and Thucydides credited for writing the first accounts of ancient Greek history, but they each shaped the future of historical writing in their own unique ways. The Peloponnesian and Persian wars were both important conflicts that focused on independence. Herodotus earned the designation “The Father of History” because before his writings, the Greeks had no word for history in terms…

The Poleis (city-states) in Ancient Greece persisted always on a tenuous basis since they were small, lacked stability, and were unable to form solid lasting alliances. Thus Athen’s dominance and wealth during its golden period (known as The Age of Pericles, 480 BCE-404 BCE) were more of an exception to the status quo of the times than otherwise. (Brand, n.d.) The end of Athen’s democracy can be attributed to several aspects of its environment including the fragility of its power, the…

supporting the censorship of any of our fellow Athenian brothers, even if we disagree with what they say. As Pericles said, “[We are] far from exercising a jealous surveillance over each other, [and] we do not feel called upon to be angry with our neighbor for doing what he likes” (Carnes et al., p. 91). Socrates may aggravate us to no end, but that does not mean we should punish…