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{{Short description|Athenian statesman and general (died 422 BC)}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Cleon
| native_name   = Κλέων
| death_date    = 422&nbsp;BC
| death_place   = [[Amphipolis]]
| allegiance    = [[Classical Athens|Athens]]
| rank          = [[Strategos]]
| battles       = [[Peloponnesian War]]
* [[Battle of Sphacteria]]
* [[Battle of Amphipolis]]{{KIA}}
}}'''Cleon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|l|iː|ɒ|n}}; {{langx|grc|[[wikt:Κλέων|Κλέων]]}}  ''Kleon'' {{IPA|grc|kléɔːn|}}; died 422 BCE) was an [[Classical Athens|Athenian]] politician and [[Strategos|general]] (''strategos'') during the [[Peloponnesian War]]. The son of Cleaenetus, a wealthy tanner,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hall |first=Edith |date=2018 |title=The Boys from Cydathenaeum: Aristophanes Versus Cleon Again |url=https://edithhall.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/30-Cleon-proofs-Chap-12-Hall.pdf |journal=How to do Things with History: Festschrift for Paul Cartledge |pages=346}}</ref> Cleon was among the first prominent Athenian politicians of the 5th century BCE to obtain power from outside the established elite.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last=Hershkowitz |first=Aaron |date=2023 |title=Kleon and Tribute: Re-Examining the Import of Financial Expertise in Athenian Statesmanship |url=https://classics-at.chs.harvard.edu/6-kleon-and-tribute-re-examining-the-import-of-financial-expertise-in-athenian-statesmanship/#:~:text=One%20name%20has%20recurred%20in,polis%2C%20all%20that%20remains%20of |journal=The Athenian Empire Anew: Acting Hegemonically, Reacting Locally in the Athenian Arkhē}}</ref>

As a political leader, Cleon aligned himself with the poor citizens and emerging commercial class of Athens, while also advocating for an aggressive military strategy against [[Sparta]] and its allies.<ref name="Grote HOG - Volume 622">{{cite book |last1=Grote |first1=George |title=A History of Greece: Volume VI |date=1849 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-00955-3 |location=New York |page=332}}</ref> He rose to prominence after the death of [[Pericles]] and was subsequently one of the most influential figures in Athenian politics, playing a central role in the [[Battle of Sphacteria]], the [[Mytilenean Debate]], and the failed [[Battle of Amphipolis|Athenian campaign to retake Amphipolis]] in 422 BCE, where he was killed.

Cleon was a deeply polarizing figure, portrayed harshly by the two principal contemporary sources on his life - the historian and fellow general at Amphipolis [[Thucydides]] and the playwright [[Aristophanes]] - both of whom had reasons to personally dislike Cleon. There continues to be an active debate within the historical scholarship regarding Cleon and the fairness of his portrayals by his contemporaries. Some argue that his negative portrayal is due to bias on the part of Thucydides and Aristophanes, while others counter that there is evidence to suggest that their depictions of him were less informed by personal dislike and bias than previously believed. Ultimately, the veracity of Thucydides and Aristophanes portrayal of Cleon remains uncertain.

== Political and military career ==

=== Rise to power ===
Cleon emerged as a prominent political figure in Athens during the late 430s BCE through his opposition to the military strategy of [[Pericles]]. In particular, he criticized Pericles' policy of avoiding battle with the invading [[Peloponnesian League]] in 431 BCE.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kagan |first=Duncan |title=The Archidamian War |date=1974 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-6723-3 |pages=53}}</ref> Initially, Cleon aligned himself with aristocratic factions opposed to the so called "leaders of the demos," which included Pericles, Thucydides, [[Isagoras]], [[Miltiades]], [[Nicias]], and [[Theramenes]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kagan |first=Donald |title=New History of the Peloponnesian War |date=2013 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-6728-8 |location=Ithaca, NY |page=127}}</ref> In 430 BCE, following the failure of Pericles' expedition to the Peloponnese, Cleon led the opposition movement against Pericles' leadership and accused him of mismanaging public funds. While Pericles was found guilty and removed from office, he was quickly reinstated.<ref>[[George Grote]]. ''History of Greece'', abridged ed., 1907, p.&nbsp;406, note 1</ref>
[[File:Map_Peloponnesian_War_431_BC-en.svg|thumb|358x358px|The Aegean world on the eve of the Peloponnesian War (431 BCE)]]
Following Pericles' death from the [[Plague of Athens|plague]] in 429 BCE,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Plutarch |title=Lives, Volume III: Pericles and Fabis Maximus. Nicias and Crassus |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge, MA |publication-date=1916 |pages=111–113 |translator-last=Perrin |translator-first=Bernadotte}}</ref> Cleon quickly rose to political prominence.  According to Thucydides, by the year 428 BCE, Cleon had become the most persuasive speaker in the [[Ecclesia (ancient Greece)|Athenian Assembly]].<ref>{{Thucydides|en|3|36.6|ref}}</ref>

