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*Peisistratos died 527 or 528 BCE. He was succeded by his eldest son, Hippias. Hippias and his brother, Hipparchus, ruled the city much akin to the way that their father did. Unfortunately, thanks to a successful murder plot against Hipparchus conceived by Harmodios<ref>Possibly a third and younger brother to Hipparchus and Hippias.</ref> and Aristogeiton, Hippias became a largely paranoid and oppressive ruler. This change in attitude caused the people of [[Athens]] to hold Hippias in much lower regard. During their fathers' reign, he had exiled Megacles and his people, the Alkmeonidai. The brothers allowed them to return, and the irony is that it was [[Cleisthenes]], a descendent of the spurned and exiled [[Megacles]], that helped dethrone the tyrannical Hippias, and erect in place of the government a [[democracy]], based on [[Solon]]ian ideals conceived in the aristocratic period before Peisistratos.
*Peisistratos died 527 or 528 BCE. He was succeded by his eldest son, Hippias. Hippias and his brother, Hipparchus, ruled the city much akin to the way that their father did. Unfortunately, thanks to a successful murder plot against Hipparchus conceived by Harmodios<ref>Possibly a third and younger brother to Hipparchus and Hippias.</ref> and Aristogeiton, Hippias became a largely paranoid and oppressive ruler. This change in attitude caused the people of [[Athens]] to hold Hippias in much lower regard. During their fathers' reign, he had exiled Megacles and his people, the Alkmeonidai. The brothers allowed them to return, and the irony is that it was [[Cleisthenes]], a descendent of the spurned and exiled [[Megacles]], that helped dethrone the tyrannical Hippias, and erect in place of the government a [[democracy]], based on [[Solon]]ian ideals conceived in the aristocratic period before Peisistratos.



*[[Peisistratus (Orchomenus)|Peisistratus]] [[Orchomenus|(Orchomenus)]], king of [[Arcadia]]n Orchomenus during the [[Peloponnesian War]];
*[[Peisistratus (Lapithos)|Peisistratus]] [[Lapithos|(Lapithos)]], king during the middle of the [[4th century BC]] <!-- added from usage in [[Lapithos]] -->

;In [[Greek mythology]]:

*[[Peisistratus (Odyssey)|Peisistratus]] [[Odyssey|(Odyssey)]], a son of [[Nestor (mythology)|Nestor]] character who appears in ''The Odyssey''


==Notes==
==Notes==
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*Borthwick, Edward K. “Music and Dance.” Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean World: Greece and Rome. Eds. Grant, Michael and Kitzinger, Rachel. 3 vols. New York: Scribner’s, 1988. Vol. 1, 1507-8.
*Borthwick, Edward K. “Music and Dance.” Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean World: Greece and Rome. Eds. Grant, Michael and Kitzinger, Rachel. 3 vols. New York: Scribner’s, 1988. Vol. 1, 1507-8.
Annotations: short excerpt in this article on Pisistratus, mainly on his involvement in new Greek festivals and theatric arts.


*Cahill, Thomas. Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter. New York: Doubleday, 2003.
*Cahill, Thomas. Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter. New York: Doubleday, 2003.
Annotations: Contains more general data on my subject than other sources. Most helpful facts are about post Pisistratus era effects. Small section on Pisistratus himself, but has evidence of his effect on the city.


*French, A. “The Party of Peisistratos.” Greece & Rome. Vol. 6, No. 1, March 1959. 45-57
*French, A. “The Party of Peisistratos.” Greece & Rome. Vol. 6, No. 1, March 1959. 45-57
Annotation: Examines what changes happened between Solon and Peisistratos that allowed Pisistratus to become a tyrant in Athens. Is mainly concerned with examining the actual distinctions between the parties in Pisistratus' era. It stresses the importance of the economic differences, as well as territorial, in differentiating between the three parties.


*Garland, Robert. “Greek Spectacles and Festivals.” Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean World: Greece and Rome. Eds. Grant, Michael and Kitzinger, Rachel. 3 vols. New York: Scribner’s, 1988. Vol. 1, 1148.
*Garland, Robert. “Greek Spectacles and Festivals.” Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean World: Greece and Rome. Eds. Grant, Michael and Kitzinger, Rachel. 3 vols. New York: Scribner’s, 1988. Vol. 1, 1148.
Annotations: Short excerpt with information on the arts and theatre during Pisistratus' time. May want to read further in chapter later, discuses different festivals that could have impact on his popularity.


