Blog Day Thirty: Pericles, Death and Disease in Athens

Athens was at war with Sparta at the time of Pericles final rule. Pericles overall plan for Athens was to make it into the greatest power in the Mediterranean world. Pericles planned on doing this by keep the entire population of Athens behind the walls, where Sparta could no get to them. For the first year of the war, Pericles method of getting food from fleet shipments, worked. Towards the end of year one, these shipments brought something other than food. They brought a plague to Athens. People back then could have never guessed that a plague would be so easily received and spread. Since every Athenian citizen was crammed behind the city walls, it makes sense that the plague spread so fast. After getting infected, many citizens would crawl to the city's well systems to die. During the quick spread of the plague, many citizens became violent and started not caring about anything in Athens. Eventually, Pericles caught the plague. Six months after he had been infected, Pericles died in 429 B.C. His death showed many Athenian citizens that Pericles was the only person keeping Athens together. Even the people who didn't like Pericles realized that he was keeping Athen from evil and violence. Those who were in line after Pericles fought to get rule over Athens. These single figures were willing to do anything that the Athenian citizens wanted, in order to rule. Pericles could have never guessed that his plan would only lead to death and disease. It would, after his death, also lead to mob rule. This is the last thing Athens needed to win the battle against Sparta, since mod rule would only lead to a broken democracy.