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Ancient History > Personality Study - Pericles > Flashcards

Personality Study - Pericles Flashcards

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1
Q

Family Background

Political leaders - Alcmaeonid

“descended from the noblest lineage” - Plutarch
“Well equipped for office” - Lawless

A
  • Member of Pentecosiomedimni
  • Xanthippus - general at Mycale
  • Agariste - rumoured to be cursed
  • Cleisthenes - ‘Father of Democracy’
  • Father & uncle banished from Spartan influence
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2
Q

Nature of leadership

A
  • “decided to help the many
    poor people instead” - Plutarch
  • “Intelligent” “rational” - Plutarch and Thucydides
  • Funeral speech: Chosen by the assembly as the man who seemed wisest and foremost in reputation
  • “Tribute to stature, reputation and political power” - Donald Kagan
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3
Q

Nature of Sources

Ancient

A
  • Plutarch: Rise and fall of Athens
    600 years after Pericles, last 20 years of his life; skeptical of democracy; acknowledges downfall
  • Thucydides: Only contemporary of Pericles; funeral oration and speech to athenians; balanced view
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4
Q

Pericles’ goals

A
  • Beautify Athens
  • Strengthen Democracy
  • Expand the Empire
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5
Q

Teachers

Damon

A
  • Music & political contests
  • advised the use of public funds for jury
  • influence on Per’s radicalism
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6
Q

Teachers

Anaxagorus

A
  • Philosopher - Taught oration and rational thought
  • Influenced the calmness and self control in Per
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7
Q

Zeno and Sophocles

A
  • Philosophers
  • Debate and Drama
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8
Q

Early Political Career

Political Atmosphere

A
  • Fear of Persian attack
  • Sparta as the superpower
  • Increasing corinthian navy
  • Initial stages of delian league
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9
Q

Rivalry with Cimon

A
  • Pericles aligned to the lower classes
  • Opposed Cimon’s aristocratic conservative party
  • Unsuccessful prosecution in 463 BC and 461 BC of bribery charges
  • Ostracised Cimon due to his insult from the Spartan army
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10
Q

Ephialtes

A
  • Head of democratic party
  • mentor to pericles
  • Pericles stripped the Areopagus of power and established Ekklesian and Boule dominance
  • Introduced pay for public office holders
  • Commenced Radical democracy
  • After Ephialtes was assassinated, “Pericles was now the most important man” - Plutarch
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11
Q

Navy in Athens

A
  • Fixed unemployment through jobs in the navy
  • Increased popularity within Thetes
  • Improving Navy quality and quantity
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12
Q

Democratic reforms and policies

Social Classes

A
  1. Pentecosiomedimni - Archon, Areopagus, Strategoi
  2. Hippias - Archonship, Areopagus
  3. Zeugitae - Hoplite class, Boule
  4. Thetes - commoners, Jury, elections and ekklesia
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13
Q

Premise of Pericles’ reforms

A
  • Shift towards democratic aspects (ekklesia and boule)
  • Opening up government to wider body of citizen
  • Promoted what Cleisthenes started
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14
Q

Persian War impact on development of democracy

A
  • increased importance of the navy = importance of thetes
  • position of strategos was important as military control + politics meshed together
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15
Q

Rise to prominence

Q&A

A
  • Early Military under Cimon and Themistocles (Burn: “Good conduct…as a soldier)
  • Contributing to the public (Choregos for the Persians, distribution of public funds, juror payments)
  • Reforms under Ephialtes and Cimon’s ostracism (Stripping Areopagus of power, 461BC ostracism of Cimon)

“Pericles was now the most important man” - Plutarch

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16
Q

Main Democratic Reforms

A
  • Stripping power from Areopagus - power to Boule, Dikasteria and Ekklesia
  • Admission of Zeugitae to the Archonship
  • Introduced payment for political office - opened up opportunities for lower classes
  • Thucydides life of Pericles: new citizenship law - limited civil benefits to citizen of Athens and Athenian women
17
Q

