Axis Age/ Golden Age in Greece

It is November 1st, 430 BC, and I will now conduct an interview with Pericles, a prominent figure hailing from Athens, Greece.

Q: Hello, and thank you for your time.  Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself to begin the questionaire?

A: I would be delighted.  My name is  Pericles, I was born in 495 BC; and Athens has been under my control since around 461 BC.  I am a statesman as well as an Athenian general, and have had many great accomplishments in my time so far.  I am also a firm enforcer of direct democracy among the people, as I believe it is the form of government that will bring us the most success.  I am well known for my brilliant military strategies in the recent Persian War, as well as the Parthenon, a temple I recently ordered the building of in order to honor our victory over Persia.  Many people also consider the period of my rule to be the period of Golden Age of Greece.  I will go into more details on this later in the interview.

Q: When did the Golden Age of Greece begin?

A: I believe this "Golden Age" you speak of began when we (the Greeks) triumphed over Persia in the final Persian Wars around 448 BC.  At this time, life began to settle down, and since our people were no longer constantly worrying about battle, the arts and culture began to prosper.




Q: Why was this time considered the Golden Age?

A: This wonderful time in our Grecian history was considered the Golden Age because when men began to have extra time on their hands, great advances were mad in art, science, literature, architecture, technology, and philosophy. Large advancements were also made in currency, and the creation of a Treasury.  Many temples and other extravagant buildings were rebuilt after being destroyed in wars of the past.  The arts of ceramics and sculpting also began to emerge during this time.  Play writing and theater also grew, as well as philosophy and mathematics with people such as Plato and Socrates.

Q: What brought about the end of the Golden Age?

A: The Golden Age is said to have come to an end very, very recently, as a war has broken out between my state of Athens and Sparta, a growing superpower.  The Spartans are very opposed to the Delian Leagues being supremely ruled by Athenians, and are willing to fight for power.  Once this war, now known as the Peloponnesian War, began, our prime Golden Age of Greece began to decline.

Q: On a side note, who did the Greeks contribute to the Axis Age and how?

A: The axis age, a period of advancement in science and philosophy around the world, began many years ago, and we have contributed many great beings to this era over time.  Our contributions began with the great Athenian philosopher by the name of Socrates, who then trained Plato, who went on to teach Aristotle, one of the greatest philosophers of all time.

 Thank you so much for your time and knowledge Pericles!