With reference to ancient and modern sources, evaluate
Pericles life and career.
15 marks
Ancient Sources

Thucydides, who wrote at the same time that Pericles lived, in fifth century
BC, greatly admired Pericles’ leadership, believing that Athens ‘was at its
greatest under him’.

He believed that he ‘could respect the liberty of the people, and at the
same time, hold them in check.
 It was he who led them, rather than they who led him, and since he never
sought power from any wrong motive, he was under no necessity of
flattering them, in fact he was so highly respected that he was able to speak
angrily to them and to contradict them.’.

Plato is an ancient source who is more cynical in his interpretation of
Pericles.

He contradicts Thucydides, believing that Pericles’ leadership was
achieved by manipulating the demos (common people).

Plutarch, wrote in the first and second centuries AD, was also a great
admirer of Pericles.

He wrote that one of Pericles’ political strategies was that he ‘took care
not to make himself too familiar a figure… but reserved himself… for great
occasions, and allowed friends and other public speakers to deal with less
important matters.’

Plutarch’s interpretation is of a man who lived nearly six centuries before
him,

Similarly, Plutarch wrote that the love (of Pericles and Aspasia) was of a
more ‘erotic kind’.
Various modern and ancient sources have interpreted Pericles’ public and
private image differently.

Modern sources, interpret Pericles’ behaviour as conceited or a clever
political strategy.

Ancient and modern sources view various incidents, recorded by Plutarch,
in different ways.

One particular incident which sources draw on to interpret Pericles’
personality is the time when his son borrowed money from a friend because
he believed that Pericles did not give him enough and then Pericles refused
to pay the money back and took his son to court.

While many sources interpret this behaviour as ‘stingy’, Donald Kagan has
interpreted Pericles as being indifferent to money, and leading a modest
social life without great expenditures.

Kagan has also criticised Pericles for his ‘failure to make his sons men of
outstanding virtue and achievement’.

In contrast to these negative interpretations, many modern sources, such as
Chester Starr, admire Pericles.

Starr wrote; ‘Pericles was incorruptible… a masterful speaker and a clear
thinker.’

Ancient sources such as Eupolis also admire him for his skills in rhetoric, ‘in
eloquence no man could equal him’.

Plutarch too, believed that Pericles had ‘a dignity of spirit and nobility of
utterance… also a composure of countenance… which deeply impressed his
audience’. He also wrote that ‘despite the immense power he wielded, he
had never given way to feelings of envy or hatred and had treated no man as
so irreconcilable an enemy that he could never become his friend.’

An example Plutarch uses to re-enforce this argument is the day which a
man apparently followed Pericles around all day, insulting him. Apparently,
when Pericles reached home in the dark he ordered a servant to light a torch
and see the man home.

Kagan interprets this as a ‘striking display of the restrain and good
manners of a nobleman and the detachment of a philosopher.’ This incident
has also been interpreted by some sources as a display of his
presumptuous, arrogant and haughty nature.

Kagan assumes a heroic interpretation of Pericles; ‘Pericles worked
consistently to resist the desires of ambitious expansionists and avoid
undue risks. He plainly believed that intelligence and reason could restrain
unruly passions, maintain the empire at its current size, and use its revenues
for a different, safer, possibly even greater glory than the Greeks had yet
known.’

Written extensively about Pericles’ private life.

Pericles was married to an Athenian girl, however he divorced her and
married his mistress Aspasia.

Kagan believes that Pericles ‘loved her dearly and passionately’.

Interpreted Pericles’ social life as stimulating and unusual for the time,
writing that he had a ‘wide circle of friends and acquaintances’.

Most modern historians, John Thornley and Chester Starr, saw Pericles
as a great leader who was very popular with the people.

The favourable way, in which the ancient sources have depicted his image,
making him a hero for Athens because they were writing for entertainment
and not attempting to give an unbiased or entirely factual account of his
image.
Some sort of assessment must be made of his period of rule
Positive

His period of rule is known as the Golden age of Athens between the
Persian and Peloponnesian wars

Pericles building program transformed Athens permanently into the
greatest city of its age

Pericles extended democracy to the poorest citizens , guaranteeing a
social development that was progressive and affected the rest of the
Ancient World

Taught Athens a new patriotism that combined the state gods with a
faith in Athens

He wanted Athens to be the “School for Hellas”

Art, literature and architecture flourished during his period

Athens became extremely successful and wealthy in these years
Negative

Went to war against other Greeks e.g. revolt of Delian League
members

Arrogant and showed contempt for others, egotistical

Too much influence and power. Plutarch “everything was left to
Pericles’ discretion”

Re-elected year after year never had to account for his previous year
as strategos

Dangerously optimistic

Encouraged Athenian nationalism at expense of pan-Hellenism

Precipitated Peloponnesian War

Fell in love with and lived with a young (hetaira) prostitute at the cost of
his own wife and the affection of his sons

Butt of many Athenian comedies – often satirised as “The Olympian”

Charged with impiety for putting reason and logic before religion and
tradition

Held too restrictive views of the role of women in society