Pericles and His Circle: Family and Friends

This chapter focuses on Pericles' family circle and his network of friends. It first considers Pericles' marriage to show how kinship structures functioned in Athens before discussing the tension between oikos and polis , the private sphere and the public space, in Pericles' refusal to take part in even the most elementary rituals of family sociability. It then examines how Pericles neglected the traditional forms of friendship and the sociability that was associated with them, noting that thoughout his career, Pericles set the friendship of the people before his personal relationships. It also discusses the criticisms leveled against Pericles for his equivocal friendships and, in particular, his hospitality toward foreigners and even foreign women.