Pericles (c.495-429 BC). 1888 illustration of a bust of the Ancient Greek politician, statesman and orator Pericles. Pericles presided over the prosperous 'Golden Age' of Athens. Politically a radical, he helped to push through the reforms that led to full Athenian democracy. His hostility towards the rival Greek power of Sparta led to the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) and his overthrow in 430 BC. Although quickly reinstated, Pericles died of bubonic plaque shortly after. At a funeral speech in honour of Athens' war-dead he said 'One's sense of honour is the only thing that does not grow old'.