The “Athenian Golden Age” can best be explained as the peaceful time when Athens was under Pericles’ rule (about 495-429 B.C.). During this time, Athenian culture flourished. Art, socialism, and architecture was thriving. One example was when Pericles delved into the city-state’s funds to do things, such as create temples and buildings, such as the very famous Parthenon. It was said by the great historian Thucydides, that Pericles’ speeches “celebrate the greatness of a democratic Athens at its peak” (“Pericles”, n.d.).…
Pericles, being the man of approved “wisdom and eminent reputation,” was chosen by the state to administer an appropriate eulogy. He begins his Oration by commending all those who contributed their lives to defending the Athenian Empire. Quickly after his appraisal, Pericles transitions into glorifying the democratic institutions in which Athens was founded upon. “And if our more remote ancestors deserve praise, much more do our own fathers, who added to their inheritance the empire which we now possess, and spared no to be able to leave their acquisitions to us of the present generation.” (2.36, PG. 112) Pericles continues by describing how democracy not only exhibits freedom in government, but also in ordinary life, which in turn allowed the public to pursue means of…
Pericles became the leader of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War and was responsible for the rebuilding and reconstructing of this city. He became very powerful and well known through out the age of the 5th century, so powerful that this became known as the age of Pericles. He was the son of Xanthippus and Agariste. His father, Xanthippus was a military leader during the Peloponnesian Wars and was the victor at the Battle of Mycale. He would later ostracize himself in the spring of 484. Pericles came from a line of royalty which made it all the more easier for him to come to power. The helots revolt in Sparta and the current leader of Athens, Cimon lead troops to aid Sparta which the people…
Thucydides, a known historian during the time, described and analyzed the motives of the infamous Peloponnesian War. The war was between two powerful city-states: Athens and Sparta. The conflict arose due to excessive power. The Athenians were optimistic that they were the driving force that led Greece and all of its city-states. Specifically, the historian focuses on the funeral oration presented by Pericles. Pericles, ironically, doesn’t display sorrow but displays comfort and proud of what each individual has contributed to Athens. For Pericles, it wasn’t about the tragic fatalities but about courage and patriotism. Pericles believes in Athens and knows that this city-state possesses many freedoms and opportunities for success and peace.…
In this famous Funeral Oration, Pericles gave voice to the ideal of democracy and the importance of the individual. It was the Greeks who created the intellectual foundations of our Western heritage. They asked some basic questions about human life, philosophy, education and religion that still dominate our own intellectual pursuits , such as :…
In Pericles’s funeral oration, Pericles delivered his famous speech to commemorate the troops who had fallen in battle. In the speech Pericles opens with stoicism and reverence, honoring the ancestors of Athens. He recounts the special qualities of the Athenians, of being ruled and their ability to be rulers redefining many traditional Greek virtues in a radically new light. The idea that the citizens of Athens put aside their wants and strived for the greater good of the city is a central theme of the speech. Bound together by their mutual trust and desire for freedom, the Athenians submitted to the laws and obeyed the public officials not out of necessity but out of respect. The people of Athens were able to adapt to any situation and rise…
After Pericles’ death, Thucydides foreshadows the plight of all later leaders, noting they were unable to rule the people as Pericles had, instead they “managed all these affairs in the opposite way” and “resorted to handing over affairs to the people’s pleasure” (2.65), resulting in frequent missteps. Although this is presented to the reader, they still search for hope as the later leaders struggle to find the perfect balance of rationality and wisdom Pericles had achieved. There are frequent similarities between Pericles and his successors, but for Kleon, those similarities do not align him closer to the greatness of Pericles but rather highlight their differences.…
In the history of the ancient Greek civilization, there were many powerful and contributing men and women. Only one could be called the “Greatest Greek” and that man’s name is Pericles. Pericles was a wise and powerful leader of the city of Athens. He was a great supporter of the concept of democracy. Pericles guided Athens almost through the entire Peloponnesian War. Pericles promoted the arts and literature. This was a main reason Athens held the reputation of being the educational and cultural centre of the ancient Greek world.…
