Pericles Περικλ ῆ ς； English: Pericles, about 495-429 BC), consul of Athens.
He rebuilt Athens in the ruins after the Greek Polish War and fostered culture and art. Many existing ancient Greek buildings were built in his time. He also helped Athens defeat the Spartans in the first stage of the Peloponnesian War. More importantly, he fostered democratic forces that were considered very radical at that time. His era is also known as the Pericles era, which is the most brilliant era in Athens. A group of famous thinkers such as Socrates and Plato came into being.

Pericles came from a famous family in Athens. His father, Keshantibos, was the commander of the Athenian fleet during the Battle of Michaelis in 479 BC, and his mother, Agarist, was the niece of Christini, the founder of Athenian democracy. He received a good education and studied music, political theory and philosophy from the contemporary sage Damon and Zeno. Under the influence of a mentor and learned Anaxagora, Pericles had a materialistic thought without superstition and a noble and solemn sentiment and style.
Pericles spent his youth in the years when the Greek Alliance fought against the Persian invaders. In this war, Athens and the Allies made concerted efforts to win the brilliant victory of defeating the Persian army by virtue of the sea fleet, and then concluded the Tirol Alliance, which became the most powerful country in the Greek world with prosperous economy and culture. With his love for his country and confidence and pride as an Athenian citizen, Pericles stepped onto the political stage of Athens. He is upright, honest, insightful, good at making speeches, resolute and calm, and has an extraordinary demeanor. He has the character and temperament of an excellent politician.
In 472 BC, Pericles made his debut and sponsored the performance of the Persian drama written by Aeschylus. After 466 B.C., Pericles followed Effi Altes and became the representative of the Athenian democrats. After the victory of the Greek Polish War, the Athenian conservative forces based on the War God Mountain Council rose, and its representative was Kemeng. Effie Altes and Pericles constantly exposed the corruption and abuse of power against the members of the Council of God of War Mountain, and impeached Kemeng about 463 BC to accept bribes from the King of Macedonia during the Pessos War. Although Kemeng was acquitted, the aristocratic faction was attacked. In 462 BC, despite the opposition of the democrats, Kemeng led the army to help Sparta suppress the Heirauz Uprising. Effi Altes and Pericles took the opportunity to seize power and carry out political reform. The news came that Spartans were suspicious of the reinforcements in Athens, and finally persuaded them to withdraw their troops. Guests and Mongolia were defeated and returned. The democrats and citizens of Athens believed that the guest and Mongolia's trip had brought great shame to Athens. In 461 BC, Kemeng was exiled. Soon after, Effie Altes was assassinated, and Pericles became an important leader of the democrats and state power in Athens.
After Kemeng died in 450 BC, Pericles further controlled the political situation. From 443 BC to 429 BC, Pericles was re elected every year as the most important official in Athens, the chief general, and completely controlled the state power. Under the leadership of Pericles, the slave economy, democratic politics, maritime hegemony and classical culture in Athens reached their peak.
In 429 BC, shortly after Pericles was re elected as a general, he was killed by the Great Plague of Athens.

Internal proposition
Pericles came from a famous family in Athens. His father, Keshantibos, was the commander of the Athenian fleet during the Battle of Michaelis in 479 BC, and his mother, Agarist, was the niece of Christini, the founder of Athenian democracy. He received a good education and studied music, political theory and philosophy from the contemporary sage Damon and Zeno. Under the influence of a mentor and learned Anaxagora, Pericles had a materialistic thought without superstition and a noble and solemn sentiment and style.
Pericles spent his youth in the years when the Greek Alliance fought against the Persian invaders. In this war, Athens and the Allies made concerted efforts to win the brilliant victory of defeating the Persian army by virtue of the sea fleet, and then concluded the Tirol Alliance, which became the most powerful country in the Greek world with prosperous economy and culture. With his love for his country and confidence and pride as an Athenian citizen, Pericles stepped onto the political stage of Athens. He is upright, honest, insightful, good at making speeches, resolute and calm, and has an extraordinary demeanor. He has the character and temperament of an excellent politician.