Cleon increased his support amongst poorer citizens of Athens by increasing the pay for [[jury]] service, which was a source of livelihood for many. His reforms, embrace of Athens' litigious culture, and use of potentially false charges to remove political rivals greatly enhanced his political power and influence.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Kagan |first=Donald |title=The Archidamian War |date=1974 |pages=329}}</ref>

In 426 BCE, Cleon unsuccessfully prosecuted the general [[Laches (general)|Laches]] due to his supposed hoarding of the wealth gained from an military Athenian expedition to     [[Sicily]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Braund |first=David |date=1999 |title=Laches at Acanthus: Aristophanes, Wasps 968-9 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/639507 |journal=The Classical Quarterly |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=322 |doi=10.1093/cq/49.1.321 |jstor=639507 |via=JSTOR}}</ref> He was elected one of the 10 strategoi in 424 BCE.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Rothwell |first=Kenneth |title=Aristophanes' Wasps |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-19-090740-2 |location=New York |pages=3}}</ref> Some sources suggest he may have introduced a property tax for military funding, as well as urged the doubling of tribute from allied city-states, however such details remain uncertain and contested.<ref name=":1" />

=== Role in the Peloponnesian War ===

==== Mytilene revolt and debate ====
{{Location map many|Greece|caption=Map of Greece including sites linked to Cleon's life and campaigns during the Peloponnesian War|label1=Mytilene|coordinates1={{coord|39|6|24.12|N|26|33|26.28|E|type:city}}|label2=Sphacteria|coordinates2={{coord|36|55|23.88|N|21|40|8.76|E|type:landmark}}|label3=Athens|coordinates3={{coord|37|59|1.68|N|23|43|39|E|type:city}}|label4=Amphipolis|coordinates4={{coord|40|49|6|N|23|50|24|E|type:landmark}}}}
In 428 BCE the city of [[Mytilene]] revolted against Athenian rule, likely spearheaded by the city's rich elite, and appealed to Sparta for military assistance. Although a Spartan fleet was dispatched it failed to arrive before the end of the rebellion. Growing dissasstifaction amongst the Mytilenean populace towards the government resulted in widespread refusal to follow governmental orders. This situation ultimately forced the ruling elite to surrender to Athens, who had sent their own fleet upon hearing of the rebellion, before the Spartan reinforcements could arrive.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Harris |first=Edward |date=24 April 2013 |title=How to Address the Athenian Assembly: Rhetoric and Political Tactics in the Debate About Mytilene (Thuc. 3.37-50) |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/classical-quarterly/article/how-to-address-the-athenian-assembly-rhetoric-and-political-tactics-in-the-debate-about-mytilene-thuc-33750/DBED3A2A166B13606A3F767B886522E0 |journal=The Classical Quarterly |volume=63 |issue=1 |pages=94–109|doi=10.1017/S0009838812000663 }}</ref>

Following the surrender, an Assembly session was held to discuss the fate of the city, wherein Cleon advocated for putting to death all of the Mytilenean adult men, while enslaving the women and children.<ref>{{Thucydides|en|3|36|ref}}</ref> Speaking in opposition to this stance was [[Diodotus (son of Eucrates)|Diodotus]], whose arguments narrowly prevailed and resulted in Cleon's motion being rejected by a slim margin.<ref>{{Thucydides|en|3|39|ref}}</ref> However, Cleon's proposal was not completely unheeded; the Assembly decided to execute the primary instigators of the rebellion, who numbered roughly around 1,000 and were composed of the city's elite.<ref>{{Thucydides|en|3|50|ref}}</ref>

