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Pericles Second Peloponnesian War

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Pericles’ success on the field of battle and politics did not make him immune from attack, as preeminence in Athens did not equal to absolute rule. Just before the beginning of the Second Peloponnesian War, Pericles and two of his closest associates, his friend Phidias and lover Aspasia, faced a series of defamation attacks. Phidias, was accused of two crimes. The first was the embezzling funds meant for the construction projects and second was impiety for, inserting a likeness of Pericles and himself on a shield of Athena depicting the Amazonomachy. Aspasia was accused of corrupting the women of Athens in order to satisfy Pericles' perversions. The accusations against her were probably nothing more than unproven slanders, but the whole experience

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