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{{Quote|I have my life threatened by far worse people every day. My true concern is Athens. I fear for her future.|Perikles, 431 BCE.|Assassin's Creed: Odyssey|Perikles's Symposium}}
{{Update|[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]}}
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{{Character Infobox
{{Character Infobox
|name = Perikles
|name = Perikles
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|species = [[Human]]
|species = [[Human]]
|affiliates = [[Athens]]<br />[[Periklean Circle]]
|affiliates = [[Athens]]<br />[[Periklean Circle]]
|actor =
|voice = Chris Pavlo}}
|voice = Chris Pavlo
}}
'''Perikles''' (c. 495 BCE – c. 429 BCE), alternatively '''Pericles''', was a [[Greece|Greek]] politician and general who led [[Athens]] in the early years of the [[Peloponnesian War]].
'''Perikles''' (c. 495 BCE – c. 429 BCE), alternatively '''Pericles''', was a [[Greece|Greek]] politician and general who led [[Athens]] in the early years of the [[Peloponnesian War]].


==Biography==
Presiding over the {{Wiki|Athens in the 5th century BC|Golden Age of Athens}}, a period where Athenian intellectual thought and democracy reached its peak, Perikles shouldered the burden of defending the city against [[Sparta]] when war between the two Hellenic powers erupted. Rather than facing them in direct battle, however, he had the military turtle within the city, much to the chagrin of its anxious populace.<ref name="ACOD site">{{Ubisoft|url=game/en-us/odyssey/characters|text=Assassin's Creed Odyssey Characters|archivedate=20180617164516|subdomain=assassinscreed}}</ref>
Pericles was born c. 495 BC, in [[Athens]] , [[Greece]] .He was the son of the politician [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthippus Xanthippus], who, though [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostracism ostracized] in 485–484 BC, returned to [[Athens]] to command the Athenian contingent in the Greek victory at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mycale Mycale] just five years later. Pericles' mother, Agariste, a member of the powerful and controversial noble family of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcmaeonidae Alcmaeonidae], and her familial connections played a crucial role in helping start Xanthippus' political career. Agariste was the great-granddaughter of the tyrant of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicyon Sicyon], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleisthenes_of_Sicyon Cleisthenes], and the niece of the Athenian reformer [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleisthenes Cleisthenes].


According to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus Herodotus] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutarch Plutarch], Agariste dreamed, a few nights before Pericles' birth, that she had borne a lion. Legends say that Philip II of Macedon had a similar dream before the birth of his son, Alexander the Great. One interpretation of the dream treats the lion as a traditional symbol of greatness, but the story may also allude to the unusually large size of Pericles' skull, which became a popular target of contemporary comedians (who called him "Squill-head", after the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drimia_maritima squill] or sea-onion).Although Plutarch claims that this deformity was the reason that Pericles was always depicted wearing a helmet, this is not the case; the helmet was actually the symbol of his official rank as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategos strategos] (general).
His strategy owed to his stoic and calculating nature, but his pragmatism was perceived by the besieged Athenians as apathetic. At the very root of his defensive policy, however, was his love for his partner [[Aspasia]], a ''[[Courtesan|hetaera]]'', and his desire to protect her and the city at all costs.<ref name="ACOD site"/>


Pericles belonged to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe tribe] of Acamantis (Ἀκαμαντὶς φυλή). His early years were quiet; the introverted young Pericles avoided public appearances, instead preferring to devote his time to his studies.
==Biography==
 
===Leader of Athens===
His family's nobility and wealth allowed him to fully pursue his inclination toward education. He learned music from the masters of the time ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damon_(ancient_Greek_musicologist) Damon] or Pythocleides could have been his teacher) and he is considered to have been the first politician to attribute importance to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy philosophy]. He enjoyed the company of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher philosophers] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protagoras Protagoras], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno_of_Elea Zeno of Elea], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaxagoras Anaxagoras]. Anaxagoras, in particular, became a close friend and influenced him greatly.
When the Peloponnesian War broke out in 431 BCE, Perikles adopted a strategy of holding out rather than facing Sparta head-to-head in battle. However, this was opposed by the Athenian general [[Kleon]], secretly a [[Sage (Cult of Kosmos)|Sage]] of the [[Cult of Kosmos]]. As such, the two regularly exchanged debates at the [[Pnyx]], fighting for the citizens' support.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]''</ref> Perikles also secretly requested his friend and historian [[Herodotos]] to consult the [[Pythia (431 BCE)|Pythia]] in [[Delphi]] about ending the war.<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Odyssey'' – [[Consulting a Ghost]]</ref>
 
