Pericles

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Introduction
Under the sway of Pericles many changes occurred in the civil affairs of Athens affecting the constitution of the state and the character and administration of its laws. Events of magnitude marked the struggles of the Athenians with other powers. The development of art and learning was carried to an unprecedented height and the Age of Pericles is the most illustrious in ancient history.

Pericles began his career by opposing the aristocratic party of Athens, led by Cimon. In this policy he was aided by complications arising with Sparta and Argos. Directing his attack particularly against the Areopagus, he succeeded in greatly modifying the composition of that body and diminishing its powers. The exile of Cimon, the strengthening of Athens by new alliances and the vigorous prosecution of wars against Persia and Corinth combined to establish his supremacy, which was still further confirmed by the building of the long walls connecting Athens with the sea and by the acquisition of neighboring territory.

A favorable convention was concluded with Persia, Athens resumed a state of general peace and Pericles found himself at the head of a powerful empire formed out of a confederacy previously existing. The strength of this empire was indeed soon impaired by ill-judged military movements, against the advice of Pericles himself but during six years of peace which followed he succeeded in perfecting a state whose preeminence in intellectual, political and artistic development has had no rival.

In the later wars of Athens the renown of Pericles was still further enhanced; but his chief glory arose from the architectural adornment of the city and especially from the building of the Parthenon and the splendid decoration of the Acropolis; while his work of judicial reform remains an added monument to his fame and among the masters of eloquence his orations preserve for him a foremost place.

This selection is by Plutarch.

Time: 444 BC
Place: Athens

Pericles was of the tribe Acamantis and of the township of Cholargos and was descended from the noblest families in Athens, on both his father’s and mother’s side. His father, Xanthippus, defeated the Persian generals at Mycale, while his mother, Agariste, was a descendant of Clisthenes, who drove the sons of Pisistratus out of Athens, put an end to their despotic rule and established a new constitution admirably calculated to reconcile all parties and save the country. She dreamed that she had brought forth a lion and a few days afterward was delivered of Pericles. His body was symmetrical but his head was long, out of all proportion; for which reason, in nearly all his statues he is represented wearing a helmet, as the sculptors did not wish, I suppose, to reproach him with this blemish. The Attic poets called him squill-head and the comic poet Cratinus, in his play Chirones, says;

“From Chronos old and faction Is sprung a tyrant dread, And all Olympus calls him The man-compelling head.”

And again in the play of Nemesis:

“Come, hospitable Zeus, with lofty head.”

Teleclides, too, speaks of him as sitting

Bowed down
With a dreadful frown, Because matters of state have gone wrong,
Until at last,
From his head so vast,
His ideas burst forth in a throng.”

And Eupolis, in his play of Demoi, asking questions about each of the great orators as they come up from the other world one after the other, when at last Pericles ascends, says:

“The great headpiece of those below.”

Most writers tell us that his tutor in music was Damon, whose name they say should be pronounced with the first syllable short. Aristotle, however, says that he studied under Pythoclides. This Damon, it seems, was a sophist of the highest order, who used the name of music to conceal this accomplishment from the world but who really trained Pericles for his political contests just as a trainer prepares an athlete for the games. However, Damon’s use of music as a pretext did not impose upon the Athenians, who banished him by ostracism, as a busybody and lover of despotism.

Pericles greatly admired Anaxagoras and became deeply interested in grand speculations, which gave him a haughty spirit and a lofty style of oratory far removed from vulgarity and low buffoonery and also an imperturbable gravity of countenance and a calmness of demeanor and appearance which no incident could disturb as he was speaking, while the tone of his voice never showed that he heeded any interruption. These advantages greatly impressed the people. The poet Ion, however, says that Pericles was overbearing and insolent in conversation and that his pride had in it a great deal of contempt for others, while he praises Cimon’s civil, sensible and polished address. But we may disregard Ion as a mere dramatic poet who always sees in great men something upon which to exercise his satiric vein; whereas Zeno used to invite those who called the haughtiness of Pericles a mere courting of popularity and affectation of grandeur, to court popularity themselves in the same fashion, since the acting of such a part might insensibly mould their dispositions until they resembled that of their model.

Pericles when young greatly feared the people. He had a certain personal likeness to the despot Pisistratus; and as his own voice was sweet and he was ready and fluent in speech, old men who had known Pisistratus were struck by his resemblance to him. He was also rich, of noble birth and had powerful friends, so that he feared he might be banished by ostracism and consequently held aloof from politics but proved himself a brave and daring soldier in the wars. But when Aristides was dead, Themistocles banished and Cimon generally absent on distant campaigns, Pericles engaged in public affairs, taking the popular side, that of the poor and many, against that of the rich and few; quite contrary to his own feelings, which were entirely aristocratic. He feared, it seems, that he might be suspected of a design to make himself despot and seeing that Cimon took the side of the nobility and was much beloved by them, he betook himself to the people, as a means of obtaining safety for himself and a strong party to combat that of Cimon. He immediately altered his mode of life; was never seen in any street except that which led to the market-place and the national assembly and declined all invitations to dinner and such like social gatherings. But Pericles feared to make himself too common even with the people and only addressed them after long intervals; not speaking upon every subject and not constantly addressing them, but, as Critolaus says, keeping himself like the Salaminian trireme for great crises and allowing his friends and the other orators to manage matters of less moment.

Wishing to adopt a style of speaking consonant with his haughty manner and lofty spirit, Pericles made free use of the instrument which Anaxagoras, as it were, put into his hand and often tinged his oratory with natural philosophy. He far surpassed all others by using this “lofty intelligence and power of universal consummation,” as the divine Plato calls it; in addition to his natural advantages, adorning his oratory with apt illustrations drawn from physical science. For this reason some think that he was nicknamed the Olympian; though some refer this to his improvement of the city by new and beautiful buildings and others from his power both as a politician and a general. It is not by any means unlikely that these causes all combined to produce the name.

Pericles was very cautious about his words, and, whenever he ascended the tribune to speak, used first to pray to the gods that nothing unfitted for the present occasion might fall from his lips. He left no writings, except the measures which he brought forward and very few of his sayings are recorded.

Continued.

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