Book cover for Pericles: Statesman, Demagogue, Eccentric by Paul Cartledge

Pericles

Statesman, Demagogue, Eccentric

2026 Released
240 Pages
4-6 Hours
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Reaktion BooksISBN 9781836392002
A nuanced portrait of ancient Athens's boldest statesman and his enduring cultural legacy.

Pericles, the Athenian statesman, was a towering figure of his era, renowned for promoting Athenian democracy, shaping the Athenian Empire, and championing the arts, notably through the Parthenon's creation. Born to aristocracy, he was a fervent democrat, a masterful demagogue in the ancient sense, and an eccentric in his personal life. Paul Cartledge explores Pericles' life, examines Athenian history, and provides an insightful account of Pericles' political career, his role in Athens's building program, his intellectual connections, and his love life. Cartledge further considers Pericles' reputation in the theater and how he has been represented over the centuries from antiquity to the present day. This book is a nuanced, illuminating, and lively portrayal of a remarkable politician.

Paul Cartledge

Paul Cartledge is Reader in Greek History, University of Cambridge. He is the coauthor, with A.J.S. Spawforth, of Hellenistic and Roman Sparta: A Tale of Two Cities (1989) and The Greeks: A Portrait of Self and Others (revised edition, 1997). Peter Garnsey is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Cambridge. His works include Famine and Food Supply in the Graeco-Roman World: Responses to Risk and Crisis (1988) and Ideas of Slavery from Aristotle to Augustine (1996). Erich Gruen is Professor of History and Classics at the University of California, Berkeley. His publications include The Hellenistic World and the Coming of Rome (California, 1984), and Heritage and Hellenism: The Reinvention of Jewish Tradition (California).

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