Pericles' manner of thought and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric rhetorical] charisma may have been in part products of Anaxagoras' emphasis on emotional calm in the face of trouble, and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_scepticism skepticism]about divine phenomena. His proverbial calmness and self-control are also often regarded as products of Anaxagoras' influence. In the spring of 472 BC, Pericles presented ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persians The Persians]'' of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeschylus Aeschylus] at the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Dionysia Greater Dionysia] as a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgy_(ancient_Greece) liturgy], demonstrating that he was one of the wealthier men of Athens.Simon Hornblower has argued that Pericles' selection of this play, which presents a nostalgic picture of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themistocles Themistocles]' famous victory at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Salamis Salamis], shows that the young politician was supporting Themistocles against his political opponent [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimon Cimon], whose faction succeeded in having Themistocles ostracized shortly afterwards.
 
Plutarch says that Pericles stood first among the Athenians for forty years. If this was so, Pericles must have taken up a position of leadership by the early 460s BC – in his early or mid-thirties. Throughout these years he endeavored to protect his privacy and to present himself as a model for his fellow citizens. For example, he would often avoid banquets, trying to be frugal.
 
In 463 BC, Pericles was the leading prosecutor of Cimon, the leader of the conservative faction who was accused of neglecting Athens' vital interests in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedon Macedon].Although Cimon was acquitted, this confrontation proved that Pericles' major political opponent was vulnerable. 
 
461 BC, the leadership of the democratic party decided it was time to take aim at the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagus Areopagus], a traditional council controlled by the Athenian aristocracy, which had once been the most powerful body in the state. The leader of the party and mentor of Pericles, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephialtes_of_Athens Ephialtes], proposed a reduction of the Areopagus' powers. The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesia_(ancient_Athens) Ecclesia] (the Athenian Assembly) adopted Ephialtes' proposal without opposition. This reform signaled the beginning of a new era of "radical democracy".
 
The democratic party gradually became dominant in Athenian politics, and Pericles seemed willing to follow a populist policy in order to cajole the public. According to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle Aristotle], Pericles' stance can be explained by the fact that his principal political opponent, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimon Cimon], was both rich and generous, and was able to gain public favor by lavishly handing out portions of his sizable personal fortune.The historian Loren J. Samons II argues, however, that Pericles had enough resources to make a political mark by private means, had he so chosen.
 
In 461 BC, Pericles achieved the political elimination of this opponent using [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostracism ostracism]. The accusation was that Cimon betrayed his city by aiding [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta Sparta].
 
After Cimon's ostracism, Pericles continued to promote a populist social policy.He first proposed a decree that permitted the poor to watch theatrical plays without paying, with the state covering the cost of their admission. With other decrees he lowered the property requirement for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archon archonship] in 458–457 BC and bestowed generous wages on all citizens who served as jurymen in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliaia Heliaia] (the supreme court of Athens) some time just after 454 BC.<sup id="cite_ref-Fornara2_30-0">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pericles#cite_note-Fornara2-30 [27]]</sup> His most controversial measure, however, was a law of 451 BC limiting Athenian citizenship to those of Athenian parentage on both sides.
 
Such measures impelled Pericles' critics to hold him responsible for the gradual degeneration of the Athenian democracy. Pericles possibly sought for the expansion and stabilization of all democratic institutions. Hence, he enacted legislation granting the lower classes access to the political system and the public offices, from which they had previously been barred.
 
Pericles may have believed that it was necessary to raise the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deme demos]'', in which he saw an untapped source of Athenian power and the crucial element of Athenian military dominance. (The fleet, backbone of Athenian power since the days of Themistocles, was manned almost entirely by members of the lower classes.


