Pericles thread
https://twitter.com/michaelcurzi/status/1217814997851615233
"we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves"
"we provide plenty of means for the mind to refresh itself from business"
"we throw open our city to the world, and never by alien acts exclude foreigners from any opportunity of learning"
"we provide plenty of means for the mind to refresh itself from business"
"we throw open our city to the world, and never by alien acts exclude foreigners from any opportunity of learning"
https://twitter.com/visakanv/status/1337793210756726786
Pericles' name literally means "surrounded by glory", and his life is another example of nominative determinism in action
born wealthy and influential, but rather than being a failson he instead challenged and inspired others to greatness
born wealthy and influential, but rather than being a failson he instead challenged and inspired others to greatness
he had many tutors in his life, including Zeno of Zeno's Paradox fame
Corroborates with David Banks' hypothesis that exposure to great teachers at a young age has an outsized effect
Corroborates with David Banks' hypothesis that exposure to great teachers at a young age has an outsized effect
https://twitter.com/visakanv/status/1361220067526991875
Pericles had his political opponent Cimon ostracized, ie cast out of town – by acusing him of aiding the enemy (Sparta).
big Lee Kuan Yew energy here
big Lee Kuan Yew energy here
(or, well, y'know. big Pericles energy from LKY, technically.)
A recurring thing about "great men" is that, on top of having personal excellence, they are of course always lucky to be at the right place at the right time. Pericles showed up at the right moment to be a catalyst for transformation by broader forces beyond his influence
According to Plutarch, Pericles' lover Aspasia's house in Athens was an intellectual centre, attracting nerds like Socrates
she had been alleged to have been a hetaira, a sort of highly-educated geisha-esque elite courtesan type? complicated, scholars argue about it
she had been alleged to have been a hetaira, a sort of highly-educated geisha-esque elite courtesan type? complicated, scholars argue about it
Consider the role of the Parthenon, which Pericles personally oversaw the construction of – an ambitious, awe-inspiring building to house goddess Athena – the patron and protectress of the city (and citizens) of Athens. Do any cities today have such searing aesthetic resonance?
first thing that comes to mind are the domes of Florence – similarly-ish funded by the Medicis (I believe by Cosimo?) – this is a "Cathedral of St Mary's", so it's Catholic... still making sense of this stuff, there's something here
I'm also reminded of a temple I visited in Srirangam, Trichy – this one was initially built by Chola kings in the Sangam era, ~600BC – then the subsequent history gets very complicated, lots of rebuilding by lots of different people I think
https://twitter.com/visakanv/status/1070949478729900032
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