AESCHYLUS
Aeschylus was born most probably in 525 B.C. and died either in 456 B.C. or 455 B.C. He was the first of the three great Ancient tragic poets, raising the quality of the tragedies from a chorus performance to an independent and well developed drama.
In 490 B.C., he took part in the Battle of Marathon and in 484 B.C. he was the first to win the first prized in the Dramatic Competitions. Characteristic traits of Aeschylus were his supple, carefully worded and modern majestic language. Furthermore, he was noted for his ability to create in his audience a sense of awe, emphasizing higher morals such humility and the insignificance of man in the face of death and universal justice.
He was also an innovator in the field of theatrical arts since he added a second actor and decreased the chorus segment to fortify the dialogue. He was also the first person to use theatrical scenery and improved the actor’s wardrobe.
Aristotle
Aristotle was born in 384 B.C. and was (along with Plato and Socrates) the greatest philosopher of Ancient times. He, himself, was a student of Plato’s – from whom he learned about the philosophical thinking of Socrates, which influenced his work.
Aristotle developed a philosophical method known as the Aristotelian Method. It consists of the means by which major life problems are to be confronted – no matter whether they are personal, social or political in nature. He also guides us to the discovery of the real truth and goodness that is connected to human actions. The latter being in direct opposition to Plato.
Aristotle served as a teacher to Alexander the Great through 339/335 B.C. and afterwards founded the School of Philosophy in Athens – known as the Lyceum of Aristotle, which grew quickly in fame. He died of illness in 322 B.C. in Chalkida.
Demosthenes
Demosthenes was born in 384 B.C. and died in 322 B.C. He was the most famous orator of Ancient times in addition to being a popular political figure in Athens. He came from a very well off family, but the death of his father when he was 7 years old gave his legal guardians to embezzle his wealth.
When Demosthenes came of age, he took legal measures against his guardians and succeeded in regaining a portion of his inheritance. That is when he began his career as a speech-writer (logographer) and wrote speeches for use in private legal suits. In 354 B.C. he made his entrance into the political arena with his speech, "On the Navy" ("?e?? t?? S?µµ?????"). Demosthenes dominated the political life of Athens – attempting to resurrect the pre-Peloponnesian War standard of living. Then came his conflict with King Philip II of Macedon and he wrote his most famous speeches – preserved with the names, "Philippic" and "Olynthiacs".
In 324 B.C. he was involved in a scandal regarding the removal of money that was brought to Athens by the former treasury guard of Alexander the Great, Harpalus. Demosthenes was forced to escape to Troezen. In 323 B.C. he returned to Athens, but the Athenian defeat in the Lamian War by the Macedonians led him to commit suicide in order to avoid arrest.
Demetrius of Phaleron
Demetrius of Phaleron was born in 350 B.C. and was a complex persona due to his achievements as a politician, philosopher, orator and writer. He wrote many works with, poetical, grammatical, political, philosophical and rhetorical content.
He belonged to the anti-Macedonian political party and in 317 B.C. – with the support of Cassader – he was elected as the head of the administration of Athens. As such, he created great activity in the areas of economic development and legislature. In 309 B.C. he was exiled from Athens by Demetrius Poliorcetes. He escaped to Egypt, where he died in 280 B.C. – either in prison or by suicide when he came into conflict with Ptolemy Philadelphus.
Euripides
Euripides was the youngest of the three great tragic poets of Ancient time who developed the dramatic arts to its greatest possible level. He was born in 485 or 480 B.C. and was a recluse with a very closed personality. A trait that managed to make him very unpopular and the center of comedy writers’ satires.
Although his poetic career spanned 50 years, Euripides only won the Dramatic Competitions 4 times – the first victory dated 441 B.C. In his plays, we see the conflict of man with his own self and his problems in life. He rejected the idea of the moral superiority of the Gods, while many times imprinting his personal beliefs and obbsessions in his works. He wrote approximately 92 dramas of which only 18 have been preserved to this day.
Herodotus
Herodotus was born around 480 B.C. and died close to 420 B.C. He is known as the Father of History because he was the first to present a cohesive and unified historical description. He went on great journeys, which then served as the basis for his work – taking the name "History of Herodotus" and was later divided into 9 books by Alexandrian librarians.
In his work, we see his attempt to analyze the causes of the historical facts and the motives objectively and impartially of the major players, but it is not lacking in its overlying idea that there is an ethical law that governs the fate of man. Moreover, his work is considered the most valid historical source regarding the Persian Wars as well as being an invaluable link to the evolution of historical research.
Isocrates
Isocrates was born in 436 B.C. and died in 338 B.C. He was one of the most significant rhetorician in the Ancient period, writing both courtroom and political speeches as well as correspondence. Isocrates, himself, rarely made speeches due to his weak voice and shy nature. His speeches were distributed in writing and read all over Greece. In 390 B.C. he opened an rhetoric school in Athens, which went on to gain great fame.
His main work, however, was his attempt to incite the Greeks to cease their civil conflicts and unite against the Persians in order to avenge themselves of the rule of Xerxes. Isocrates considered the internal strife the source of all the problems in Greece and the creation of an aggressive campaign against Persia as the only solutions.
