Download Pericles

Name
Class
Date
Biography
Ancient Greece
Pericles
c. 495–429 BC
WHY HE MADE HISTORY Pericles was one
of the most influential statesmen of Ancient
Greece. Pericles is best remembered for
expanding democracy in Athens. So great was
his influence on Athens that his rule is often
called the “Age of Pericles.”
As you read the biography below, think about
how Pericles’s sense of responsibility led him to
advance democracy and improve Athens.
Called “the greatest man in Athens,” Pericles was
a popular and powerful statesman who led Athens
into the Golden Age. Pericles spent his life in
service of Athens. He worked hard to make his city
the most beautiful and powerful state in Greece.
Pericles was born into a powerful family. He
began his life in politics around the age of 20 and
quickly rose to importance in the Athenian
government. As the head of state, Pericles made
many reforms to help the people of Athens. He
created a salary system and a public payroll. This
was the first time elected officials were paid for their
work. Pericles also allowed common people to serve
in state offices. These improvements helped expand
democracy in Athens.
Under Pericles, Athenian art, science, and philosophy flourished. Pericles urged Athenians to use
money in the state treasury for two things—to
build a stronger navy and to beautify Athens.
Pericles hired architects and sculptors to build and
decorate many public buildings in Athens. The
Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the
Propylaea are a few of the structures built at this
time. These buildings made Athens a magnificent city.
VOCABULARY
payroll a list of employees
and how much they are
paid
treasury a place where
money is kept
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
6
Ancient Greece
Name
Class
Date
Biography
Pericles, continued
In 431 BC, the Peloponnesian War began between
Sparta and Athens. As military commander, Pericles
watched as Athens struggled in the war. By the end
of the first year of war, many Athenians had been
killed. Pericles gave a famous funeral oration for
those who had died. The speech appealed to the
Athenians’ sense of patriotism and pride.
During the war, Pericles had the people from
surrounding areas abandon their homes and move
to Athens, where they would be safe behind the
city’s walls. Although the people were safe, this
strategy allowed the Spartans to destroy much of
the land around Athens. This made many Athenians
angry with Pericles
In 430 BC, a plague broke out and many Athenians
died. Because of these problems, Pericles began to
lose trust of the people, and he was removed from
office for a short while. Pericles returned to power,
but soon became ill from the plague and died. Athens
had lost its greatest statesman.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. Analyzing How did Pericles improve life in Athens?
2. Sequencing Place the major events from Pericles’s life in the proper order.
3. Evaluating What do you think was Pericles’s greatest accomplishment? Explain
your answer.
ACTIVITY
Imagine that you are a public official in Athens, receiving a salary for
the first time. Aside from money, what other things are important for
your job? Choose one, and write a request letter to Pericles. In your
letter, give an explanation as to how this would help other Athenians
who are working for the state.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
7
Ancient Greece
Answer Key
Ancient Greece
Vocabulary Builder
Section 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Biography Sappho
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. The little information we have about
classical
acropolis
agora
peninsula
polis
hill
marketplace
city-state
great, artistic, marked by achievements
small, landform, surrounded by water
Sappho’s life was written in her poetry, and
very few of these poems have survived.
2. Lyrics today are written to be played on
the radio; songs today use many different
instruments, but during Sappho’s time
there was probably just one instrument.
ACTIVITY
Answers will vary.
Biography Pericles
Vocabulary Builder
Section 2
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. Pericles created a salary/payroll for the
1. True
2. True
3. False—Democracy in Athens reached its
4.
5.
6.
7.
people of Athens to get paid. Pericles
opened offices so that anyone could serve.
2. Pericles gained power, gave the people
salaries, went to war, beautified Athens,
and died of plague.
3. Answers will vary, but may include: I
think that the greatest accomplishment of
Pericles was his decision to give workers a
salary because people deserve to be paid
for their work; I think Pericles’s greatest
accomplishment was making Athens
beautiful with architecture and sculpture.
The Parthenon still exists today, and it
tells us a lot about Ancient Greece.
height under the rule of a brilliant elected
leader named Pericles.
False—In the 590s BC, Solon created a set
of laws less harsh than those created by
Draco. Solon’s laws enabled all free men
living in Athens to become citizens.
True
d. aristocrats
a. oligarchy
Vocabulary Builder
Section 3
ACTIVITY
Answers will vary.
1. A person’s Achilles Heel, a reference from
2.
3.
4.
5.
Homer’s The Iliad, refers to his or her
weak spot.
Greek writers taught people important
lessons about life through fables.
Ancient Greeks explained weather, seasons, and natural disasters by creating
a mythology that helped many people
understand these phenomena.
Homer wrote the two great epics of early
Greece, The Iliad and The Odyssey.
Hercules fought monsters and killed the
nine-headed hydra, according to Greek
mythology.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
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Ancient Greece
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