How Did Pericles Influence Athens

Pericles, and His Influence on Athens

Pericles became the leader of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War and was responsible for the rebuilding and reconstructing of this city. He became very powerful and well known through out the age of the 5th century, so powerful that this became known as the age of Pericles. He was the son of Xanthippus and Agariste. His father, Xanthippus was a military leader during the Peloponnesian Wars and was the victor at the Battle of Mycale. He would later ostracize himself in the spring of 484. Pericles came from a line of royalty which made it all the more easier for him to come to power. The helots revolt in Sparta and the current leader of Athens, Cimon lead troops to aid Sparta which the people
After fighting the Persians in the Greco-Persian Wars the walls that were once built to protect the city of Athens were destroyed. The new walls that Pericles planned to make were going to be much greater than the walls that once protected Athens. These walls would stretch to the coast of Piraeus which was about 4.5 miles outside the city of Athens. This was a peninsula and also gave them access to three harbors. Eventually, Piraeus would become one of the major military harbors for Athens and the construction of the middle wall will begin in 440. The middle wall was supposed to be in the same proportion as the wall that was built in Piraeus. It was built so that in the case of sea invasion, it would buy them enough time to retreat to the more narrow walls of the Piraeus-Athens wall, where the Athenians would make their stand. These were not only used for military purposes but also the economic use. Over time the port of Piraeus became more of a use of trade rather than a military base. These walls provided a safe route from the sea port all the way to the city with out the fear of a siege. This also worked to an advantage in the military aspect because they could transport troops from the city of Athens all the way to the port without fear of attack from the North Long Wall and The South Long Wall. This structure was important to the city of Athens in more than one way. The most important ways were mainly economic
Most of the Acropolis had been destroyed or was in ruins after war with the Persians. Since this was around the time of Pericles coming to power most people looked to him for hope of rebuilding their city. Pericles began the reconstruction of the Acropolis around 460 and hired the best sculptors and architects to work on this project. The people who were put in charge of rebuilding the Acropolis were Phidias, Ictinus, and Callicrates. Ictinus and Callicrates were well known architects in Athens and would construct one of the most well known structures of all time the Parthenon. Pericles was in the process of reconstructing the long walls at this time therefore he had to leave this project to his two trusted architects. The Parthenon was built in the place of the Temple to Athena and would at one point be used as the treasury for the Delian League. In 437 the Propylaea, or the gates to the Acropolois, were being built by Mnesicles. These gates had columns made of Pentelic Marble which were built in place of the old gates which somewhat remained. Behind the gates a structure made by the great sculptor Phidias called the Promachos Athena stood at enormous heights. This was a gigantic bronze statue of Athena that was created in the time from 450-448 The last major structure that was being built during the time that Pericles ruled Athens was the Temple of Athena