Pericles

About Pericles

Pericles was a preeminent and highly influential Greek statesman, orator, and general who presided over the city of Athens during its Golden Age in the 5th century BCE. He famously championed radical democracy, overseeing the construction of the Parthenon and sponsoring an extensive cultural program that solidified Athens' reputation as the intellectual and artistic center of the Hellenic world. His leadership during the initial phase of the Peloponnesian War and his pivotal role in shaping Athenian imperial power cement his high standing, earning him the #305 rank in historical importance via the Historical Popularity Index.

In the context of 2025 internet attention, Pericles' historical weight appears significantly undervalued. He garners an estimated 387K annualized Wikipedia views. This attention level is roughly comparable to his historical importance, as indicated by his approximate 1x Attention Gap score. However, a contrast with contemporaries in the comparison pool shows that contemporary figures like Napoleon III (#421 importance) receive over four times his traffic (1.6M views), suggesting a specific lapse in attention for this foundational figure of democratic governance compared to later politicians.

The data also points to a slight decline in immediate online interest, with his annualized views showing a -9.6% year-over-year change and a -13% drop in momentum between Q1 and Q3 of 2025, indicating that the modern web's focus is shifting away from this classical giant.