Absolutely right. And not coincidental.
I'm not shorting Pericles, by the way - brilliant, articulate fellow. A couple of military breaks or the absence of the plague and he just might have pulled the Athenian chestnuts out of the fire in the Peloponnesian war. What is amazing to me is that he had all the characteristics and opportunities of a classical despot and still he chose to stand for election yearly, and actually did lose one. Says a lot for the Athenian system.
I have heard it said that the limit of size of a democracy then was the number of people who could gather within earshot of an orator's voice. Since they voted on the spot I tend to believe it. I think we see something like that in contemporary politics as well, which is a cautionary note for those who would try it nationwide. The Founders knew what they were doing.