Person

Cleon

d. 422 BCE · 5th century BCE

Cleon was an Athenian politician who dominated the assembly after the death of Pericles in 429 BCE and pressed for vigorous war against Sparta. In 425 BCE he captured the Spartan troops on Sphacteria, near Pylos. He was killed in 422 BCE at Amphipolis, in the same battle as the Spartan general Brasidas, and is portrayed harshly by Thucydides and Aristophanes.

Mentioned in 1 state history

Amphipolis

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Cleon. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cleon
MLA
“Cleon.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cleon. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Cleon.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cleon.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Cleon’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cleon (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