Perikles

=Perikles= Perikles (also known as Pericles) was a powerful and well known Greek statesman in the Golden Age of Greece, which was between the Persian and Pelopenisian Wars. He was named the "First Citizen of Greece" and was also well known for his role in the creation of the Acropolis of Athens. Some of this project is still remaining today and helped beautify the Athens as well as exhibited the city's glory. The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel with many famous buildings like the Parthenon and the Erectheion.

Pericles was born on c. 495 BC, the son of two prominent politicians in Early Greece. Early on in his political carrier, he was seen as a leader of Athens however he had to fight for control many times with other young politicians. Pericles made his first military excursions in the First Pelopinisian War, which was fought with Athens fighting the Pelopinisian League led by Sparta. Some say that Pericles and Athens instigated the war however this claim is disputed among many historians. Perikles lost much of his power and control on the city after a great plague ravaged much of Athens in around 429 B.C. He died from that same plague at the age of 65. In 447, Perikles began his most ambitious project that he would become famous for starting and leading. The Acropolis of Athens was a world renound tourist attraction back in the Greek and Roman times, and it still is today. Perikles could not start this project all by himself, so he pitched the idea to other countrymen in order to gain their support and capital. He said that the Acropolis would be a place of worship and a symbol of power for the Greeks for years and years to come. The pitch worked, and 15 years later, the construction on the Acropolis would be complete. In the first year alone, it cost 5000 talents- a figure equivalent to 3 billion in today's monetary values.

The most famous buildings of the Acropolis are the Parthenon, dedicated to the Greek Goddess Athena. It was made in the Doric Order and style, and featured a huge sculpture of Athena in it, which has been destroyed. Part of the building was also destroyed in the 17th century, but most of it still stands today and you can visit it on the Acropolis. Another famous building on the Acropolis was the Erectheion, a smaller temple that is famous for its Porch of the Carayatids, which is a side of the building that has sculptures of woman as the supports for the building instead of a basic column.

By John Bauman 2013 Period 4 Sources http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/People/Pericles/ http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/htmlver/characters/f_pericles.html http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/greeceancientgreece/a/ClassicalGreece.htm