==== Battle of Pylos and Sphacteria ====
In the spring of 425 BCE, an Athenian fleet decisively defeated a Spartan counterpart in the [[Battle of Pylos]], trapping 400 Spartan soldiers on the island of [[Sphacteria]]. Recognizing the severity of the situation, Sparta sent envoys to Athens with offers of peace. However, the Athenians, spurred on by Cleon, believed they held the advantage and could afford to delay in hopes of extracting even more favorable terms from their enemy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nikolaidis |first=Anastasios |date=2020-10-26 |title=Revisiting the Pylos Episode and Thucydides' 'Bias' against Cleon |url=https://tidsskrift.dk/classicaetmediaevalia/article/view/122617/169760 |journal=Classica et Mediaevalia |volume=69 |pages=122|doi=10.7146/classicaetmediaevalia.v69i0.122617 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Furthermore, at Cleon's urging, the Athenians rejected the Spartan's request to conduct the negotiations in private rather than in front of the whole Assembly. These factors ultimately led to the Spartan envoys concluding that no reasonable settlement could be reached, and they left Athens without securing a peace agreement.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nikolaidis |first=Anastasios |date=2020-10-26 |title=Revisiting the Pylos Episode and Thucydides' 'Bias' against Cleon |url=https://tidsskrift.dk/classicaetmediaevalia/article/view/122617/169760 |journal=Classica et Mediaevalia |volume=69 |pages=123|doi=10.7146/classicaetmediaevalia.v69i0.122617 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The Athenians began to regret their decisions regarding the peace proposals as conditions of the blockading forces began to deteriorate due to a lack of food and water, which would be greatly exacerbated by the approaching winter. In subsequent Assembly sessions held to discuss the status of the blockade, Cleon claimed that capturing the island from the Spartan garrison should have been an easy task for their generals, and something he would have done if he was in their position.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nikolaidis |first=Anastasios |date=2020-10-26 |title=Revisiting the Pylos Episode and Thucydides' 'Bias' against Cleon |url=https://tidsskrift.dk/classicaetmediaevalia/article/view/122617/169760 |journal=Classica et Mediaevalia |volume=69 |pages=125|doi=10.7146/classicaetmediaevalia.v69i0.122617 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The general Nicias offered to resign his command so that Cleon could takeover, an offer which Cleon accepted, claiming that he would take the island in 20 days.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nikolaidis |first=Anastasios |date=2020-10-26 |title=Revisiting the Pylos Episode and Thucydides' 'Bias' against Cleon |url=https://tidsskrift.dk/classicaetmediaevalia/article/view/122617/169760 |journal=Classica et Mediaevalia |volume=69 |pages=129–130|doi=10.7146/classicaetmediaevalia.v69i0.122617 |doi-access=free }}</ref>Cleon would fulfill his promise, taking the island in the Battle of Sphacteria.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nikolaidis |first=Anastasios |date=2020-10-26 |title=Classica Et Mediaevalia |url=https://tidsskrift.dk/classicaetmediaevalia/article/view/122617/169760 |journal=Classica et Mediaevalia |volume=69 |pages=142}}</ref> However, due to Cleon's lack of any prior (known) military experience,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nikolaidis |first=Anastasios |date=2020-10-26 |title=Revisiting the Pylos Episode and Thucydides' 'Bias' against Cleon |url=https://tidsskrift.dk/classicaetmediaevalia/article/view/122617/169760 |journal=Classica et Mediaevalia |volume=69 |pages=141|doi=10.7146/classicaetmediaevalia.v69i0.122617 |doi-access=free }}</ref> the general [[Demosthenes (general)|Demosthenes]] is often credited for the tactical success of the battle.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McGregor |first=Malcolm |title=The Athenians and Their Empire |publisher=UBC Press |year=1988 |isbn=0-7748-0269-3 |location=Vancouver |pages=141}}</ref>

==== Battle of Amphipolis and death ====
In 422 BCE, Cleon was appointed to lead a force sent to retake the city of [[Amphipolis]], which had been lost to the Spartans.<ref name=":04">{{Cite book |last=Rothwell |first=Kenneth |title=Aristophanes' Wasps |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-19-090740-2 |location=New York |pages=3}}</ref> However, during the subsequent campaign he was outmaneuvered by the enemy general [[Brasidas]] at the Battle of Amphipolis, and was killed by a [[peltast]] as his army was routed.<ref>Kagan, Donald (1974), ''The Archidamian War'', 329.</ref> However, Brasidas was also slain during the battle, and with his and Cleon's deaths the main opponents to peace on both sides were removed.<ref>{{Thucydides|en|5|16|ref}}</ref> As such, soon after the [[Peace of Nicias]] was signed between Athens and Sparta in 421 BCE.<ref>Kagan, Donald (1974), ''The Archidamian War'', 329.</ref>

