Perikles has expanded the rights of civilians. He stipulated that the state should give certain allowances to those who hold public office, so that ordinary citizens can also hold posts. The citizens' assembly is the highest authority in Athens, which decides major issues such as internal affairs, diplomacy, war and equality. Adult male citizens can participate. The 500-member conference is composed of 50 people selected by lottery from ten tribes and remains the highest administrative organ. The jury court consists of 60 people, and each tribe draws lots to select 6000 people from citizens over the age of 30. It is the highest judicial organ, hearing major cases, supervising public officials and making decisions by voting. Ten generals were elected by a show of hands at the assembly. They are the highest officials of the government, commanding the army and holding real power. In Perikles, the restriction of property qualification was replaced by drawing lots, and a public office allowance system was established, which enabled more people to hold public offices, thus expanding the political rights of civilians.
Economic and cultural contribution
Pericles forced the allies to use Athens' silver coins and weights and measures uniformly, and the slavery economy of Athens and its allies was more developed. Pericles invited Miletus architect Hippo Dammous to design and build Piraeus Port in a unified way, which was completely new. Athens has established extensive commercial ties with Thrace, covering the Black Sea, western Asia Minor, eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and western Mediterranean, and is famous for its metallurgy, shipbuilding, ordnance, tanning and construction industries. Agriculture in Athens also participated in the monetary economy. Grapes and olives are planted in large quantities and then made into wine and oil for export, while about two-thirds of local residents rely on imports for food consumption. Due to the complete control of the federal treasury, Athens' fiscal revenue soared. Rich fiscal revenue provides a solid economic foundation for democratic politics. During the reign of Pericles, Athens received 20,000 official salaries or allowances from the state every year for holding public office and military service, accounting for more than one third of the total number of adult male citizens.
Perikles is an advocate of classical Greek culture. His ideal and ambition is to make Athens not only the overlord of the Greek world, but also the "school of all Greece". Pericles's era was an era of high prosperity of Greek classical culture. Famous scholars, scholars and artists from the Greek world gathered in Athens and around Pericles to give lectures, seek truth, goodness and beauty, and explore the mysteries of the universe and the true meaning of life. Anaxagoras, an outstanding philosopher, Pheidias, a sculptor and Sophocles, a tragic writer, followed closely. Pericles's wife, Aspa Sia of Miletus, was highly praised by Socrates for her outstanding talent and wisdom. Many philosophers and artists have become her guests, and many Athenians and even some women have come to ask her for advice. Pericles presided over drama performances when he was young. During his administration, he took measures such as giving drama subsidies to poor citizens, holding festival music competitions and building concert halls. Since 447 BC, Pericles has built the Acropolis on a large scale. He used the Alliance Treasury to store and successively build the Parthenon, the main entrance of the Acropolis, the hephaestus Temple, the Sunion Sea Temple and the Erecht Hyon Temple, as well as various exquisite and immortal plastic arts masterpieces attached to these buildings. Pericles made outstanding contributions to the development of Greek classical culture. His cultural policy is closely linked with his political, economic and foreign policies. Whether building public works or holding festival performances, the purpose is to consolidate democratic politics, improve the material and cultural life of citizens, promote the development of industry and commerce, and establish the glorious image of Athens, so as to attract the admiration and yearning of Greek States.
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Pericles is a representative of the slave-owner class in Athens. He devoted his life to managing the slave-owner democracy and expanding the power of Athens. He promoted the economic, political, military and cultural prosperity of slavery in Athens and occupied a more important position in history. The pan-Greek cause advocated by Pericles and the activities of establishing Athenian hegemony are blackmail and oppression to the Allies, but they are also beneficial to the economic development and political unity of the Greek world.