How Did Pericles Influence Society

Pericles was born around 495 B.C and soon became one of the most influence people in ancient Greece. Pericles name in Greek means “Surrounded by Glory.” His father Xanthippus had been a military commander for Athens at the battle of Mycale in 479 B.C. During the “Golden Age” Pericles was a statesman, famous orator, and general in the Athenian army. Pericles was liked so much some people even called the time the “Age of Pericles.” Pericles influence on Athenian society was large and lasting. Pericles led the Delian forward to form the Athenian empire and guided his men during the first two years of the Peloponnesian Wars. Soon the nickname "the first citizen of Athens" was gave to Pericles.
Pericles’ social innovations were equally important to the era. He pushed for the fine arts by lower costs for theater admission for poorer citizens and enabled civic participation by offering pay for jury duty and …show more content…
Pericles denied the request and in 431 B.C. started one of the largest civil war that had occurred at that point in time. The conflict started between Athens and Sparta when Sparta’s ally Corinth pushed for Spartan king Archidamus II to invade Attica near Athens. Pericles decided that a strategy to use naval forces and evacuating the Attic countryside and prevent the Spartan armies from fighting. The Spartan army was very well trained and better equipped than the Athenians; however, the Spartans lacked in a navy. With all his people collected within the walls of Athens, Pericles was free to make opportunistic seaborne attacks on Sparta’s allies. This financially costly strategy worked well during the war’s early years, but a plague hit the concentrated Athenian population, taking many lives and stirring discontent. Pericles was briefly overthrown in 430, but after the Athenians’ efforts to negotiate with Sparta failed, he was quickly