== Historical interpretations ==

=== Contemporary depictions ===
Cleon is portrayed in a highly negative light by both the historian Thucydides<ref>Cf. Thucydides, ''[[History of the Peloponnesian War]]'', book III (36: "the most violent man at Athens", and 37–40 on the Mytilene affair), IV (21: "a popular leader of the time and very powerful with the multitude", 22, 27–29 on the Pylos affair), and V (16: "Cleon and Brasidas, who had been the two principal opponents of peace on either side—the latter from the success and honour which war gave him, the former because he thought that, if tranquillity were restored, his crimes would be more open to detection and his slanders less credited").</ref> and the comic playwright Aristophanes,<ref>Cf. Aristophanes, chiefly ''[[The Knights]]'' (864–867: "You are like the fishers for eels; in still waters they catch nothing, but if they thoroughly stir up the slime, their fishing is good; in the same way it's only in troublous times that you line your pockets.", etc.), ''[[The Wasps]]'' (esp. 664–712), and most mentions of Cleon in the other plays.</ref> two of the most prominent contemporary sources on his life. These depictions have significantly shaped his historical reputation, often presenting him as a demagogue and a destabilizing influence in Athenian politics.

Some scholars have noted that these portrayals may reflect a personal dislike and bias against Cleon by Thucydides and Aristophanes. The latter, for instance, had a direct grievance against Cleon, who is said to have made a complaint against Aristophanes for his lost play ''Babylonians''  for supposedly slandering the Athenians. Following this, Cleon frequently appeared in Aristophanes' subsequent plays as the target of comedic ridicule.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hall |first=Edith |date=2018 |title=The Boys from Cydathenaeum: Aristophanes versus Cleon Again |url=https://edithhall.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/30-Cleon-proofs-Chap-12-Hall.pdf |journal=How to do Things with History: Festschrift for Paul Cartledge |pages=346}}</ref>

Thucydides may also have had a reason to hold a personal grudge against Cleon. Thucydides was exiled from Athens for 20 years for failing to prevent the capture of Amphipolis by the Spartan general Brasidas.<ref>{{Thucydides|en|5|26|ref}}</ref> While Thucydides does not directly name Cleon as being responsible for the decree, the biography ''Life of Thucydides'', directly states that it was the "[[Defamation|calumnies]]" of Cleon that resulted in Thucydides exile.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Burns |first=Timothy |date=Fall 2012 |title=Marcellinus' Life of Thucydides, translated, with an introductory essay |url=http://www.interpretationjournal.com/backissues/Vol_38_1.pdf |journal=Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508102509/http://www.interpretationjournal.com/backissues/Vol_38_1.pdf |archive-date=8 May 2018 }}</ref> The accuracy of this claim remains uncertain, however, as the biography is dated to sometime between the 2nd and 6th Centuries CE by an unknown author, meaning it was written anywhere from 500 to 1,000 years after the death of Thucydides.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Burns |first=Timothy |date=Fall 2012 |title=Marcellinus' Life of Thucydides, translated, with an introductory essay |url=http://www.interpretationjournal.com/backissues/Vol_38_1.pdf |journal=Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508102509/http://www.interpretationjournal.com/backissues/Vol_38_1.pdf |archive-date=8 May 2018 }}</ref> Nonetheless, Cleon's role in Thucydides exile is generally accepted in modern historical scholarship.

=== 19th and early 20th century scholarship ===
For a general overview of the literature on Cleon during the 1800 and 1900s, see [[Karl Friedrich Hermann]], ''Lehrbuch der griechischen Antiquitäten'', i. pt. 2 (6th ed. by V. Thumser, 1892), p.&nbsp;709, and [[Georg Busolt]], ''Griechische Geschichte'', iii. pt. 2 (1904), p.&nbsp;988, note 3.

Notable early scholarly perspectives are categorized below:

