The Delian League

Where did all the cash come from for Pericles' Agora restoration and massive building program on the Acropolis?

It came from the Delian League. The Delian League was an alliance of Greek poleis (city-states) during the 5th century B.C. Athens, conveniently, was the leader of this group, thanks to its already substantial wealth and military power.

The League was originally started to be an alliance against the Persians in 477 B.C. it was led by Athens, with members Chios, Lesbos, and Samos, rounding out the original group. Other poleis soon joined.

The poleis would pay taxes to Athens (in cash, weapons, aand even soldiers) in order to fund the pricey triremes (massive Greek warships) that could make up on heck of a Greek navy. The treasury was originally kept in a central location, on the island of Delos. However, Athens took it into its own hands (and on its own land) in 454 B.C. It also began accepting only cash as payment from the other city-states. This happened to coincide with the large construction projects going on at the time in Athens, but Pericles insisted that the move was to keep the treasury on the go and out of the hands of the Persians.

Whether Pericles was looking after the League's best interests, or his own with Athens, is one of ancient history's mysteries.

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