Pericles and Athens in the 5th century BC

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Year 12 assessment – Kristina Cullen

Pericles and Athens in the 5th century BC

  1. Pericles, family background and education, teachers. 300

Pericles was born in Athens in the state of Attica in 494 BC into a very distinguished Athenian family. His father, Xanthippus, belonged to an eminent political family and served as strategos during the Persian War in 479 BC attaining hero status as a result. Pericles’ mother, Agariste, was a member of the Alcmaeonid family, famous for its long involvement in Athens’ political history. Cleisthenes, the famous reformer of the Athenian government in 507 BC, was Pericles’ great-uncle.  Pericles had a traditional education for an Athenian boy of the fifth century. This involved training in rhetoric, oratory and philosophy, recital of the epic poems of Homer, appreciation of music and gymnastics. Pericles was educated by the sophist Daman, who taught him politics, by Zeno the Eleatic who taught him argumentation, and by Anaxagoras who taught him nobility of purpose and character. Largely due to the teachings of Anaxagoras, Pericles was very careful of the way in which he spoke, and what he chose to say.

  1. Early political career of Pericles to 40BC, association with Ephialtes 300

Pericles started his political career at an early age. At first, however, he restrained his ambitions because he was fearful that due to his social standing, he would be considered to be a tyrant or even dangerous for Greece. To get around this problem, he promoted the interests of the demos -- the most numerous classes of middle and low income citizens -- so as to avoid their suspicion.

Pericles started his political career in the law courts and was one of the leading prosecutors in getting Cimon ostracized from Athens in 461B.C. Having got rid of his political opponent and the murder of his other political rival Ephialtes in 461B.C. Pericles was able to consolidate his position as leading statesmen for Athens.

As well was being in charge of the military during the Peloponnesian Wars; Pericles also did a lot to improve Athens and the people that resided there. Admittedly some of his acts would have been to gain support from the masses. Some of his laws, which he passed, allowed the poor to attend theatrical performances for free. He also passed a law, which stated that jury service should be paid for. He also used the money that the allies had saved for The Peloponnesian War to fund for the rebuilding of Athens in 448 B.C, which saw the rebuilding of the Acropolis and the Parthenon. This not only showed to Athens allies what a beautiful and powerful city Athens was but also gave work to Athenians.

Statement by Plutarch “Epilates…. tried to dethrone the council of Areopagus” “the populace. Under the lead of Ephialtes robbed the council of the Areopagus of all but a few of the cases of its jurisdiction. They made themselves masters of the courts of justice, and plunged the polis into unmitigated democracy”

  1. Pericles as a military leader (strategos) campaigns he was involved in during the 450s and 440s BC – Egyptian expedition, first Peloponnesian was 600

Pericles’ political leadership and position as strategos gave him extensive power and influence as a military leader. As strategos he commanded military and naval expeditions, could conduct preliminary negotiations with foreign states and convene the Ecclesia. He was also very influential in the Ecclesia’s decision making and could persuade them to give him military commands against the allies of the Delian League. In 454 BC, Pericles was elected strategos and the Ecclesia gave him the command of 100 triremes to fight against the Peloponnesians. He defeated an army from Sicyon at Nemea and then attacked Acarnania. He ravaged and looted the land but was unsuccessful in his attempt to besiege the city of Oeniadae. His role as strategos and ability to persuade the people gave him significant power and influence as a military leader.

Pericles’ military leadership was largely based on his role and influence in the Delian League. The League was bound to Athens as its leader. As the leading citizen of Athens, the League provided Pericles with military contingents, ships and money to fund expeditions and the expansion of the Athenian fleet. For example, the allies sent military contingents to fight the Peloponnesians in Boeotia at the battle of Tanagra in 457 BC in support of Pericles’ attempts to expand the land empire. Pericles forced the League to support Athens in pursuing Athens’ own interests thus increasing his power and influence as a military leader.

Pericles was largely responsible for the increased Athenian control over the allies. He wished to spend allied money on his building program, which involved building both monumental buildings and also the greatness of Athens. His ability to persuade the Athenians to his viewpoint meant that he was able to convince them to give him more military power and influence in order to control the allies and thus maintain Athens’ tribute income. In 453 BC, Pericles installed garrisons in allied states to protect Athenian inspectors and commissioners sent to install Athenian systems of government. In 450 BC, Pericles established Cleruchies on the territory of the allies who were rebelling against Athenian control. According to Plutarch, these Cleruchies ensured ‘a healthy fear of rebellion’ among the allies. In 448 BC, Pericles lead one thousand Athenian settlers to the Chersonese, an ally vital to the Athenian corn trade which Thracian tribes were threatening. The establishment of cleruchies and garrisons in allied states ensured continued Athenian control over the League members, which maintained Pericles’ power and influence as a military leader.

Pericles increased his power and influence as a military leader in 446 BC with the introduction of The Chalcis decree. This decree forced the Euboean allies, who were trying to revolt against Athens, to swear an oath which, according to Plutarch, included statements such as, ‘I will be obedient to the Athenian people.’  He also installed a cleruchy of 4000 settlers in Euboea to re-enforce the decree. The increased control over Euboea increased Pericles military power and influence.

Pericles’ military power and influence was so great throughout the Mediterranean that in 440 BC he was able to usurp Samos’ right to go to war with another state. He took away the independence of a reliable, ship contributing ally because they refused to stop a war against Mytilene, another member of the League, when Athens asked them to. Pericles sailed to Samos with forty ships, seized hostages, established a garrison and set up a democratic government. When the escaped Samian leaders returned and overthrew the democracy, Pericles defeated the Samians at sea. He forced them to pull down their walls, surrender their fleet, pay one thousand two hundred and six talents and swear an oath of loyalty. This outlines the power and influence Pericles had not just in Athens but as a military leader throughout the Mediterranean.

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Conflict with Sparta threatened Athens’ control in the Mediterranean, thus threatening Pericles power and influence as military leader. Pericles attempted to remedy this situation with the negotiation of a formal peace treaty with Sparta in 446 BC. This was known as The Thirty-Years Peace Treaty. It recognized that Greece was divided into two power blocks and that neither Athens nor Sparta would attempt to control the states that were controlled by the other. It allowed Pericles to maintain his military power and influence over the dealings with the Delian League. Thucydides wrote:  “The reason for this was that Pericles, ...

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