The Golden Age of Greece

The height of Greek civilization

The Persian War
The Persian Empire tried to
expand its kingdom
Athens protected its citizens
in Anatolia from the Persians
Persia declared war on
Greece
The Greek city-states united
and defeated Persia
Pericles Leads Athens
After the Persian War, Pericles
(495-429 BCE) became the
strongest leader of Athens and
ruled for 31 years
He had three goals for Athens:
Strengthen democracy
Expand the Empire
Beautify Athens
Strengthening Democracy
Before Pericles, government officials werent paid which
meant that only the wealthy could afford to serve
By paying public officials,
Pericles made it possible for a
poor citizen to serve
Direct democracy: all citizens
participated in running the
government directly
Venn Diagram Activity
The Delian League
At the end of the Persian War,
the Delian League was created
by all of the Greek city-states
to protect themselves and their
trading in the future
It was called this because its
treasury and headquarters were
on the island of Delos
Rebuilding Athens
After the Persian invasion, Athens was in ruins and many
of its buildings had been burned or destroyed
Pericles took money from the Delian Leagues treasury to
begin to rebuild Athens and make it even better
The other city-states had not given him permission to use
the funds
Beautifying Athens
One of the areas that was rebuilt was the acropolis (where
important temples, monuments, and buildings are found in a
city)
The Parthenon: a building that was constructed to hold
a golden statue of Athena
The Erechtheum: a sacred site dedicated to Poseidon
and Athena
The Parthenon
The Erechtheum
Google Maps Activity
Acropolis of Athens
The Golden Age of Greece
Golden Age: a period of great achievement and growth in a
city and culture

Ancient Greeces Golden Age contributed to modern

western society and lasted for nearly 30 years
Expanding the Empire
Pericles used the money from the treasury to create a
strong navy (300+ ships)
It was stronger than any other navy in the
Mediterranean and added to Athens power
Athens took over the League and moved the treasury to
Athens which gave them more power
Other city-states began to be treated like conquered
territory
Eventually they became part of an Athenian Empire