Today we once again continued to view the documentary "The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization". Mr. Schick was on the senior retreat today, so me and a couple other of my classmates helped set up the projector and the movie player. In today's viewing, we learned that a man named Pericles, was a very important man during Athens climax, and was an essential figure in bringing up the arts and cultures of the city. His main focus was on the Acropolis, and planned a massive reconstruction project to build a massive temple for their Goddess Athena. The Acropolis was very expensive to build. He had spent about 5000 talons on the building, worth more than a billion dollars on today's money. With the large amount of help he was given, the temple was built in just 15 years. All of the critics were silenced, and everyone for around the area gaped in awe at the massive structure. Athens was also a great learning and education center as well. The Amphitheater was another area where people gathered to view entertainment and comedy. Athens was doing very well for its time.
Things started to change in 431 B.C, when Pericles takes the podium of the democracy and decides he wants to prepare a war with their old enemy, Sparta. He decides that it is finally time to rid of the old fiend, and by doing so would make Athens the most powerful and influential city-state in all of Greece. He proposed a strategy to abandon the city, and hide in the nearby port city. They would also use the Athens Navy to help then win the war. Soon, the Plaque erupts in the city as the war is taking place. It is a devastating disaster, and 1/3 of Athens population is killed by the disease, including Pericles. He ended up dying in 429 B.C, after 6 months of sickness. Athens was in big trouble, and they would have to depend on a miracle in hopes of ever surviving the mighty Sparta.
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