Pericles and His Influence on Athens

Ancient Greece had many ups and downs in its very long history. As a growing civilization, it earned numerous allies as well as enemies. One of these great enemies was the Persians. Although the Persians were very powerful adversaries, the Greeks defeated them and at that point, the era of classical Greece began. The Delian league, which was created to unite all states and protect them from intruders, had turned into an empire. This empire was governed by Athens.
As peace and harmony was restored in Greece, the city of Athens was about to experience it’s greatest epoch. A time filled with power and great social and political wealth. All of which was the product of a great man’s work. His name was Pericles. Pericles was born in the year 495 B. C. into a very noble family. He was the nephew of Cleisthenes who founded Athenian Democracy. Pericles lived his whole life in a political environment. When he became involved in Athenian affairs, he received a very good reputation. In 462 B. C. e began to dominate the politics in Athens as a key leader in the democratic movement. Not only was he a great orator, 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. Pericles’ rule as a political leader in Athens is called the Golden Age of Pericles, and he was an eager supporter of democracy. He wanted all citizens of Athens to take an active part in politics, and he was the first to pay servants to the state. All Athenians chose members of the council, and Pericles restored and built many temples and structures, such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis, employing the poorest citizens.