What Is Pericles Famous For?

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Pericles is perhaps best remembered for a building program centred on the Acropolis which included the Parthenon and for a funeral oration he gave early in the Peloponnesian War

What did Pericles do that was important?

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.

How did Pericles impact the world?

Pericles transformed his city’s alliances into an empire and graced its Acropolis with the famous Parthenon. His policies and strategies also set the stage for the devastating Peloponnesian War, which would embroil all Greece in the decades following his death.

Why was Pericles important to the Golden Age of Athens?

Pericles lifted Athens into a golden age through his support of the arts, architecture, philosophy, and democracy building . ... He advanced the foundations of democracy and governed during Athens’s Golden Age, when the arts, architecture, and philosophy—as well as Athens itself—reached new heights.

What does Pericles mean in world history?

Pericles (l. 495–429 BCE) was a prominent Greek statesman, orator, and general during the Golden Age of Athens. ... Pericles’ name means “surrounded by glory ” and he would live up to his name through his efforts to make Athens the greatest of the Greek city-states.

What are 3 things that Pericles did to strengthen Athens?

Lesson at a Glance

During his time, he sponsored social programs, the arts, and education . He also led Athens into war with Sparta, rallying the spirits of his people during this time. Pericles was a patron of the arts and encouraged new architecture and building styles.

Did Pericles invent democracy?

Pericles turned the Delian League into an Athenian empire and led his countrymen during the first two years of the Peloponnesian War. ... Pericles also fostered Athenian democracy to such an extent that critics call him a populist.

What democratic changes did Pericles bring?

Pericles set about toppling the Areopagus (ar-ee-OP-uh-guhs), or the noble council of Athens, in favor of a more democratic system that represented the interests of the people. He introduced the practice of paying citizens to serve on juries , which allowed poor men to leave work and participate in the justice system.

How does Pericles strengthen democracy?

To strengthen democracy, Pericles increased the number of public officials who were paid . Earlier in Athens, most positions were unpaid. This made it hard for less wealthy people to hold government jobs. Now even the poorest citizen could serve if elected.

What was the most important accomplishment of Pericles?

Pericles is perhaps best remembered for a building program centred on the Acropolis which included the Parthenon and for a funeral oration he gave early in the Peloponnesian War , as recorded by Thucydides. In the speech he honoured the fallen and held up Athenian democracy as an example to the rest of Greece.

Why was the age of Pericles known as the Golden Age?

This era is also referred to as the “Age of Pericles” after the Athenian statesman who directed the affairs of Athens when she was at the height of her glory . During this period of time significant advances were made in a number of fields including government, art, philosophy, drama and literature.

What did Thucydides think of Pericles?

Thucydides fervently supported Pericles but was less enthusiastic about the institution of democracy. Under the hands of Pericles, Thucydides thought democracy could be controlled, but without him, it could be dangerous .

Why can Athens be called a city of contrasts?

29.2 Why can Athens be called a city of contrasts? Athens can be called a city of contrasts because, people lived in small uncomfortable houses , but the city’s public buildings were large and spacious.

What killed Pericles?

One of the victims of the plague that swept Athens in 430 BC was Pericles himself. According to the historian Thucydides: ‘... The plague seized Pericles, not with sharp and violent fits, but with a dull lingering distemper, wasting the strength of his body and undermining his noble soul.

Who is the king of Sparta?

Leonidas I Marble statue, possibly of Leonidas, (5th century BC), Sparta, Archæological Museum of Sparta, Greece King of Sparta Reign 489–480 BC Predecessor Cleomenes I

What were Pericles beliefs?

To admirers of democracy he is almost without a peer. The society which he led was imbued with his ideas—an overmastering love of Athens, a passionate belief in freedom for Athenians, and a faith in the ability of man . Pericles’s trust in the intellect was shared by Athens’s leading thinkers.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.