In the fifth century B.C, during the time of Athens’s Golden Age, Greek culture flourished. Throughout the Golden Age, the Ancient Greeks developed key concepts that lead to their cultural and intellectual advancement. These concepts that stemmed from the development of the Greeks city states have not changed from time; in fact, they are still linked to today’s Western Tradition. The major principles of Ancient Greek and Athenian culture that show that we are a Hellenistic people include advancements in the arts, the sciences, and in politics.…
Along with their personal traits, Athens had freedom. This freedom involved the individual more than the city and this made their imperialism possible. This freedom will create en energy in the city but will lead to problems and decline for Athens. Athens will have troubles with factions and the internal conflicts that come with. Pericles will be able to prolong the problems for Athens. He was able to do this by appealing to the passion and love for glory and the need for ultimate devotion. These more individualistic people will be able to connect with something other than themselves with this passion. The connection is there because it tends to be egoistic and leads to a more intense devotion and increased willingness to sacrifice. When this…
Pericles led Athens for a strong fifteen years, and during those years, Pericles was able to turn Athens into the best of the Greek city-states. The rising of Athens inevitably caused jealousy and strife amongst its competing city-states, leading to the Peloponnesian War in 431 BC. Ironically, in the end, Pericles falls to the plague along with his two sons in 429 BC. Without his guidance, Athens ultimately lost the Peloponnesian War and, after that, it never managed to recover its glory. It can be said that Pericles was the man whose life gave Athens its power , as well as the man whose death deprived Athens of its…
In 461 B.C.E. another man named Pericles helped begin the rise of democracy in Athens to what would be its peak. The period following, until his death, was known as the “Age of Pericles” (Levack et al, 2011, pg. 92.). During this time there were approximately 40,000 male citizens of which only free men over 18 were allowed to be involved in politics. Bureaucratic positions, including “generals” and “administrators,” totaled up to be around 1,500 officials (Levack et al, 2011, pg. 93.).…
When I was a young lad, I was fascinated by the Greek myths. I especially loved the fabulous accounts of the gods told by Herodotus who could tell the amazing tales in a way that brought them almost to life. However, as I grew older, I began to see the world through more critical eyes and rejected the stories I once loved so much as foolishness. It was during these adolescent years that I came upon a manuscript by the great historian Thucydides who cut away any nonsense in his writing. To Thucydides, the past was something worthy of being seriously studied. His work the History of the Peloponnesian War is a masterpiece. Unfortunately, his account of the war, which began in 431, has only been completed up to the year 411. He may get a bit further in his old age, but it is highly unlikely he makes it all the way to the current day in 403 B.C. where history is surely to be made. This is my opportunity to make something of myself. I have been aimlessly travelling the world with my father on his grain ships, avoiding my duty as a soldier and observing different systems of government throughout Greece and the surrounding countries. I have talked with countless democrats, oligarchs, and tyrants, yet I am still not sure which system will be the best for our beloved Athens. History is going to be made in the next few months, and I plan to follow in…
The Funeral Oration of Pericles and The Melian Dialogue are two primary sources that present us the true nature of Athens. The evidence from the two primary sources states to us that Athens are a people that don’t look upon others and that they only care about themselves. Surviving and making sure that their people history stay alive is Athens main agenda and they will stop at nothing to make sure they reach their goal.…
Little is known about Phidias' life. When Pericles rose to power in 449, he initiated a great building program in Athens and placed Phidias in charge of all artistic undertakings. Among works for which Phidias is famous are three monuments to Athena on the Athenian Acropolis (the Athena Promachos, the Lemnian Athena, and the colossal Athena Parthenos for the Parthenon) and the colossal seated Zeus for the Temple of Zeus at Olympia; none of these survives in the original.…