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Pericles (; ''Periklēs'', in Classical Attic; c. 495 – 429 BC) was arguably the most prominent and influential Greek statesman, orator and general of Athens during the Golden Age— specifically the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. He was descended, through his mother, from the powerful and historically influential Alcmaeonid family. Pericles had such a profound influence on Athenian society that Thucydides, a contemporary historian, acclaimed him as "the first citizen of Athens".〔Thucydides, 2.65〕 Pericles turned the Delian League into an Athenian empire, and led his countrymen during the first two years of the Peloponnesian War. The period during which he led Athens, roughly from 461 to 429 BC, is sometimes known as the "Age of Pericles", though the period thus denoted can include times as early as the Persian Wars, or as late as the next century. Pericles promoted the arts and literature; it is principally through his efforts that Athens holds the reputation of being the educational and cultural center of the ancient Greek world. He started an ambitious project that generated most of the surviving structures on the Acropolis (including the Parthenon). This project beautified and protected the city, exhibited its glory, and gave work to the people.〔L. de Blois, ''An Introduction to the Ancient World'' 99〕 Pericles also fostered Athenian democracy to such an extent that critics call him a populist.〔S. Muhlberger, (Periclean Athens ).〕〔S. Ruden, ''Lysistrata'', 80.〕 == Early years == Pericles was born c. 495 BC, in the deme of Cholargos just north of Athens. He was the son of the politician Xanthippus, who, though ostracized in 485–484 BC, returned to Athens to command the Athenian contingent in the Greek victory at Mycale just five years later. Pericles' mother, Agariste, a member of the powerful and controversial noble family of the Alcmaeonidae, and her familial connections played a crucial role in kickstarting Xanthippus' political career. Agariste was the great-granddaughter of the tyrant of Sicyon, Cleisthenes, and the niece of the Athenian reformer Cleisthenes. According to Herodotus and Plutarch, Agariste dreamed, a few nights before Pericles' birth, that she had borne a lion. Interestingly, legends say that Philip II of Macedon had a similar dream before the birth of his son, Alexander the Great.〔Herodotus, VI, (131 ).〕〔Plutarch, ''Pericles'', III.〕 One interpretation of the dream treats the lion as a traditional symbol of greatness, but the story may also allude to the unusually large size of Pericles' skull, which became a popular target of contemporary comedians (who called him "Squill-head", after the Squill or Sea-Onion).〔〔V.L. Ehrenberg, ''From Solon to Socrates'', a239.〕 (Although Plutarch claims that this deformity was the reason that Pericles was always depicted wearing a helmet, this is not the case; the helmet was actually the symbol of his official rank as strategos (general).〔L. Cunningham & J. Reich, ''Culture and Values'', 73.〕 Pericles belonged to the tribe of Acamantis (). His early years were quiet; the introverted young Pericles avoided public appearances, instead preferring to devote his time to his studies. His family's nobility and wealth allowed him to fully pursue his inclination toward education. He learned music from the masters of the time (Damon or Pythocleides could have been his teacher)〔Plutarch, ''Pericles'', IV〕〔Plato, ''Alcibiades I'', (118c )〕 and he is considered to have been the first politician to attribute importance to philosophy.〔 He enjoyed the company of the philosophers Protagoras, Zeno of Elea, and Anaxagoras. Anaxagoras, in particular, became a close friend and influenced him greatly.〔〔M. Mendelson, ''Many Sides'', 1〕 Pericles' manner of thought and rhetorical charisma may have been in part products of Anaxagoras' emphasis on emotional calm in the face of trouble and skepticism about divine phenomena.〔 His proverbial calmness and self-control are also often regarded as products of Anaxagoras' influence.〔Plutarch, ''Pericles'', VI and Plato, Phaedrus, (270a )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pericles」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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