Furthermore, Isocrates aided in the development of the Art of Rhetoric and the quality of the processing of orations, combining it with internal unity in rhythm and language, musicality and harmonic composition.
Cimon
CIMON Cimon was born in 506 B.C. and died in 499 B.C. during the Siege of Citium either by a wound or by some form of illness. He was the son of Marathon warrior, Miltiades, and went through a difficult childhood due to his father’s conviction after the failed Siege of Paros.
Having a very strong personality whose main trait was logic and a deep love of justice, Cimon quickly became very popular. After having married, Isodice, member of the Alcmaeonidae family, he took over the leadership of the conservative party. He stood out during the Sea Battle of Salamina and, as Commander-in-Chief of the Greek Army, after the removal of Pausanias, he led the fight against the Persians.
He won continuously against the Persians with the most important victory being against the Persian Fleet on the coast of Eurymedon river in Pamphylia. Having exhibited a fondness towards the Spartans, Cimon was accused of bribery by his opponents but was found innocent. However, in 462/461 B.C., after the Athenian Army was distanced by the Spartans who came to help due to the revolt of the helots (Messenians in Ithome), Cimon was ostracised.
In 453 B.C., the Athenians recalled him and, after he secured peace the Spartans, he organized a new campaign against the Persians – during which he lost his life.
Cleisthenes
Cleisthenes was the founder of the democratic governance due to his implementation of reforms that served as the basis of the new system of government, which signaled the beginning of the development of Athens. He came from the line of Alcmaeonid family and actively took part in the complicated political conflicts that took place during the mid-6th Century.
During 508/507 B.C. – after Cleisthenes had won the trust of the people – he came into conflict with the archon eponymus, Isagoras, who had the support of the Spartans. After a number of confrontations, Cleisthenes rose to power and carried out the implementation of progressive socio-political reforms. Of the most important measures that he took were the strengthening of the jurisdiction of the ecclesia (popular assembly), the new separation of Athenian citizens into 10 tribes (phyle) – annulling the old social order of birth and sex, the increase of the number of the Boule to 500 (Council of Five Hundred) and their separation into 10 prytanies (executives of the boule) who presided by succession for equal periods of time, the decrease of the political power of the Areopagus, the shaping of the army corps in accordance to the phyle where each also had their own assembly, authority and treasury.
Miltiades
Miltiades was most likely born in 554 B.C. and died in 489 B.C. He a member of a wealthy Athenian noble family, the Philaids. Around 516 B.C. he took over the administration of the Athenian leadership at the Thracian Chersonese that was founded by his uncle, whom he was named after.
There, he came into discord with the Persians and was reduced to a subordinate to the King of Persia, Darius. During the Ionian Revolt however, Miltiades helped the revolting Greek with great success. In 493 B.C. he was chosen as the general of Athens (strategos) and in 490 B.C. he led the army of Athens to a significant victory against the Persians at the Plain of Marathon.
Afterwards, Miltiades completed a campaign against the islands that had supported the Persians, but was unsuccessful. Sick from gang green, he was convicted and fined 50 talents and most probably died in jail.
Peisistratos
Peisistratos was the tyrant of Athens from the years 546 B.C. to 527 B.C. Taking advantage of the political and social imbalances that were apparent in Athens at the time – in addition to his rise in popularity after the conflict with the Megarans – he managed to reinstate tyranny in Athens.
However, the reactions of his various competitors forced him out of power, which he regained for a short period of time in 558/557 B.C. In 546 B.C. – after Peisistratos had organized a powerful mercenary army to support him – he attempted to overindulge his rivals and permanently establish himself into power. His policy could best be described as moderate, since he preserved the already existing laws of Solon, naturally holding onto the right to have the final say in all political decisions. He also took different measures for the improvement of agricultural production as well as the reduction of unemployment. Furthermore, he reinforced the traditional holidays and funded an expensive construction program.
Pericles
Pericles was born in 495 B.C. and died in 429 B.C. He played a leading role in the political events of Athens as the leader of the Democratic political party. Together with Ephialtes, he was the founder of the said, "radical democracy" – giving the citizens of Athens the ability to direct entrance and participation in the political goings on of the city.
Through the Delian League, Pericles succeeded in making Athens the first power in the Mediterranean while at the same time, he decorated the city with monuments of overwhelming beauty and elegance (Amongst these works was, of course, the Parthenon). He also considered the conflict with Sparta a natural outcome of the increased power of Athens. For this reason, Pericles drafted a strategic plan of which modern day researchers have made numerous comments on.
The horrible plague that had infested Athens at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War resulted in the deaths of nearly 20% of the population of Athens – one of which included Pericles himself.
Phidias
Phidias was the greatest sculptor in Ancient Greek art history. Unfortunately, no accounts of his life were preserved – only that of his art. That being the case, we can estimate the period of his creative peak as being somewhere between 470 B.C. and 430 B.C.
His sculptures are considered to be the cornerstone of the height of Greek sculpture during the Classical Era because of his innovative and incomparable technique. His most important works were: the colossal Statue of Zeus at Olympia (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World); the statue of Athena Promachus - "Athena who fights in the front line" – on the Acropolis of Athens (which is considered the masterpiece of Ancient Greek sculpture) and; the sculpted ornamentation of the Parthenon.