* Favorable:
** [[Karl Ferdinand Ranke|C. F. Ranke]], ''De Aristophanis Vita Commentatio'' (Leipzig, 1845)
** [[Johann Gustav Droysen|J. G. Droysen]], ''Aristophanes'', ii., ''Introd. to the Knights'' (Berlin, 1837)
** [[George Grote|G. Grote]], ''History of Greece''. chs. 50, 54
** [[W. Oncken]], ''Athen und Hellas'', ii. p.&nbsp;204 (Leipzig, 1866)
** [[Hermann Müller-Strübing|H. Müller-Strübing]], ''Aristophanes und die historische Kritik'' (Leipzig, 1873)
** [[J. B. Bury]], ''Hist, of Greece'', i. (1902)
* Unfavorable:
** [[Friedrich Kortüm|J. F. Kortüm]], ''Geschichtliche Forschungen'' (Leipzig, 1863), and ''Zur Geschichte hellenichen Statsverfassungen'' (Heidelberg, 1821)
** [[F. Passow]], ''Vermischte Schriften'' (Leipzig, 1843)
** [[Connop Thirlwall|C Thirlwall]], ''History of Greece'', ch. 21
** [[Ernst Curtius|E. Curtius]], ''History of Greece'' (Eng. tr. iii. p.&nbsp;112)
** [[Julius Schvarcz|J. Schvarcz]], ''Die Demokratie'' (Leipzig, 1882)
** [[Hans Delbrück|H. Delbrück]], ''Die Strategie des Perikles'' (Berlin, 1890)
** [[Eduard Meyer|E. Meyer]], ''Forschungen zur alten Geschichte'', ii. p.&nbsp;333 (Halle, 1899)
* Balanced:
** [[Karl Julius Beloch|K. J. Beloch]], ''Die attische Politik seit Perikles'' (Leipzig, 1884), and ''Griechische Geschichte'', i. p.&nbsp;537
** [[Adolf Holm|A. Holm]], ''History of Greece'', ii. (Eng. tr.), ch. 23, with the notes.
** [[Hermann Bengtson|H. Bengtson]], ''History of Greece: From the Beginnings to the Byzantine Era'', Cleon p.&nbsp;140

=== 21st century scholarship ===

* Aaron Hershkowitz reexamines Cleon's previously posited role in the Athenian financial administration, arguing there is no solid evidence linking him to major fiscal policies such as the property tax known as the ''eisphora'' or the Kleonymos and Thoudippos decrees.<ref name=":22" />
* Edith Foster offers insight into the post-Peloponnesian War audience for whom Thucydides was writing, which calls into question previously held notions in modern scholarship regarding Thucydides' bias against Cleon. She emphasizes that this audience would not only have recently "suffered" at the hands of the Athenian politicians [[Alcibiades]] and [[Theramenes]], who, like Cleon, were associated with [[Demagogue|demagoguery]], but that by the war's end his earlier victory at Sphacteria would have been "buried in graver defeats of every kind," in the public consciousness.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Foster |first=Edith |date=2017 |title=Aristophanes' Cleon and Post-Peloponnesian War Athenians: Denunciations in Thucydides |url=https://histos.org/index.php/histos/article/view/104/98 |journal=Histos Supplement 6 |pages=132|doi=10.29173/histos104 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Consequently, Foster challenges the common view that Thucydides' portrayal of Cleon was primarily shaped by personal resentment made to convince the Athenian public of the "rotten" nature of Cleon, as such an opinion likely would have been prevalent already. Furthermore, she suggests that the possibility that Cleon was a genuinely problematic figure, and that Thucydides writings reflect an effort to explain his role in Athens' history to a contemporary audience rather than an effort to convince them of his supposed faults, should be seriously considered.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Foster |first=Edith |date=2017 |title=Aristophanes' Cleon and Post-Peloponnesian War Athenians: Denunciations in Thucydides |url=https://histos.org/index.php/histos/article/view/104/98 |journal=Histos Supplement 6 |pages=133|doi=10.29173/histos104 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* Anastasios Nikolaidis reexamines Thucydides' account of the Sphacteria campaign and uses it to challenge the commonly held view that Thucydides' depiction of Cleon reflects a strong bias against him. While acknowledging that Thucydides likely held personally animosity toward Cleon, Nikolaidis argues that this prejudice did not compromise the historian's commitment to factual accuracy. As evidence, he highlights Thucydides' reference to Cleon's claim that he would capture Sphacteria within 20 days as "mad." While earlier scholars have taken this phrasing as proof of Thucydides' bias, Nikolaidis contends that Thucydides' decision to nonetheless record the ultimate success of Cleon's expedition demonstrates a commitment to historical truth that overrides his personal feelings.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nikolaidis |first=Anastasios |date=2020-10-26 |title=Revisiting the Pylos Episode and Thucydides' 'Bias' against Cleon |url=https://tidsskrift.dk/classicaetmediaevalia/article/view/122617/169760 |journal=Classica et Mediaevalia |volume=69 |pages=142–144|doi=10.7146/classicaetmediaevalia.v69i0.122617 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Notes==
<references />

