The heyday of the Athenian state.

The dawn of Athens fell on the second half of the 5th century BC. The prosperity of Athens was associated with the victory of the Hellenes in the war with the Persians, as well as with the activities of the strategist Pericles. He contributed to the further democratization of the polis, helping the common people to get seats in the national assembly, and laid the foundations of Athenian influence in the Aegean Sea. During this period, local art also flourished, and classical philosophy was born. The period of Athenian rule ended with the Peloponnesian War.