Aristides the Just
Athenian Strategos and Archon
"Write what you will — only make it just."
Biography
Aristides earned his epithet 'the Just' through a lifetime of incorruptible public service and personal austerity so extreme that he died in poverty despite decades in the highest offices. He was political rivals with Themistocles throughout the Persian Wars — the two men represented fundamentally different visions of Athens, Aristides favouring the hoplite-farming citizen, Themistocles the sailor-empire. At Marathon he commanded one of the ten Athenian tribal regiments. During the crucial deliberations about the fleet from the Laurion silver mines, he supported Themistocles' naval policy despite their rivalry — recognising that Athens had to bet on ships. He was ostracised in 482 BC, but recalled when the Persian invasion began and fought at Salamis. At Plataea he co-commanded the Athenian contingent, holding the left wing while Pausanias's Spartans bore the brunt. His greatest legacy was the founding and organisation of the Delian League in 478 BC. Aristides assessed the initial tribute for each member city with such scrupulous fairness that all members accepted his verdicts without protest — a remarkable achievement in a world of fractious city-states. The league he organised became the financial foundation of Athens's golden age.
Did you know?
Aristides was so poor when he died that the Athenian state paid for his funeral and provided dowries for his daughters — a public honour for a man who could have been rich from the spoils of his offices but refused to profit from public trust.
Key Battles
Battle of Marathon
Greek City-States victorySeptember 490 BC · 7,200 total casualties
Marathon became the defining myth of Athenian democracy — proof that free citizens fighting for their own city could defeat the professional armies of empire. It gave Athens enormous self-confidence and prestige within Greece, fuelling the cultural flowering of the classical period. Pheidippides' legendary run to announce the victory gave the world the marathon race.
Battle of Salamis
Greek City-States victorySeptember 480 BC · 40,000 total casualties
Salamis was the decisive turning point of the Persian Wars. Xerxes withdrew to Asia with most of his army; without naval support, the remaining Persian land force under Mardonius was stranded in Greece. The battle saved Greek civilization and is considered by many historians one of the most consequential naval engagements in world history.
Battle of Plataea
Greek City-States victoryAugust 479 BC · 50,000 total casualties
Plataea ended the Persian military presence in Europe permanently. Fought on the same day as the naval victory at Mycale, it made clear that Persia could not conquer Greece by land or sea. The battle secured Greek independence and opened a century of Athenian cultural achievement — the age of Pericles, Sophocles, and Socrates.
Life Journey
Timeline
c. 530 BC
🌅 Birth
Born in Athens
490 BC
⚔️ Battle
Commands an Athenian tribe regiment at Marathon
480 BC
⚔️ Battle
Fights at Salamis after return from exile
479 BC
⚔️ Battle
Commands Athenian forces at Plataea
c. 468 BC
✝️ Death
Died in Athens in poverty