In 472 BC, Pericles made his debut and sponsored the performance of the Persian drama written by Aeschylus. After 466 B.C., Pericles followed Effi Altes and became the representative of the Athenian democrats. After the victory of the Greek Polish War, the Athenian conservative forces based on the War God Mountain Council rose, and its representative was Kemeng. Effie Altes and Pericles constantly exposed the corruption and abuse of power against the members of the Council of God of War Mountain, and impeached Kemeng about 463 BC to accept bribes from the King of Macedonia during the Pessos War. Although Kemeng was acquitted, the aristocratic faction was attacked. In 462 BC, despite the opposition of the democrats, Kemeng led the army to help Sparta suppress the Heirauz Uprising. Effi Altes and Pericles took the opportunity to seize power and carry out political reform. The news came that Spartans were suspicious of the reinforcements in Athens, and finally persuaded them to withdraw their troops. Guests and Mongolia were defeated and returned. The democrats and citizens of Athens believed that the guest and Mongolia's trip had brought great shame to Athens. In 461 BC, Kemeng was exiled. Soon after, Effie Altes was assassinated, and Pericles became an important leader of the democrats and state power in Athens.
After Kemeng died in 450 BC, Pericles further controlled the political situation. From 443 BC to 429 BC, Pericles was re elected every year as the most important official in Athens, the chief general, and completely controlled the state power. Under the leadership of Pericles, the slave economy, democratic politics, maritime hegemony and classical culture in Athens reached their peak.
In 429 BC, shortly after Pericles was re elected as a general, he was killed by the Great Plague of Athens.
External action
Fundamental principles
Pericles' foreign policy was based on the fundamental principle of expanding the power and interests of Athens. On the basis of strengthening the control of the Tiros Alliance, he tried to establish the superiority and hegemony of Athens in both land and sea in the Greek world against the Peloponnesian Alliance led by Sparta.
And Sparta
After Kemeng was exiled in 461 BC, the relationship between Athens and Sparta deteriorated sharply. Athens formed an alliance against Sparta with Argos and Thesalia, developed forces in Corinth Bay, protected Mecala, and controlled the northern Corinth Isthmus. Corinth and Ejina, important members of the Peloponnesian Alliance, were threatened. Pericles stressed that Ejina was an obstacle to the port of Piraeus in Athens and must be removed. In 458 BC, Athens won the battle with Corinth and Ejina. In 457 BC, Sparta entered the war, and Athens was initially defeated, but then the whole army went north and took control of Boyotia and Rokris. In the same year, Pericles presided over and completed the construction of the city wall between Athens and Piraeus Port, which not only strengthened the land defense force, but also ensured the communication between Athens and the sea. At the same time, Ejina tried to get rid of the control of Athens, surrendered in the war, and became a dependency of Athens. From 455 to 454 BC, Tolmedes and Pericles successively led the navy to invade the surrounding areas of the Peloponnesian Peninsula, focusing on the Corinthian Bay, and Athens reached its peak in the Greek peninsula.
And Persia
The war between Athens and Persia has never stopped, and a new Egyptian battlefield has been opened up since 459 BC. In 454 BC, Athens was defeated in Egypt, and some allies broke away from the Tirol Alliance with the support of Persia. In the face of unfavorable situations, Pericles made appropriate adjustments to the strength and policies of Athens. He first reconciled with Kemeng, temporarily eased the conflict with Sparta, and reached a five-year truce in 451 BC. After Athens came free, Kemeng led the Allied Navy to defeat the Persian fleet. In 449 BC, the two sides made peace.
alliance
Pericles devoted himself to strengthening the control of the allies and turned the Tirol Alliance into the "Athenian maritime empire". In 454 BC, the Alliance Treasury was moved from Tiro Island to Athens, and was directly controlled by Athens. In essence, the Alliance Treasury became a "tribute". Since then, the Alliance Conference has not been held, and Athens has issued orders to deal with relevant affairs. Miletus, Elitria and other states that once broke away from the alliance were forced to join the alliance again. Athens sent troops and inspectors there to establish a puppet government that swore allegiance to Athens and the democratic regime. In order to strengthen the maritime hegemony of Athens, prevent the rebellion of the allies and solve the land problem, Pericles established the military immigration system, forcibly occupied the lands of Andros, Naxos, Lemnos and Imbros, and distributed them to Athenian citizens, who were stationed as heavy infantry for a long time. In 449 B.C., Berwick's army went to Helsoniesos to quell the local war, send more military immigrants and control the passage from the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea. From 454 B.C. to 449 B.C., the number of city-state paying the league gold increased from 135 to 155 to 173, most of which were in the status of dependency.

