Pericles
Pericles (c. 495-429 BO Greek statesman, considered to: be the most influential of the ‘golden age’ in Athens (460-429 BC), when the Greek civilization was at its political and cultural zenith. His thoughtful detached character earned him the nickname ‘the Olyrnpian’. Aspiring to make Athens the cultural and intellectual centre of Greece, he initiated the construction of the magnificent buildings on the Acropolis in 447. In every year from 443 to his death he was elected general by popular vote. He fell from favour temporarily when the Peloponnesian War broke out in 431 but was reinstated before his death.’