Pericles: The Founder of Democracy

Pericles was a general and at the same time a politician, orator, and scholar. His governance is associated with the Golden Age of Athens, when the arts flourished. Pericles ruled Athens approximately from 461 BC. A brilliant politician, he embodied the Greek democratic ideals and was the city’s longest-serving leader until his death during the plague in 429 BC.

He commissioned the construction of the Parthenon.

The Parthenon temple on the Acropolis, one of the most iconic buildings of ancient Greece, along with many other structures on the hill, was constructed on the initiative of Pericles. It symbolizes the peak of Athens’ power, but above all, it is associated with the great leader who spearheaded its construction.

2.He safeguarded Athenian democracy.

Pericles went down in history as a great orator and is renowned for his speeches that embrace the values of democracy. In one of his speeches during the Peloponnesian War, he declared: “[The Athenian] government favors the many, not the few. For this reason, it is called a democracy.”

3. He supported theatrical performances.

From the very first steps of his public life, Pericles supported theatrical performances. In 472, in fact, he was the sponsor of The Persians by Aeschylus. Later, in his effort to strengthen Athenian culture, he used state funds to subsidize the tickets of poorer citizens, so that they could have access to the theater.

4. He created the Athenian Empire.

During his rule, Athens became the leading member of the Delian League, an alliance consisting of hundreds of Greek city-states formed to resist the Persian invasion forces. Gradually, it developed into the Athenian Empire, which expanded across the Mediterranean by funding the establishment of colonies, such as Thurii in Italy.