Cleon
Cleon (; Ancient Greek: Κλέων Kleon [kléɔːn]; died 422 BC) was an Athenian politician and general (strategos) during the Peloponnesian War. The son of Cleaenetus, a wealthy tanner, Cleon was among the first prominent Athenian politicians of the 5th century BC to obtain power from outside the established elite.
As a political leader, Cleon aligned himself with the poor citizens and emerging commercial class of Athens, while also advocating for an aggressive military strategy against Sparta and its allies. He rose to prominence after the death of Pericles and was subsequently one of the most influential figures in Athenian politics, playing a central role in the Battle of Sphacteria, the Mytilenean Debate, and the failed Athenian campaign to retake Amphipolis in 422 BC, where he was killed.
Cleon was a deeply polarizing figure, portrayed harshly by the two principal contemporary sources on his life - the historian and fellow general at Amphipolis Thucydides and the playwright Aristophanes - both of whom had reasons to personally dislike Cleon. There continues to be an active debate within the historical scholarship regarding Cleon and the fairness of his portrayals by his contemporaries. Some argue that his negative portrayal is due to bias on the part of Thucydides and Aristophanes, while others counter that there is evidence to suggest that their depictions of him were less informed by personal dislike and bias than previously believed. Ultimately, the veracity of Thucydides and Aristophanes portrayal of Cleon remains uncertain.
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