*Hornblower, Simon and Spawforth, Anthony eds. “Peisistratus.” The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 2003.
*Hornblower, Simon and Spawforth, Anthony eds. “Peisistratus.” The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 2003.
Annotations: Pg 1186 Short but detailed facts on rise to power, interest in arts in Athens, political dealings (good and bad) and involvement in city’s progress in the middle 6th century BCE


*Lavelle, B. M. Fame, Money and Power: The Rise of Peisistratos and “Democratic” Tyranny at Athens. The University of Michigan Press, 2005.
*Lavelle, B. M. Fame, Money and Power: The Rise of Peisistratos and “Democratic” Tyranny at Athens. The University of Michigan Press, 2005.
Annotations: this is a very extensive work detailing the rise of Pisistratus. I have not yet read the entire work, and so far the material focuses primarily on the pre-Pisistrian era and examines many of the reasons politically and economically for why Pisistratus was so successful. This volume seems so complete that I will have to be careful not to obtain too much of my information from it to be sure that my report is not biased toward Lavelle’s commentary.


*Lavelle B. M. “The Compleat Angler: Observations on the Rise of Peisistratos in Herodotos (1.59-64). The Classical Quarterly. New Series, Vol. 41, No. 2, 1991. 317-324.
*Lavelle B. M. “The Compleat Angler: Observations on the Rise of Peisistratos in Herodotos (1.59-64). The Classical Quarterly. New Series, Vol. 41, No. 2, 1991. 317-324.
Annotations: I’m not finished with this work yet. It is, so far, and as the title suggests, involved with examining the Pisistratid period according to Herodotus. I assume that Lavelle used some of this information again in his later monograph on the rise of Pisistratus, but I am not yet sure. It is clear, however, that Lavelle is one of the leading scholars on Pisistratus and his life and politics.


*Thucydides. “Funeral Oration of Pericles.” The Peloponnesian War. Trans. Benjamin Jowett, 1881. Ed. Paul Brians. December 18, 1998. <http://katie.luther.edu/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=68564>
*Thucydides. “Funeral Oration of Pericles.” The Peloponnesian War. Trans. Benjamin Jowett, 1881. Ed. Paul Brians. December 18, 1998. <http://katie.luther.edu/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=68564>
Annotations: Indicative of the high opinion Pericles/Thucydides had of their Athens. Boasts glories of the Athenian way. Useful as more of a public meter of opinion and measurement of reform effects than a solid reference for the workings of Athenian society and government at the time.




Revision as of 23:04, 27 February 2008

Peisistratos[1], Tyrant of Athens

The Rise of Peisistratos

  • Peisistratos and the Megarians - Peisistratos was the tyrant of Ancient Athens from 560 till 527 BCE. He first came to power after winning victory over the Megarians circa 565 BCE. The war with the Megarians had been drawn out for centuries and was probably due to land disputes over the territories of Eleusis and Salamis between Athens and Megara. Peisistratos, as head of the Athenian army routed the Megarians and in doing so opened up the unofficial trade blockage that had been contributing to the food shortage in Athens during the past several decades.
  • Peisistratos' Party - In the period after the Megarians were defeated, there were two primary political factions competing for control in the aristocratic government of Athens. These two groups were both economically and geographically partitioned.
  1. Pedieis - The first, and more powerful party were the Pedieis, generally meaning the plain party, referring to the population that resided on the plains. Lycurgus was the leader of this fortuitous party. These were the select people who could grow grain for food, making them economically superior to the other citizens since the food shortage created a great demand for their chief product.
  2. Paralioi - The less fortunate party in Athens was the Paralioi party. Paralioi generally means coastal dwellers and referred to the population living along the coast. Led by Megacles[2] , the Paralioi party was not as strong as the Pedieis primarily because they did not have the same ability to produce grain as did the plainsmen. With the Megarians patrolling the sea, much of the import/export possibilities were limited.
  3. Hyperakrioi - The last group of people who were not previously represented by formal party dwelled primarily in the hills and were by far the poorest of the Athenian population. Their only products that could be bartered were items like honey and wool. Peisistratos organized them into the Hyperakrioi, or hill dwellers. In the grand scheme of things, this party was grossly outnumbered by the Plain party (even when combined with the Coastal party).
  • Soon after the war, Peisistratos began to gain popularity in Athens, mainly due to his role in the Megarian conflict. He did not have the political advantage, however to gain power. Peisistratos did the next best thing: he made an attempt on his own life, and in the chaos that followed, he managed to persuade the Athenian Assembly to issue him a posse of grunts as his bodyguard. Peisistratos, much like his predecessor, Kylos, used his bodyguard to capture and hold the acropolis. With this in his possesion, and currently in a pact with Megacles and his party, he held the government of Athens in his hand, and declared himself tyrant.

