Pericles, Athenian statesman of the 5th century B.C., whose name is closely associated with the great age of Athenian democracy and culture, the Athenian Empire, and the Peloponnesian War.
He was born about 495 B.C., son of Xanthippus, a well-known political figure during the period of the Persian Wars, and Agariste, of the Alcmeonid family, one of the most prominent in Athens. Although little is known of his youth, two men seem to have played an important role in his education: Damon, primarily a musician, but one also interested in philosophy and politics; and the rationalist philosopher Anaxagoras.
His first marriage produced two sons before ending in divorce, and he spent the last 15 years of his life in the company of the Milesian-born Aspasia. He was guardian of Alcibiades, who was raised in his home. Pericles had a brother and a sister of whom little is known.
Political Emergence
Pericles' rise to prominence is not easy to trace, but efforts to connect him with all that …show more content…
Although no direct evidence links him to the expansionist foreign policy pursued by Athens in the early years of the 450s, he fully supported the transformation of the Delian League into the Athenian Empire after 455–454. When it became clear that efforts to build an empire while simultaneously trying to wage war against Sparta and its allies as well as Persia seriously overextended Athenian resources, Pericles was instrumental in securing a treaty of peace with the Persians in 449. In the following year he invited all Greek states to send representatives to Athens to discuss matters of common interest: the rebuilding of temples destroyed by the Persians 30 years earlier, freedom of movement on the seas, and peace. When the Spartans refused to participate, nothing came of the plan, but Pericles in 446 secured a 30-year peace with Sparta that acknowledged the existence of the Athenian
He was born about 495 B.C., son of Xanthippus, a well-known political figure during the period of the Persian Wars, and Agariste, of the Alcmeonid family, one of the most prominent in Athens. Although little is known of his youth, two men seem to have played an important role in his education: Damon, primarily a musician, but one also interested in philosophy and politics; and the rationalist philosopher Anaxagoras.
His first marriage produced two sons before ending in divorce, and he spent the last 15 years of his life in the company of the Milesian-born Aspasia. He was guardian of Alcibiades, who was raised in his home. Pericles had a brother and a sister of whom little is known.
Political Emergence
Pericles' rise to prominence is not easy to trace, but efforts to connect him with all that …show more content…
Although no direct evidence links him to the expansionist foreign policy pursued by Athens in the early years of the 450s, he fully supported the transformation of the Delian League into the Athenian Empire after 455–454. When it became clear that efforts to build an empire while simultaneously trying to wage war against Sparta and its allies as well as Persia seriously overextended Athenian resources, Pericles was instrumental in securing a treaty of peace with the Persians in 449. In the following year he invited all Greek states to send representatives to Athens to discuss matters of common interest: the rebuilding of temples destroyed by the Persians 30 years earlier, freedom of movement on the seas, and peace. When the Spartans refused to participate, nothing came of the plan, but Pericles in 446 secured a 30-year peace with Sparta that acknowledged the existence of the Athenian