Plato
Plato was born in Athens or on the island of Aegina in 428/427 B.C. and died in 348/347 B.C. He was one of the foremost public figures who personified the Ancient Greek spirit and directly influenced the development of philosophy and human thought. Within his many works, the said, "Plato's dialogues" attempted to give some answers to the various time-long philosophical problems such as the definition of justice, what is reality, what is ethical, etc. Plato was directly influenced by Socrates, of whom he was once a student of. Moreover, Plato’s compositions gave us abundant information regarding the philosophical thinking of Socrates, since he himself kept no written journals.
Plato is considered to be the founder of idealism and the creator of the theory of ideals – claiming that the soul and ideals predominate death and the senses. Furthermore, in his famous work, "Politeia" ("The Republic"), he tries to give the prototype for the ideally favorable political community.
Socrates
Socrates was born in 470/469 B.C. in Athens and died in 399 B.C. His deep and questioning philosophical thinking proved him to be the greatest philosophical mind in Athens and the Ancient Greek spirit.
He, himself, never wrote down any of his works during his life and whatever we know about him comes from the writings of his students – mainly by Plato. For this reason, we do not have a full and objective idea about his thinking. In his rich philosophical meditations those that stood out were: his theory of ideals; the dialectical method of inquiry; the definition of virtue; the determination of the prototype for the ideal state, and much more.
The death of Socrates was tragic. After he was brought to trial for corrupting the youth and disbelieving in the ancestral gods. After a tumultuous causing courtroom drama, he was sentenced to death. He, by himself, with characteristic calmness drank the poison hemlock (Conium) – supporting, until the end, the way of life that he had suggested.
Solon
Solon was one of the seven sages of Ancient Greece and an eminent politician and lawmaker of Ancient Athens. He was born in 640 B.C. and died in 560 B.C. His most important achievement was his political and legislative reforms of 594/593 B.C.
The most significant of his reforms was "Seisachtheia" and the separation of citizens into four political classes: a) Pentacosiomedimni; b) Hippeis; c) Zeugitai and; d) Thetes – depending upon their economic power. This classification had an effect on the determination of political rights as well. Furthermore, emergency taxes that were named "contributions" were also created. Private and penal law were revised, putting more emphasis on the protection of a citizen’s honor.
In general, we could say that the laws of Solon attempted to bring about a compromise and peace between the disputes of nobility with the farming population – without very satisfactory results. His efforts did, however, result in a very serious step towards the establishment of democracy.
Sophocles
Sophocles was born in 497/496 B.C. and died in 406 B.C. He was another one of the great tragic poets of Ancient times, having written approximately 127 tragedies – of which only 7 have been wholly preserved.
He introduced important innovations to tragedies such as the additional number of actors from 2 to 3, bringing more members into the chorus from 12 to 15, moving the interest onto the dialogue and the introduction of skenographia, (scenery-painting).
He was an excellent master of language and very effective at preparing the audience to accepting the tragic side of his hero. His plots were concluded very dramatically, but at the same time, with impressive imagery. The works that have been saved are as follows: "Ajax", "Antigone", "Electra", "The Trachiniae", "Philoctetes", "Oedipus the King" and "Oedipus at Colonus".
Themistocles
Themistocles was born in 525 B.C. and died in 460/459 B.C. He was one of the utmost political and military figures of the Ancient Hellenic word. Already from 493/492 B.C. he was chosen as archon eponymus and engaged as General at the Battle of Marathon.
After the death of Miltiades, he took over the role of leader and began implementing his grandiose program for the creation of a powerful fleet to defend Athens from the upcoming Persian attack as well as to develop the first naval force in the Eastern Mediterranean. In 480 B.C. during the attack of the Xerxes on Greece, Themistocles exhibited superiority in the face of the threat of division of the unity of the Greeks and conceded the command of the Greek Army and Fleet to Sparta. It was his brainchild to have a naval battle take place against the Persians at the Strait of Salamina – where Greek triremes proved themselves faster and more efficient that the Persian ships.
Following the war, Themistocles strengthened the defense of Athens by building fortified walls. His political rivals, however, initially succeeded in his ostracism and later in convicting him to. After many transfers, he ended up in the royal court of the Persian King, Artaxerxes and took over the governorship of Magnesia and another four cities until the day he died.
Thucydides
Thucydides was the historian of the Peloponnesian War and the founder of scientific history. He was most likely born in 460 B.C. and died sometime between 400 B.C. and 396 B.C.
His monumental work was the first of its kind and a point of reference for all historians of following generations. The History of the Peloponnesian War is divided into 8 books that cover the period 431 B.C. to 411 B.C. Unfortunately, he was never able to complete his endeavor.
First, Thucydides separated the motives from the causes of the actual facts – shedding light on all of the dimensions and purposes of human action. He had a critical, objective ability that aided him to review the articles of the persons which played significant roles in the war. In conclusion, an intense political opinion can be discerned in his books and has been the subject of study by modern historians.
