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Ancient and modern

How Cleon became a cautionary tale

3 February 2024

9:00 AM

3 February 2024

9:00 AM

Last week in a piece on populism, Pericles’ and Cleon’s methods of persuading the Athenian assembly to do their bidding were analysed: Pericles calm and persuasive, Cleon taking to court or viciously slandering his elite rivals for power. But Cleon did also have his moment of glory, in circumstances quite extraordinary even by the standards of Athenian democracy.

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