By the mid fifth century B.C., Athens had become the most   powerful   city-state in Greece: a rich democracy led by Pericles that boldly   gained   control of an empire. Athens's strength under Pericles was the result of   a   complex interaction of events from the time of Cleisthenes. Fornara and   Samons   unravel the intricacies of the conflicting ancient sources to show how   the   development of both democracy and empire were interdependent in Athens's   multifaceted evolution. The authors trace and contrast four stands of   development: the history of the Alcmeonid family of Cleisthenes and   Pericles,   the nature and development of Athenian democracy, the growth of Athenian   empire,   and the burgeoning antagonism between Athens and Sparta. The fresh   perspective   thus afforded by this clear presentation will intrigue those with   interests in   both ancient economics and politics.  The figure of Pericles is central to all four avenues of inquiry.  His   decision   to create the enmisthos polis marked a fateful turn. Henceforth the   democracy   and the empire presupposed each other. Ultimately, Pericles's policies   fueled   Sparta's growing insecurity, resulting in her declaration of war on   Athens in   431 B.C. and Athens's eventual fall.

Athens from Cleisthenes to Pericles PDF

The list of books you might like