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Pericles. Pericles had such a profound influence on Athenian society that Thucydides, a contemporary historian, acclaimed him as "the first citizen of Athens". Pericles turned the Delian League into an Athenian empire, and led his countrymen during the first two years of the Peloponnesian War.

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Likewise, why is Pericles important to history?

Pericles is perhaps most famous for his great building projects. He wanted to establish Athens as the leader of the Greek world and wanted to build an acropolis that represented the city's glory. He rebuilt many temples on the acropolis that were destroyed by the Persians.

One may also ask, who is Pericles and why is he important? 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.

Similarly, what was the impact of Pericles death?

He increased Athens' power through his use of the Delian League to form the Athenian empire and led his city through the First Peloponnesian War (460-446 BCE) and the first two years of the Second Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE). He was still actively engaged in political life when he died of the plague in 429 BCE.

What did Pericles do?

Pericles (roughly 495-429 BC) was an extremely influential statesman, orator, and general of ancient Athens. He organized the Athenian Empire and commanded his people in the Peloponnesian War against the rival Greek city of Sparta.

Related Question Answers

What is a golden age in history?

A golden age is a period in a field of endeavor when great tasks were accomplished. The term originated from early Greek and Roman poets, who used it to refer to a time when mankind lived in a better time and was pure (see Golden Age).

What was Pericles like as a ruler?

In 461, he assumed rule of Athens—a role he would occupy until his death. During his leadership, he built the Acropolis and Parthenon and led Athens' recapture of Delphi, the siege on Samos and the invasion of Megara. In 429, he died of the plague.

How did Pericles achieve his goals?

that this period often is called the Age of Pericles. He had three goals: (1) to strengthen Athenian democracy, (2) to hold and strengthen the empire, and (3) to glorify Athens.

What did Athens contribute to the world?

Democracy The ancient Greeks created the world's first democracy. Athens started out with a monarchy and then advanced to an oligarchy until it finally reached a democracy. The democratic government consisted of 6,000 assembly members, all of whom were adult male citizens.

What happened to Athens after they lost the war to Sparta?

A mere 10 years after Athens was defeated they rebuilt the Long Walls and secured an alliance with the Persian Empire, of all states. Only 30 years after they won the war - Sparta was crushed by Thebes. The dreams of Sparta died on the plain of Leuctra. Thebes was erased by the Macedonians.

What was Pericles most known for?

The so-called golden age of Athenian culture flourished under the leadership of Pericles (495-429 B.C.), a brilliant general, orator, patron of the arts and politician—”the first citizen” of democratic Athens, according to the historian Thucydides.

When did Athens fall?

He was responsible for the full development of the Athenian democracy that shaped Athens' politics and culture. Although Athens was enjoying a golden age while led by Pericles, this soon came to an end and thus began the fall of Athens. That fall began in 431 B.C.E. when the 27 year long Peloponnesian War began.

What started the Peloponnesian War?

The reasons for this war are sometimes traced back as far as the democratic reforms of Cleisthenes, which Sparta always opposed. However, the more immediate reason for the war was Athenian control of the Delian League, the vast naval alliance that allowed it to dominate the Mediterranean Sea.

What plague did Pericles die from?

Typhus

How did Pericles increase the role of the poor in government?

How did Pericles increase the role of the poor in government? Pericles increased the number of public officials who were paid. As a result, even poor citizens could hold public office if chosen. Before the war, Athens was the most powerful city-state.

How did Pericles define citizenship?

The Citizenship Law of Pericles. Previously, the offspring of Athenian men who married non-Athenian women were granted citizenship. Aristocratic men in particular had tended to marry rich foreign women, as Pericles' own maternal grandfather had done.

Why was it called the Golden Age of Greece?

Fifth-century Athens is the Greek city-state of Athens in the time from 480–404 BC. This was a period of Athenian political hegemony, economic growth and cultural flourishing formerly known as the Golden Age of Athens with the later part The Age of Pericles.

What was the most important accomplishment of Pericles quizlet?

Pericles's most important accomplishment was making Athens a more democratic city-state by appointing people to positions based on their skill and abilities instead of their social class.

What made Athens great?

Athens was the largest and most powerful Greek state. It was a city with lots of beautiful public buildings, shops and public baths. The people of Athens lived below the Acropolis (rocky hill). The marble Parthenon, a temple, (see picture above) was built on the highest part of the Acropolis.

What led to the golden age?

The “golden age” of Greece lasted for little more than a century but it laid the foundations of western civilization. The age began with the unlikely defeat of a vast Persian army by badly outnumbered Greeks and it ended with an inglorious and lengthy war between Athens and Sparta.

Why is the 5th century BCE regarded as the golden age of Athenian culture?

The 5th century BCE was a period of Athenian political hegemony, economic growth, and cultural flourishing that is sometimes referred to as the Golden Age of Athens. The latter part of this time period is often called The Age of Pericles.

Who won the Peloponnesian War?

Athens was forced to surrender, and Sparta won the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. Spartans terms were lenient. First, the democracy was replaced by on oligarchy of thirty Athenians, friendly to Sparta.

What was one of Pericles most important democratic innovations?

What was one of Pericles' most important democratic innovations? used its control of the league fleet to coerce dues from weaker members. became the basis for the Athenian Empire, because Athens required the other member city-states to fund warships built and manned by Athenians.

Did Pericles invent democracy?

Only in ancient Athens and in the United States so far has democracy lasted for as much as two hundred years. Pericles was not the founder or inventor of democracy, but he came to its leadership only a half-century after its invention, when it was still fragile.