Pericles: The founder of democracy
Pericles was a general and politician, orator and scholar. His rule is associated with the Golden Age of Athens , when the arts flourished. Pericles ruled Athens from about 461 BC. A brilliant politician, he embodied Greek democratic ideals and was the city's longest-serving governor until his death during the plague in 429 BC.
1. He commissioned the construction of the Parthenon
The Parthenon temple on the Acropolis, one of the most iconic buildings of ancient Greece, like many other buildings on the hill, was built at the initiative of Pericles. It symbolizes the peak of Athens' power, but is mainly identified with the great leader who pioneered its construction.
2. He secured Athenian democracy
Pericles went down in history as a great orator and is famous for his speeches that espoused the values of democracy. In one of his speeches during the Peloponnesian War, he declared: "[The Athenian] system favors the many and not the few. That is why it is called democracy."
3. Support theatrical performances
From the first steps of his public presence, Pericles supported theatrical performances. In 472, he was even a sponsor of Aeschylus's Persians. Later, in his attempt to strengthen Athenian culture, he used state resources to subsidize the ticket prices of the poorest citizens, so that they could have access to the theater.
4. Δημιούργησε την αθηναϊκή αυτοκρατορία
During his reign, Athens became the leading member of the Delian League, a coalition of hundreds of Greek city-states formed to confront the invading Persian forces. It gradually developed into an Athenian empire that expanded across the Mediterranean by funding the establishment of colonies, such as the Thurii in Italy.