Pericles:
He was born in 495 B.C. in the deme of Cholargos, just north of Athens, and died in 429 B.C. in Athens. Pericles was a general of Athens, an influential Greek statesman, and an eloquent public speaker in between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. He was a descendant of the Alcmaeonid family. He was such a strong influence on society in Athens that Thucydides, a historian, claimed Pericles was “the first citizen of Athens”. Pericles promoted the arts and literature; he is actually one of the main reasons Athens held the reputation as the educational and the cultural capital of the ancient Greek world. He also encouraged the development of democracy so much that critics called him a populist. He was the son of a politician named Xanthippus. His mother, Agariste,was a member of the powerful and controversial noble family of the…show more content… Growing up he was a very introverted child and often avoided public appearances; preferring to spend his time studying. And his family’s wealth and power allowed him to completely pursue his education. He learned music from the best teachers available and was believed to be the first politician to give importance to philosophy. It is believed that he entered the political life in the early 460’s in his 30’s. In 461 B.C. the murder of Ephialtes paved the way for Pericles to gain authority. Since he has previously beaten and banished his opponent Cimon there was no one to challenge him and he quickly became a leader and the ruler of Athens. And he remained in power until his death in 429 B.C. Pericles first military venture was the Peloponnesian War, the cause of which is highly debated. But most have blamed Pericles and Athens. in 430 B.C. the army of Sparta took Attica for a second time, but Pericles didn’t want to change his strategy and wouldn’t fight the Spartan army, and instead led his ships to plunder Peloponnese with 100 ships from Athens. According to Plutarch there was an eclipse just before sailing that frightened