==References==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Braund |first=David |date=1999 |title=Laches at Acanthus: Aristophanes, Wasps 968-9 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/639507 |journal=The Classical Quarterly |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=322 |doi=10.1093/cq/49.1.321 |issn= |jstor=639507 |via=JSTOR}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Burns |first=Timothy |date=Fall 2012 |title=Marcellinus' Life of Thucydides, translated, with an introductory essay |url=http://www.interpretationjournal.com/backissues/Vol_38_1.pdf |journal=Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=3, 21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508102509/http://www.interpretationjournal.com/backissues/Vol_38_1.pdf |archive-date=8 May 2018 }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Foster |first=Edith |date=2017 |title=Aristophanes' Cleon and Post-Peloponnesian War Athenians: Denunciations in Thucydides |url=https://histos.org/index.php/histos/article/view/104/98 |journal=Histos Supplement 6 |pages=132–133|doi=10.29173/histos104 |url-access=subscription }}
*{{Cite book |last=Grote |first=George |url= |title=History of Greece |publisher= |year=1907 |isbn= |edition=abridged |pages=406}}
*{{Cite book |last=Grote |first=George |title=A History of Greece: Volume VI |date=1849 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-00955-3 |location=New York |pages=332}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Hall |first=Edith |date=2018 |title=The Boys from Cydathenaeum: Aristophanes Versus Cleon Again |url=https://edithhall.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/30-Cleon-proofs-Chap-12-Hall.pdf |journal=How to do Things with History: Festschrift for Paul Cartledge |pages=346}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Harris |first=Edward |date=24 April 2013 |title=How to Address the Athenian Assembly: Rhetoric and Political Tactics in the Debate About Mytilene (Thuc. 3.37-50) |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/classical-quarterly/article/how-to-address-the-athenian-assembly-rhetoric-and-political-tactics-in-the-debate-about-mytilene-thuc-33750/DBED3A2A166B13606A3F767B886522E0 |journal=The Classical Quarterly |volume=63 |issue=1 |pages=94–109|doi=10.1017/S0009838812000663 }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Hershkowitz |first=Aaron |date=2023 |title=Kleon and Tribute: Re-Examining the Import of Financial Expertise in Athenian Statesmanship |url=https://classics-at.chs.harvard.edu/6-kleon-and-tribute-re-examining-the-import-of-financial-expertise-in-athenian-statesmanship/#:~:text=One%20name%20has%20recurred%20in,polis%2C%20all%20that%20remains%20of |journal=The Athenian Empire Anew: Acting Hegemonically, Reacting Locally in the Athenian Arkhē}}
*{{Cite book |last=Kagan |first=Donald |title=The Archidamian War |date=1974 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-6723-3 |pages=53, 329}}
*{{Cite book |last=Kagan |first=Donald |title=New History of the Peloponnesian War |date=2013 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-6728-8 |location=Ithaca, NY |pages=127}}
*{{Cite book |last=McGregor |first=Malcom |title=The Athenians and Their Empire |date=1988 |publisher=University of British Columbia Press |isbn=0-7748-0269-3 |location=Vancouver |pages=141}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Nikolaidis |first=Anastasios |date=2020-10-26 |title=Revisiting the Pylos Episode and Thucydides' 'Bias' against Cleon |url=https://tidsskrift.dk/classicaetmediaevalia/article/view/122617/169760 |journal=Classica et Mediaevalia |volume=69 |pages=122–144|doi=10.7146/classicaetmediaevalia.v69i0.122617 |doi-access=free }}
*{{Cite book |last=Plutarch |title=Lives, Volume III: Pericles and Fabius Maximus. Nicias and Crassus |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge, MA |publication-date=1916 |translator-last=Perrin |translator-first=Bernadotte}}
*{{Cite book |last=Rothwell |first=Kenneth |title=Aristophanes' Wasps |date=2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-090740-2 |location=New York |pages=3}}
*{{Cite book |last=Thucydides |title=The Peloponnesian War |publisher=J. M. Dent |isbn=1-4068-0984-5 |location=London |translator-last=Crawley |translator-first=Richard}}{{refend}}
{{EB1911|wstitle=Cleon|volume=6|pages=494–495}}

==External links==
* [https://www.livius.org/articles/person/cleon Livius.org: Cleon]

{{Ancient Athenian statesmen}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:422 BC deaths]]
[[Category:5th-century BC Athenians]]
[[Category:Athenians of the Peloponnesian War]]
[[Category:Ancient Greeks killed in battle]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek merchants]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:5th-century BC Greek politicians]]