Periods of Power

  • Peisistratos was ousted from political office and exiled twice during his reign. The first occurance happened circa 555 BCE after the two original parties, who normally were terribly at odds with each other, joined forces and removed Peisistratos from power. The actual dates after this point become hazy. Peisistratos was exiled for 3 to 6 years during which the agreement between the Pedieis and the Paralioi fell apart, as could have been predicted. Peisistratos returned to Athens and rode into the city in a golden chariot with an incredibly tall woman by him. The effect was that many commoners, who were suckered in to believing the woman was Athena, immediately returned to Peisistratos' side, believing that he had the favor of the goddess. Depending on which source you use, Peisistratos kept his regained tyranny for one to six years before he was exiled once more. During his second exile, he gathered support from local cities and from the silver mines near Athens. After 10 years he returned with force, regained his tyranny and held his power until 527 BCE, the date of his death.

Peisistratos as a popular tyrant

  • As opposed to the contemporary definition of a tyrant, which is a single ruler, often times violent and oppressive, Peisistratos was the ideal of a classical tyrant, which was a non-heritable position which a person took purely by personal ability. Peisistratos' often tried to distribute power and benefits, rather than hoard them, with the intent of releasing stress between the economic classes. For the elites, who used to hold power in the Assembly, he gave them archonships, a semblance of the power they used to posses. For the lower classes, he cut taxes and created a band of traveling judges to provide justice for the citizens of Athens. A further cause for the Athenian society to respect Peisistratos were the sweeping reforms in the artistic arena enacted by him. The tyrant promoted the first instance of the beautification of Athens. He introduced two new forms of poetry: Dithryamb and Tragic drama, and prompted the growth of the theater arts and sculpture.

Death of Peisistratid tyranny

  • Peisistratos died 527 or 528 BCE. He was succeded by his eldest son, Hippias. Hippias and his brother, Hipparchus, ruled the city much akin to the way that their father did. Unfortunately, thanks to a successful murder plot against Hipparchus conceived by Harmodios[3] and Aristogeiton, Hippias became a largely paranoid and oppressive ruler. This change in attitude caused the people of Athens to hold Hippias in much lower regard. During their fathers' reign, he had exiled Megacles and his people, the Alkmeonidai. The brothers allowed them to return, and the irony is that it was Cleisthenes, a descendent of the spurned and exiled Megacles, that helped dethrone the tyrannical Hippias, and erect in place of the government a democracy, based on Solonian ideals conceived in the aristocratic period before Peisistratos.


Notes

  1. ^ Peisistratos or Peisistratus or Pisistratus (in Greek, Πεισίστρατος) The misspellings Psistratus, Peistratus, and Pesistratus are sometimes found. Traditionally Template:PronEng in English, is the name of several personalities of the ancient Greek world, most notably the tyrant of Athens.
  2. ^ Also spelled Megakles. He first helped Peisistratos to gain power with the intention of using him as a puppet. He himself could not be a prominent ruler because he was a descendant of the Alkmeodinai, a group of people whom the Athenians looked down upon because they slaughtered their opponents in a temple in the Kylonian massacre.
  3. ^ Possibly a third and younger brother to Hipparchus and Hippias.

References

  • Borthwick, Edward K. “Music and Dance.” Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean World: Greece and Rome. Eds. Grant, Michael and Kitzinger, Rachel. 3 vols. New York: Scribner’s, 1988. Vol. 1, 1507-8.
  • Cahill, Thomas. Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter. New York: Doubleday, 2003.
  • French, A. “The Party of Peisistratos.” Greece & Rome. Vol. 6, No. 1, March 1959. 45-57
  • Garland, Robert. “Greek Spectacles and Festivals.” Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean World: Greece and Rome. Eds. Grant, Michael and Kitzinger, Rachel. 3 vols. New York: Scribner’s, 1988. Vol. 1, 1148.
  • Hornblower, Simon and Spawforth, Anthony eds. “Peisistratus.” The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 2003.
  • Lavelle, B. M. Fame, Money and Power: The Rise of Peisistratos and “Democratic” Tyranny at Athens. The University of Michigan Press, 2005.
  • Lavelle B. M. “The Compleat Angler: Observations on the Rise of Peisistratos in Herodotos (1.59-64). The Classical Quarterly. New Series, Vol. 41, No. 2, 1991. 317-324.


See also

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