Pericles was born in 494 BCE in Athens. An Athenian statesman, orator and general, Pericles dominated the city during its golden age, in the decades between the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars. A champion of democracy, he introduced pay for public office so that poorer citizens could take part in politics, and he strengthened Athens' naval power and its empire. He sponsored the building program on the Acropolis, including the Parthenon, and the arts flourished with figures such as Phidias, Sophocles and Anaxagoras. He led Athens in the early years of the war with Sparta, but died of the plague that ravaged the city. His funeral oration, recorded by Thucydides, is among the most famous speeches of antiquity.
Before and after
- from 499 BCE to 493 BCEIonian Revolt
- from 499 BCE to 449 BCEGreco-Persian Wars
- 496 BCEOrigins of Temple of Castor and Pollux
- 496 BCEBirth of Sophocles
- 494 BCEBirth of Pericles
- 12 August 490 BCEBattle of Marathon
- 484 BCEBirth of Herodotus
- 11 August 480 BCEBattle of Thermopylae
- 479 BCEDeath of Confucius
More in Wars, politics & history
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- from 218 BCE to 201 BCESecond Punic War
- 203 BCEScipio defeats Hannibal at Zama
- 43 CERome invades Britain
- 293 CEDiocletian establishes the Tetrarchy
- 17 January 395 CEThe Roman Empire is permanently divided
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 5th century BCE.