Alcmaeonidae
Sign in to savethumb|Bust of Pericles in the British Museum, Roman copy of a lost Greek original. One of the most famous Alcmaeonidae, Pericles was an Athenian general, orator, and statesman. The Alcmaeonidae (; , ; Attic: , ) or Alcmaeonids () were a wealthy and powerful noble family of ancient Athens, a branch of the Neleides who claimed descent from the mythological Alcmaeon, the great-grandson of Nestor.
Article
12 sectionsContents
- Early background and history
- Role during and after the [[Cylon of Athens|Cylonian affair]] (7–6th century BC)
- Rivalry with Peisistratids
- Contributions to Athenian democracy: Cleisthenes
- Later years: Pericles and Alcibiades
- Family tree
- In literature
- Ancient Greece narratives
- Modern writings
- Notes
- References
- Other sources
thumb|Bust of Pericles in the British Museum, Roman copy of a lost Greek original. One of the most famous Alcmaeonidae, Pericles was an Athenian general, orator, and statesman. The Alcmaeonidae (; , ; Attic: , ) or Alcmaeonids () were a wealthy and powerful noble family of ancient Athens, a branch of the Neleides who claimed descent from the mythological Alcmaeon, the great-grandson of Nestor.
In the 7th to late 5th centuries BC, the Alcmaeonidae played a significant role in the developments and events that occurred in Athens. Such developments included overthrowing an Athenian tyrant, helping to lay the foundations of Athenian democracy, and having generals for Athens during the Peloponnesian War. The Alcmaeonidae were mentioned frequently throughout Herodotus' The Histories, and many played a key role in shaping Athens. The first prominent Alcmaeonid was Megacles, who was exiled from the city and given a curse on him and his family. Furthermore, there was Cleisthenes, who became known as "the father of Athenian democracy" by numerous scholars and historians. Another famous Alcmaeonid was Pericles, whom Thucydides would later call "the first citizen of Athens," as well as Alcibiades, who switched sides numerous times during the Peloponnesian War, and would end up being the last of the notable Alcmaeonidae. The main aristocratic rival of the Alcmaeonidae in the 6th and 5th centuries BC were the Peisistratids.