The Golden Age of Athens

It’s the late 400s BCE. The Greeks have recently driven their enemy, the Persians, out of Greece. The victory sets the stage for a time of peace, prosperity, and new ideas in Greece – a Golden Age. The Golden Age will last for over sixty years. At its centre is the city-state of Athens.

Athens is led at this time by a man named Pericles. Pericles makes important changes to the way Athens is run. He builds on the work of one of his predecessors, Cleisthenes. Cleisthenes established Athens as a place – in principle, at least – of ‘rule by the people’, a democracy. One important part of Athenian democracy is its courts.

Here, cases – which can be brought by any citizen – are heard before a panel made up of members of the public, a jury. Jurors are chosen at random, but, until Pericles’ time, they are unpaid. This means that only the wealthy can afford to participate. Under Pericles, jurors receive a wage, so the work becomes available to everyone, including the poor. Since the juries have virtually unlimited powers to decide cases, Pericles’ move to make them more representative boosts Athenian democracy.

Athens buzzes with citizens raising their voices to shape the city’s affairs. Judicial changes are not the only thing Pericles brings to Athens. He also orders the construction of public buildings and spaces, especially on Athens’ highest hilltop. During a previous war, an important building here was destroyed: a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, the Parthenon. Pericles pays workers to rebuild the Parthenon – architects to design towering marble columns, artists to paint vast murals inside and out, and sculptors to fill it with statues telling the stories of Greek mythology.

The result is a temple more grand than its original. It will become one of the most famous buildings in Greece. While Pericles funds many developments in Athens, others also contribute to the Golden Age, especially through the arts. Playwrights like Sophocles, Aristophanes, and Euripides, write the great comedies and tragedies of the time. The plays are performed for up to 17 000 spectators at the massive Theatre of Dionysus.

A lyric poet named Pindar, meanwhile, becomes famous for odes celebrating athletic victories in the Olympic Games and other sporting events. Historian Herodotus writes illuminating books on the Persian wars. He will become known as the ‘father of history’. And philosopher Socrates turns people’s attention to questions of morals, logic, and ethics. His ideas will be taken up by future thinkers for centuries to come.

As the Athenian Empire flourishes, its neighbour and rival, Sparta, looks on with growing jealousy. In 431 BCE, the powerful Spartan army invades the Athenian Empire. Pericles orders people living in rural areas to take shelter within the walls of Athens. He hopes the strong Athenian Navy will defeat the Spartans before they reach Athens. But in the crowded city a deadly plague breaks out.

It kills tens of thousands. In 429 BCE, Pericles himself dies of the plague. Athens’ Golden Age slips away – but its ideas and innovations live on. They shape the political and legal systems, architecture, and the arts of many cultures even today.