diplomatic offensive
Pericles
After ending the Persian War and strengthening the rule of the "Empire", Pericles launched a diplomatic offensive in 448 B.C. and sent envoys to invite Greek states to participate in the Pan Greek Conference held in Athens to discuss the reconstruction of the temple burned by Persia, the performance of the vows of sacrifice, the maintenance of freedom at sea and the establishment of peace and equality in the Greek world, in an attempt to make Athens the leader of the Greek world. However, the Beloponnesian League rejected this proposal. In 447 BC, the war started again. Despite Pericles' repeated dissuasion, Tolmedes still marched into Boyotia and was defeated. The states of Ubiya and Mechara rebelled, and the Spartan army attacked Attica. The Berwick interest rate army entered the island of Ubiya twice and quickly quelled the rebellion. In 445 BC, Athens and the Peloponnesian League concluded a 30-year peace treaty, and the situation of the Greek peninsula in 461 BC was basically restored.
During the 30 year peace treaty, Pericles strictly ruled the neighboring states of Eupyasia Island in Athens by expelling residents, confiscating land, taking hostages, and swearing allegiance. After the peace talks, he continued to maintain 60 standing naval three rowers for dispatch at any time. Pericles maintained friendly relations with Egypt and Thrace, absorbed Legchikun and Leontinoi located in Sicily and South Italy to join the League, and actively developed the north coast of the Aegean Sea. He successively organized military immigrants at the estuary of Brea and Strymun and established the colony of Amphipolis. In 443 BC, initiated by Pericles, Athens organized Greek states to jointly colonize the site of Sybaris at the southern end of the Italian peninsula and build the city of Turioy. In 440 BC, Samos, a powerful member of the Tirol Alliance with an independent fleet, refused to arbitrate the conflict between him and Miletus in Athens to maintain his autonomy, so Pericles commanded the navy to attack Samos. Although there were repeated wars, Samos was supported by Persia, and Byzantium also raised troops against Athens, Pericles commanded forcefully and fought calmly. After nine months of siege, Samos finally surrendered in 439 B.C., destroyed the city wall, offered hostages, paid the fleet and made huge compensation. In 437 BC, Berrick led a huge fleet into the Black Sea to support the interests of the local Greek colonial city-state, occupied Nimdianliang Port, sent warships to help the Sinopeians drive out the tyrants, and encouraged the Athenians to emigrate to Sinopei to occupy the land. Athens not only completely controlled the Aegean Sea, but also expanded its power in the Black Sea.
Although the 30 year peace treaty was signed, the contradiction between Athens and the Peloponnesian League was still developing. When fighting against Samos in Athens, Sparta held a conference to discuss whether to send troops to help Samos. Pericles was convinced that war was unavoidable. In addition to the fundamental opposition between Athenian democracy and the aristocratic oligarchy supported by Sparta, his policy of establishing Athenian hegemony, especially when Athens expanded to Corinth's sphere of influence, was bound to intensify the struggle between Athens and Corinth, and cause Sparta's unease and interference. In 434 BC, Pericles began to make preparations in all aspects and firmly welcomed the coming of this decisive battle. He warned the Athenians that the Peloponnesian war was approaching them. In 433 BC, under the promotion of Pericles, Athens and Corsilla entered into a military defense alliance and intervened in the war between Corinth and Corsila. Initiated by Pericles in 432 BC, Athens ordered that Mecala, a member of the Peloponnesian League, be prohibited from communicating with any market or port within Athens's sphere of influence; They also sent troops to attack the important colonial city of Zhengteidaiya in Corinth on the north coast of the Aegean Sea. Sparta held a citizens' meeting and a league meeting for discussion, decided to start a war, and first sent representatives to Athens to request the abolition of the Mecca ban and respect for the independence of Greek states. At the Athenian Citizen's Congress where countermeasures were discussed, Pericles made an impassioned speech, opposed any concession to Sparta, and was determined to fight.
