PIRTURES OF PERICLES MOTHER AND FATHER
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PERICLES INFORMATION ABOUT PERICLES Ancient Greek statesman Pericles was born c. 495 B.C. in Athens, Greece. Pericles name in Greek means 'Surrounded by Glory' and as is evident that was certainly to come true for Pericles was he became an influential statesman for Athens during The Peloponnese War until his death in 429B.C. A few years later. The relationship scandalized polite society, especially because they remained unmarried and Pericles treated her as an equal, an almost unthinkable action for most Greek men. By the time he was in his early 20s, Pericles had established himself as a dedicated patron of the arts through his sponsorship of the Festival of Dionysus. PERICLES FATHER His father, Xanthippus, was a famous general and statesman who came from a wealthy family of aristocrats. Also His father Xanthippus had himself been a military commander for Athens at the battle of Mycale in 479 B.C. PERICLES 'MOTHER Pericles mother, Agariste, was niece to the famed statesman and reformer Cleisthenes, who lead the controversial Alcmaeonidae clan. PERICLES' EARLY LIFE At 13, Pericles witnessed another Persian invasion of Greece and was likely evacuated from Athens along with his family as the Battle of Salamis threatened to tear through the Saronic Gulf. When he was 17, Pericles inherited a large fortune which he used to fund others’ artistic endeavors, including a 472 B.C. staging of play right Aeschylus’ The Persae. PERICLES' WIFE It was around this time that Pericles also met and married his wife, who would bear him two sons. The wife's name was Aspasia. Pericles divorced his wife and started to live with a beautiful foreign courtesan called Aspasia, described by Socrates as one of the most intelligent and witty women of her time. PERICLES' POLITICAL CAREER In 462, Pericles and a fellow politician, Ephiatles, established a vote in the popular assembly. The vote resulted in the complete loss of power for the old noble council, Areopagus. Cimon, the conservative Athenian leader whose policy it was to maintain friendly relations with Sparta, was exiled. To many historians, these events marked the true beginning of Athenian democracy. Pericles quickly seized the helm, organizing democratic institutions throughout the city and in 461 becoming the ruler of Athens—a title he would hold until his death. The period from 460 to 429 is in fact often referred to as the Age of Pericles in Ancient Greek history. |