Purpose of Building Program

A
  • restore Athenian temples from Persian damage - ‘Greece owed it to them’
  • Promote Athens as the cultural centre
  • Promote Athenian victory over Persians
18
Q

Sources: Democracy

“Allowed citizen free will but knew when to put them in check.” - Thucy

A

Funeral Oration:
* “administration favours the many instead of the few”
* “we are a pattern to others than imitators”

Donald Kagan:
* “chief role in transforming Athens from a limited democracy to a popular government”
* “the mass were fully sovereign in fact and theory”

19
Q

Golden Age

“It was under him that Athens was at her greatest” - Thucydides

A
  • Cultural, political and imperialistic peak
  • Building program - Acropolis; Parthenon (Athena Parthenos and Athena Nike); Temple of Hephaestus (crafting); Erectheon (Poseidon); Odeon (theatre); Piraeus (docks and walls)
  • Democratic reforms - Jury, power to the ekklesia, payment for office, citizenship law
  • Delian league treasury used, 5000 talents = $3 Billion

“the city will maintain herself, from her own resources”

20
Q

Imperial policies

A
  • Cleinias - Taxing subjects
  • Erythrae - Cleruchies
  • Coinage - Standardised Athenian currency
  • Chalcis (Euboea) - Oath of allegiance
21
Q

Military Career

“Good name by his conduct as a soldier” - Burn

A
  • Battle of Tanagra lost
  • Egyptian expedition - 200 ships lost; no grain trade
  • Chersonese expedition to allow cleruchies and ‘liberate isthmus’
22
Q

Legacy of the Golden Age

A

Kagan:
‘Athens was a source of inspiration for Britain’s move towards democracy’
‘Athens left a cultural and historical symbol of Greece in general’

Plutarch: ‘caused amazement to the rest of the world’

23
Q

Role as strategos and politician

Meshed political and military identity

A
  • Formalisation of the Delian league through military activities & imperial decrees
  • popularity with the people due to increase in cultural interest
  • introduction of new form of government power to the people
  • “he respected the liberty of the people and knew when to keep them in check”
24
Q

Aspasia

A
  • lover and great advisor - Plutarch
  • Unusually involved her in political discussions
  • woman of extraordinary mind - Kagan
25
Q

Ephialtes

A
  • Mentor for his political career
  • Stripped Areopagus of power
  • Tried the Areopagus for corruption, ostracised Cimon
26
Q

Pheidias

A
  • Architect of the building program
  • Accused of impiety - placed his and pericles’ faces on Athena’s shield
  • Pericles snuck him out from Athens
  • Due to the inability of the public/certain individuals to take down Pericles, his friends and family could have been targeted, thus the accusations
27
Q

Peloponnesian war

Causes

Athenian imperialism (before P) and his own formalisation of it

A
  • “the growth of Athenian power and the Peloponnesian alarm made war inevitable” - Thucydides
  • “It was Pericles alone who was held responsible for the war”
  • Against the Spartan ultimatum
  • Corcyra (vs corinth), Megara (trading ban) and Potidaean (Revolt w spartan support) incidents
28
Q

Spartan ultimatum

A
  • Freedom to allies
  • Return to trading with Megara
  • Be ostracised by Greece
29
Q

Peloponnesian war

Strategies

A
  • Evacuation into city walls (plague)
  • Strengthen navy and avoid land conflict (lost to land battles by capturing pylos)
  • Avoid general assembly’s emotional decisions
  • Don’t let greed distract (sicilian expedition)

* Leadership - Funeral oration; reelected

30
Q

Manner and impact of death

Death by plague

A
  • Inefficient successors - not practical, did not follow his strategies
  • Aristotle “successor… debased politics”
31
Q

Influence of pericles

A
  • convince the assembly to initiate significant reforms
  • military influence in convincing people to not revoke decrees\
  • funding into the building program - cultural influence

Ancient History (5 decks)

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