In 431 BC, the war broke out and the Spartan army entered Athens. Pericles considered the strength balance, advantages and disadvantages of both sides comprehensively, and decided to retreat to Athens to avoid hard competition with the brave Spartan heavy infantry on land; Give play to the advantages of the navy, ensure maritime traffic and attack the coastal areas of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. The war in the first year was basically carried out in accordance with the operational plan formulated by Pericles. At the ceremony of holding the state funeral for the dead, Pericles delivered an important speech of historical significance. He enthusiastically praised the great achievements of Athens in terms of the basic system and lifestyle, clearly and thoroughly expressed his political ideal, and also summarized his political achievements in the past 40 years to some extent. Pericles clearly declared: "Our system is called democratic politics because the political power is in the hands of all citizens, not a few people."
The end of Pericles
However, unexpected disasters came. Under the circumstances of war damage and dense urban refugees, a serious plague suddenly occurred in Athens in 430 BC, and a large number of residents died. The surrounding gardens outside the city were ravaged by the enemy, and the disease was rampant in the city, with corpses everywhere. The people of Athens were confused and complained all over the place. At one time, they begged for peace from Sparta without success. Pericles' political enemies seized the opportunity to move. Before the Peloponnesian War, Pericles' friends Anaxagoras and Phidias had been accused by them and forced to leave Athens. Even Aspasia has been accused of so-called impiety. They attacked Pericles directly, blamed him for the misfortune of the war, and Pericles was fined. But Athens still needs Pericles' leadership in the face of enemies. But in 429 BC, shortly after Pericles was re elected as a general, the plague took his life. The era of Pericles was over.

Economic culture
With the end of the Persian War and the establishment of the supremacy of Athens, the Aegean naval war was basically ended, the rampant piracy was restrained, and the passage of merchant ships was unimpeded. Pericles forced the allies to use the silver coins and the system of measurement and balance of Athens in their unified position, and the slave economy of Athens and its allies was more developed. Piraeus Port, through Pericles, invited Milidou architect Hippodamos to carry out unified design and construction, which has taken on a new look. Athens has established extensive commercial ties with Thrace, around the Black Sea, western Asia Minor, the eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and the western Mediterranean, and is famous for its metallurgy, shipbuilding, military industry, tanning, construction and other industries. Athens's agriculture was also involved in the monetary economy. A large number of grapes and olives were planted and then made into wine and oil for export. About two-thirds of the food consumption of the local residents depended on imports. With full control of the Alliance's treasury, Athens's financial revenue increased sharply. Abundant fiscal revenue provides a solid economic foundation for democratic politics. During the reign of Pericles, 20000 people in Athens received public salaries or allowances from the state every year for holding public office and performing military service, accounting for more than one third of the total number of adult male citizens.
Pericles was not only a statesman and strategist, but also an advocate of classical Greek culture. His ideal and ambition is to make Athens not only the king of the Greek world, but also the "school of all Greece". Pericles' time was a time of high prosperity of Greek classical culture. The world famous Greek scholars and artists gathered in Athens, gathered around Pericles, gave lectures, sought truth, goodness and beauty, and explored the mysteries of the universe and the true meaning of life. The outstanding philosopher Anaxagora, the sculptor Phidias, and the tragedian Sophocles and Pericles had their stories from Youmi. Pericles' wife, Miletus, came from Aspasia. She was very talented and intelligent. She was praised by Socrates. Many philosophers and artists became her guests. Many Athenians and even some women came to her for advice. When Pericles was young, he hosted theatrical performances. During his administration, he adopted such measures as giving poor citizens a theatre allowance, holding festival music competitions, and building music halls. From 447 BC, Pericles built the Acropolis on a large scale. He used the alliance treasury to build the Parthenon Temple, the main gate of the Acropolis in Athens, the Hephaestus Temple, the Sunion Sea Temple, the Elecht Aeon Temple, as well as various statues, reliefs and other exquisite and immortal plastic arts masterpieces attached to these buildings. Pericles made contributions to the development of Greek classical culture. His cultural policy is closely related to his political, economic and foreign policies. Whether building public works or holding festival performances, the purpose is to consolidate democratic politics, improve the material and cultural life of citizens, promote the development of industry and commerce, and establish the glorious image of Athens to attract the admiration and yearning of Greek states.