The Athenian Polis – Golden Age Decay
As I mentioned in the last post, the Athenian Polis reached its zenith during the Age of Pericles and also started its decline. Can Pericles be blamed for this? Not entirely, because he was merely a product of his time. Much of the decay of the Athenian Polis came from its own success as we shall see in a moment.
After the Persians were beaten in 479 B.C, the Athenians felt the need to protect themselves from another invasion. They also wanted to protect their economic interests in the region. Moreover, victory had made the them confident (arrogant?). The hubris they labeled as a crime against society was now their public identity.