Cimon, on the other hand, apparently believed that no further free space for democratic evolution existed. He was certain that democracy had reached its peak and Pericles' reforms were leading to the stalemate of populism. According to Paparrigopoulos, history vindicated Cimon, because Athens, after Pericles' death, sank into the abyss of political turmoil and demagogy. Paparrigopoulos maintains that an unprecedented regression descended upon the city, whose glory perished as a result of Pericles' populist policies.
[[File:ACOD Welcome to Athens Memory Screenshot 03.png|thumb|250px|left|Perikles meeting Kassandra]]
He presided over the Golden Age of Athens, a period where Athenian intellectual thought and democracy reached its peak, Perikles shouldered the burden of defending the city against [[Sparta]] when war between the two Hellenic powers erupted. Rather than facing them in direct battle, however, he had the military turtle within the city, much to the chagrin of its anxious populace.
Sometime later, Perikles and Kleon held a debate at the Pnyx as the Spartans began surrounding the city in preparation for a siege. Perikles' speech proved to be unfavourable, leading the crowd to voice their support of Kleon. After the speech, Perikles was approached by a returning Herodotos accompanied by the ''[[Mercenary|misthios]]'' [[Kassandra]]. In exchange for letting Kassandra into his symposium held later at night, Perikles tasked her to help his friends and colleagues with several errands.<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Odyssey'' – [[Welcome to Athens]]</ref>


His strategy owed to his stoic and calculating nature, but his pragmatism was perceived by the besieged Athenians as apathetic. At the very root of his defensive policy, however, was his love for his partner [[Aspasia]], a ''[[Courtesan|hetaera]]'', and his desire to protect her and the city at all costs.
After Kassandra assisted the sculptor [[Phidias]],<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Odyssey'' – [[Escape from Athens]]</ref> saved the politician [[Metiochos]],<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Odyssey'' – [[A Venomous Encounter]]</ref> and ensured that [[Anaxagoras]] was exiled from Athens for his own protection,<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Odyssey'' – [[Ostracized]]</ref> she attended the symposium held at [[Perikles' Residence]], meeting the other guests, including Aspasia. However, Perikles himself was nowhere to be found, having retired from the party early. While standing on his home's balcony, he was approached by both Herodotos and Kassandra, who informed him of the Cult of Kosmos' existence and expressed their concerns that the Cult might target Perikles and Athens next. In response, Perikles thanked them for the information and promised to increase his security.<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Odyssey'' – [[Perikles's Symposium]]</ref>


In 429 BCE, Athens had devolved into a state of panic. With the war with Sparta increasing tension and a lethal [[Plague of Athens|plague]] spreading throughout the streets. Perikles felt his grasp of the city weakening, and this worried him greatly. With his own health declining, he realized his death was on the horizon and began to worry as his warmongering rival [[Kleon]] had the best opportunity for power with his death. After a brief meeting with the ''[[Mercenary|misthios]]'' [[Kassandra]], Perikles left for the [[Parthenon]] where he was attacked and murdered by the enforcer of the [[Cult of Kosmos]], [[Alexios|Deimos]].
===The plague and death===
[[File:ACOD Athens's Last Hope - Perikles Death.png|thumb|250px|Perikles killed by Deimos]]
By 429 BCE, Athens had devolved into a state of panic. With the war increasing tension and a lethal [[Plague of Athens|plague]] spreading throughout the streets, Perikles felt his grasp over the city weakening, and this worried him greatly. With his own health declining, he realized his death was on the horizon and began to worry, as his warmongering rival Kleon had the best opportunity to seize power after his death. Following a brief meeting with Kassandra, Perikles left for the [[Parthenon]], where he was attacked and murdered by the enforcer of the Cult of Kosmos, [[Alexios|Deimos]].<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Odyssey'' – [[Athens's Last Hope]]</ref>


