Pericles and the re-build of the Acropolis
Question One-
Pericles was the leader and General of Athens during the so called Golden Ages (A golden age is a period in a field of endeavour when great tasks were accomplished. ) He was born 495 B.C in Athens, Greece and died in 429 B.C. Pericles ruled during 461-429 B.C. after Ephialtes and was described as a brilliant general, orator, patron of the arts and politician—”the first citizen” of democratic Athens, according to the historian Thucydides. Pericles grew up in one of Athens leading families, his father Xanthippus who was a hero of the Persian war, and his Mother Agariste belonged to the culturally powerful Alcmaeonidae family. Pericles is known as the reason why the Acropolis and The Parthenon …show more content…
Pericles had the best sculptors of their era working on these projects, all who decorated the structures with grand statues and friezes. Throughout his early life, he was greeted with wealth and inherited great sums of money which helped him become a distinguished patron of arts. In 451 B.C. Pericles condoned a law of Athenian citizenship. Pericles' new law heightened the status of Athenian mothers and made Athenian citizenship a more private and exclusive category, definitively setting Athenians off from all others. One reason why this law may have been placed was to limit the number of people who were entitled to the benefits of the citizenship. Another was that Athenians at the time wanted to restrict the benefits of the citizenship to ‘pure’ Athenians, those born to both Athenian parents. Ironically, Pericles himself almost became a victim of his own law when his mistress Aspasia gave birth to his illegitimate son. His son should never have become a citizen since the necessity was to have citizenship in both parents. However it was the people that took pity on Pericles after some of the misfortunes he had …show more content…
upper class, middle class and lower class. The wealthy were separated from the poor and there were vast differences in politics, power and wealth. The upper class was full of wealthy citizens, their wealth came from owning property and land. The upper class Athenians had full control over the politics of Athens and were in charge of the government work. Most upper class Athenians owned slaves as if they were property who attended to their daily chores and house/land work. Below the upper class were the middle class who tended to not be from Athens but had lived there most of their lives. They did not have as much say in political matters or governing concerns like the upper class did, people in the middle class were also referred to as ‘free men’. Unlike the upper class, the middle class needed permission to own land and property. Lower class citizens were commonly poor and less fortunate than the other classes. While kids at age 8 would attend school to learn, some lower class children had to stay at home to help around the house. However Pericles helped to bring the lower class to a better living when he granted poor people entry into plays which the government paid for the admission fees. Pericles also created an assembly called the Ecclesia which gave governmental power to the poor.
Question One-
Pericles was the leader and General of Athens during the so called Golden Ages (A golden age is a period in a field of endeavour when great tasks were accomplished. ) He was born 495 B.C in Athens, Greece and died in 429 B.C. Pericles ruled during 461-429 B.C. after Ephialtes and was described as a brilliant general, orator, patron of the arts and politician—”the first citizen” of democratic Athens, according to the historian Thucydides. Pericles grew up in one of Athens leading families, his father Xanthippus who was a hero of the Persian war, and his Mother Agariste belonged to the culturally powerful Alcmaeonidae family. Pericles is known as the reason why the Acropolis and The Parthenon …show more content…
Pericles had the best sculptors of their era working on these projects, all who decorated the structures with grand statues and friezes. Throughout his early life, he was greeted with wealth and inherited great sums of money which helped him become a distinguished patron of arts. In 451 B.C. Pericles condoned a law of Athenian citizenship. Pericles' new law heightened the status of Athenian mothers and made Athenian citizenship a more private and exclusive category, definitively setting Athenians off from all others. One reason why this law may have been placed was to limit the number of people who were entitled to the benefits of the citizenship. Another was that Athenians at the time wanted to restrict the benefits of the citizenship to ‘pure’ Athenians, those born to both Athenian parents. Ironically, Pericles himself almost became a victim of his own law when his mistress Aspasia gave birth to his illegitimate son. His son should never have become a citizen since the necessity was to have citizenship in both parents. However it was the people that took pity on Pericles after some of the misfortunes he had …show more content…
upper class, middle class and lower class. The wealthy were separated from the poor and there were vast differences in politics, power and wealth. The upper class was full of wealthy citizens, their wealth came from owning property and land. The upper class Athenians had full control over the politics of Athens and were in charge of the government work. Most upper class Athenians owned slaves as if they were property who attended to their daily chores and house/land work. Below the upper class were the middle class who tended to not be from Athens but had lived there most of their lives. They did not have as much say in political matters or governing concerns like the upper class did, people in the middle class were also referred to as ‘free men’. Unlike the upper class, the middle class needed permission to own land and property. Lower class citizens were commonly poor and less fortunate than the other classes. While kids at age 8 would attend school to learn, some lower class children had to stay at home to help around the house. However Pericles helped to bring the lower class to a better living when he granted poor people entry into plays which the government paid for the admission fees. Pericles also created an assembly called the Ecclesia which gave governmental power to the poor.