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Why was Thucydides son of Melesias ostracized in 443 BCE?

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Pericles Pericles, detail of a marble herm; in the Vatican Museum.

Thucydides, son of Melesias, was a prominent political figure and a relative of the statesman Cimon who led the conservative opposition against Pericles in Athens.1

His ostracism in 443 BCE was the result of a direct political conflict regarding the use of public funds. Thucydides vehemently denounced Pericles' ambitious building program on the Acropolis, specifically criticizing the extravagance of the projects and the perceived immorality of using Delian League allied funds to finance them.1

Pericles defended his actions by arguing that the allies were paying for their own defense and that Athens was not accountable for how the surplus funds were spent. The political impasse between the two men was resolved through ostracism, a practice used in ancient Athens to settle policy disputes or remove citizens who threatened the state's stability. Following his defeat in the vote, Thucydides was sent into exile for 10 years, leaving Pericles with little domestic opposition.123