==Trivia==
==Behind the scenes==
*''[[The Art of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' calls Aspasia Perikles' wife, instead of just 'partner'.
*''[[The Art of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' calls Aspasia Perikles' wife, instead of just 'partner'.
*Perikles' pendant features the {{Wiki|Owl of Athena}}, which was often [[Athens Mint|minted]] on the [[Drachma|coins]] of Athens, and also served as the ''[[polis]]''{{'}} emblem.
*Perikles' pendant features the {{Wiki|Owl of Athena}}, which was often [[Athens Mint|minted]] on the [[Drachma|coins]] of Athens, and also served as the ''[[polis]]''{{'}} emblem.
*In real life, Perikles succumbed to the Plague of Athens alongside several of his relatives.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
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==Appearances==
==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Where's the Assassin?]]'' {{c|non-canonical appearance}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Rebellion]]'' {{Mdat}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR]]'' {{Mdat}}


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Generals]]
[[Category:Generals]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Orators]]
[[Category:Strategoi]]
[[Category:Strategoi]]
[[Category:Noblemen]]
[[Category:Proto-Assassin allies]]
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Latest revision as of 22:44, 11 May 2026

"I have my life threatened by far worse people every day. My true concern is Athens. I fear for her future."
―Perikles, 431 BCE.[src]-[m]

Perikles (c. 495 BCE – c. 429 BCE), alternatively Pericles, was a Greek politician and general who led Athens in the early years of the Peloponnesian War.

Presiding over the Golden Age of Athens, a period where Athenian intellectual thought and democracy reached its peak, Perikles shouldered the burden of defending the city against Sparta when war between the two Hellenic powers erupted. Rather than facing them in direct battle, however, he had the military turtle within the city, much to the chagrin of its anxious populace.[1]

His strategy owed to his stoic and calculating nature, but his pragmatism was perceived by the besieged Athenians as apathetic. At the very root of his defensive policy, however, was his love for his partner Aspasia, a hetaera, and his desire to protect her and the city at all costs.[1]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Leader of Athens[edit | edit source]

When the Peloponnesian War broke out in 431 BCE, Perikles adopted a strategy of holding out rather than facing Sparta head-to-head in battle. However, this was opposed by the Athenian general Kleon, secretly a Sage of the Cult of Kosmos. As such, the two regularly exchanged debates at the Pnyx, fighting for the citizens' support.[2] Perikles also secretly requested his friend and historian Herodotos to consult the Pythia in Delphi about ending the war.[3]

Perikles meeting Kassandra

Sometime later, Perikles and Kleon held a debate at the Pnyx as the Spartans began surrounding the city in preparation for a siege. Perikles' speech proved to be unfavourable, leading the crowd to voice their support of Kleon. After the speech, Perikles was approached by a returning Herodotos accompanied by the misthios Kassandra. In exchange for letting Kassandra into his symposium held later at night, Perikles tasked her to help his friends and colleagues with several errands.[4]

After Kassandra assisted the sculptor Phidias,[5] saved the politician Metiochos,[6] and ensured that Anaxagoras was exiled from Athens for his own protection,[7] she attended the symposium held at Perikles' Residence, meeting the other guests, including Aspasia. However, Perikles himself was nowhere to be found, having retired from the party early. While standing on his home's balcony, he was approached by both Herodotos and Kassandra, who informed him of the Cult of Kosmos' existence and expressed their concerns that the Cult might target Perikles and Athens next. In response, Perikles thanked them for the information and promised to increase his security.[8]

The plague and death[edit | edit source]

Perikles killed by Deimos

By 429 BCE, Athens had devolved into a state of panic. With the war increasing tension and a lethal plague spreading throughout the streets, Perikles felt his grasp over the city weakening, and this worried him greatly. With his own health declining, he realized his death was on the horizon and began to worry, as his warmongering rival Kleon had the best opportunity to seize power after his death. Following a brief meeting with Kassandra, Perikles left for the Parthenon, where he was attacked and murdered by the enforcer of the Cult of Kosmos, Deimos.[9]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

  • A bust depicting Perikles
    A bust depicting Perikles
  • Models of Perikles
    Models of Perikles
  • Head models of Perikles
    Head models of Perikles

Appearances[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1  Assassin's Creed Odyssey Characters on Ubisoft's official website (backup link)
  2. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
  3. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Consulting a Ghost
  4. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Welcome to Athens
  5. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Escape from Athens
  6. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – A Venomous Encounter
  7. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Ostracized
  8. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Perikles's Symposium
  9. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Athens's Last Hope

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