Author Description

Pericles was a statesman and general of Athens during the city's Golden Age between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars, and he had such a profound influence on Athenian society that Thucydides, his contemporary historian, acclaimed him as "the first citizen of Athens". 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". The fifteen chapters of The Life and Times of Pericles covers the Alcmeonid family, Pericles' accomplishments, and his later years and death.