Ancient Greek Art

Ancient Greece is not only known for its architecture, military tactics, and intriguing history. It is also known for its art and sculpting. The Greeks had a very distinct style of art, recognized by all.
The first thing about Greek art and sculpture is the look of their bodies. Greeks depicted the people they drew or sculpted as perfect. Six pack abs and perfect proportions. Long and flowing hair for women. They wanted to be pictured as a generation of beautiful, strong, and intellectual individuals and they used their art to do that.
Another distinct feature of Greek art is the colors and stone. Most Greek sculptures or stone carvings were made of marble. On things such as pottery and painting, they used colors such as orange and black. This gave almost an Egyptian feel to paintings and such.
Most time in this kind of art, we see younger people. Also, they were usually naked with a smirk on their face. In many Greek paintings, they also represented some sort of sexuality. The Greeks were a very sexual society obsessed with human perfection. They also had many scenes from glorious battles of men with spears, swords and large metal shields, showing the sheer power of Grecian society.
As you can see, there are many different aspects of Greeks art. All of these different aspects make Greek art recognizable and very powerful.

Why was the era of Pericles so important in Greek History?

Pericles was the Athenian ruler at the apex of Athenian society. He was put in power after Themistocles. During his reign, he built up Athens and made significant alteration to the Delian League.
Pericles was born in 495 B.C.. He was raised in an upper-class environment. Surrounded by nobility and wealth, Pericles was inspired to pursue higher education. In his time, he was able to train with some of Greek's best scholars and philosophers. At this time, education was at its highest.
Also in his time, many military advances were made. With the massive navy that had recently been built and many victories under former ruler Themistocles, Athens made astounding military advances. Pericles took part in wars such as The First Peloponnesian War, Second Sacred War, and the Samian War.
Also, while he was in power, Pericles built up Athens. He embarked on a massive construction project, including full employment (meaning; jobs for almost everyone). At this time was when the Parthenon was built. The Parthenon was the temple to Athena, the virgin. This temple marked the apex of Athenian power, it was the ultimate display of Athens greatness under Pericles.
Pericles ruled for about 15 years. In 129 B.C., at about age 65, Pericles died. But, he did leave a legacy. Marking the Apex of Athens, he is revered as one of early Greeks greatest rulers.