Perikles, the creator of the reputation of Classical Athens was an enigmatic figure. This book traces Perikles' development from a somewhat hesitant, though left-leaning politician, to a mature statesman fully committed to expanding Athens' maritime empire and using the material benefits of that empire to improve the ordinary lives of Athenian citizens. Podlecki examines Perikles' actions and interactions with a large and varied circle of friends, acquaintances, and political adversaries and shows how his circle of friends advised and influenced his development as a leader. Perikles, the 'first citizen', as Thucydides termed him, was a man characterised by a subtle versatility and tenacity of purpose. Of paramount importance was that Athenians be made to appreciate their superiority, and also develop a willingness to assert it, even if that meant war with the Spartans and their allies. Podlecki examines the wealth of sources and documentation on Perikles to provide a lucid account of the achievements of the man, which is both comprehensive and eminently readable.

Pericles, the creator of the reputation of classical Athens, was an enigmatic figure. This book traces his development from a somewhat hesitant, though left-leaning politician, to a mature statesman fully committed to expanding Athens' maritime empire and using the material benefits of that empire to improve the ordinary lives of Athenian citizens. The author depicts Pericles' actions and interactions with a large and varied circle of friends, acquaintances and political adversaries, and shows how his circle of friends influenced his development as a leader. The book examines a variety of sources and documentation on Pericles to provide an account of his life and achievements.

This edition of Aeschylus' triumphantly reconciliatory final play of the Oresteian trilogy presents a newly constituted text that diverges substantially from Page's Oxford Classical Text of 1972. The translation is in prose, with literary and historical commentary, and an introduction dealing with myth, historical background and suggested staging of the play. There are also several appendixes on such topics as the judicial procedure apparently depicted in the play, the so called 'vote of Athena' and the lyric metres. [Greek text with facing-page translation, commentary and notes]

The play's title figure has long held a central place in the 'libertarian' stream of Western culture, but controversies continue to swirl about the work and its hero. What are we to make of Prometheus's extravagant claims? Was he, as he insists, the only force that stood between the human race and extinction? Can Zeus really have been as misanthropic as his adversary paints him? Are we, in short, to think of Prometheus as a genuine hero, or merely as a megalomaniac rebel without sufficient cause? As for the play itself, the present editor, flying in the face of current orthodoxy, takes the view that the case against Aeschylean authorship has not been established. But this lingering doubt should do nothing to diminish its stature as a masterpiece of ancient Greek drama. The volume presents the original Greek text with facing-page translation, commentary and notes.