Cimon

(born c. 510—died c. 451 BC, Cyprus) Athenian statesman and general. He was the son of Miltiades. A conservative, he promoted Sparta and opposed Pericles. After helping defeat the Persians at the Battle of Salamis (480), he was elected strategus every year until 461. As commander of the Delian League, he cleared the Persians from the eastern Mediterranean and helped to lay the groundwork for the Athenian empire. In 461 he was accused by Pericles of collaborating with Macedonia and Sparta and was exiled for 10 years. He died leading a naval expedition against Persia.

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