Chapter 2: Tyranny, Oligarchy, Democracy
Reading 2A- Herodotus: The Tyranny of Cypselus
• In the Classical period, when the polis and its community of free ci8zens
who shared in self-government had emerged decisively as the dominant
form of society, the tyrant was the personal autocracy of one man,
imposed by force on his fellow ci8zens
◦ Many sources for Archaic tyranny come from the Classical period
(from Aristotle and Herodotus) and reflect many of these nega8ve
views while adding pleasant tradi8ons whereby the tyrant
defended the interests of his people and helped the polis grow;
These pleasant addi8ons were mainly added to the first tyrant
but, not so much to their descendants (because the descendants
oHen progressively became worse)
• Reflects confusion on the part of the Classical Greeks; Many
tyrants did a lot to help the polis but, they were the
an8thesis of freedom at the same 8me
• Archaic Greek tyrannies were short-lived and overthrown in the 2nd or
3rd genera8on
• Tyrants generally rose in response to social tensions
◦ At the end of the Dark Age, as larger city-states formed,
differences in wealth and lifestyle quickly arose; BUT, Greece
didn't develop hierarchical, class-based socie8es like what was
happening in the Near East- Instead the Greeks developed the
polis where power was shared among ci8zens
• All farmers above a certain minimum line of property ownership formed
a broad group (about 30-50%) who, as they controlled their own goods,
could make their own poli8cal decisions and fight for themselves in a
ci8zen mili8a (known as hoplite warfare)
◦ Women, slaves and the landless poor were excluded from this
group of hoplite farmers
• At 8mes, this model would tend toward social and poli8cal hierarchy
, ◦ Example: Small farmers falling into debt, losing their land, and
being enslaved
• Suggests a move toward a concentra8on of wealth and
power
◦ Class tension over how much power would be exercised by the
ci8zens as a whole and how much would be given to a certain
official who tended to be drawn from the elite
◦ Tyrants seem to have emerged in the context of above class
tensions; Usurped power uncons8tu8onally with the help of the
people
• Likely first viewed as leaders of the people who were against
concentra8ng power in the hands of an elite class; Then, as
autocrats who were keeping the power for themselves and
their children
• Corinth- A great commercial center as it was situated to dominate the
trade routes into the Peloponnese and the shipping routes which linked
the Aegean to the Corinthian Gulf
◦ Middle of 7th century- Wealth produced by trade concentrated in
the hands of a small group who monopolized power
◦ Cypselus arose seemingly in opposi8on to this group and
overthrew them; He was an army commander and so, was quite
popular and held military support; He is said to have been
considerate and provided sound judgements
• 658-585 B.C.: Cypselus, his son Periander and his son
Psamme8chus controlled Corinth
• Herodotus wrote of Cypselus' rise to power and the tyranny
of his son Periander
• Herodotus- "Father of History"/"Father of Lies"; First Greek historian;
Lived from 448-420 B.C.
◦ Wrote of the conflict between the Greeks and the Persians in a
work called "The Histories" or "The Inquiries"
• Wrote during the Classical period but, wrote of the Archaic
period
◦ He was born in a Greek city in Halicarnassus (in the district of
Caria) which was situated in the Persian Empire
Reading 2A- Herodotus: The Tyranny of Cypselus
• In the Classical period, when the polis and its community of free ci8zens
who shared in self-government had emerged decisively as the dominant
form of society, the tyrant was the personal autocracy of one man,
imposed by force on his fellow ci8zens
◦ Many sources for Archaic tyranny come from the Classical period
(from Aristotle and Herodotus) and reflect many of these nega8ve
views while adding pleasant tradi8ons whereby the tyrant
defended the interests of his people and helped the polis grow;
These pleasant addi8ons were mainly added to the first tyrant
but, not so much to their descendants (because the descendants
oHen progressively became worse)
• Reflects confusion on the part of the Classical Greeks; Many
tyrants did a lot to help the polis but, they were the
an8thesis of freedom at the same 8me
• Archaic Greek tyrannies were short-lived and overthrown in the 2nd or
3rd genera8on
• Tyrants generally rose in response to social tensions
◦ At the end of the Dark Age, as larger city-states formed,
differences in wealth and lifestyle quickly arose; BUT, Greece
didn't develop hierarchical, class-based socie8es like what was
happening in the Near East- Instead the Greeks developed the
polis where power was shared among ci8zens
• All farmers above a certain minimum line of property ownership formed
a broad group (about 30-50%) who, as they controlled their own goods,
could make their own poli8cal decisions and fight for themselves in a
ci8zen mili8a (known as hoplite warfare)
◦ Women, slaves and the landless poor were excluded from this
group of hoplite farmers
• At 8mes, this model would tend toward social and poli8cal hierarchy
, ◦ Example: Small farmers falling into debt, losing their land, and
being enslaved
• Suggests a move toward a concentra8on of wealth and
power
◦ Class tension over how much power would be exercised by the
ci8zens as a whole and how much would be given to a certain
official who tended to be drawn from the elite
◦ Tyrants seem to have emerged in the context of above class
tensions; Usurped power uncons8tu8onally with the help of the
people
• Likely first viewed as leaders of the people who were against
concentra8ng power in the hands of an elite class; Then, as
autocrats who were keeping the power for themselves and
their children
• Corinth- A great commercial center as it was situated to dominate the
trade routes into the Peloponnese and the shipping routes which linked
the Aegean to the Corinthian Gulf
◦ Middle of 7th century- Wealth produced by trade concentrated in
the hands of a small group who monopolized power
◦ Cypselus arose seemingly in opposi8on to this group and
overthrew them; He was an army commander and so, was quite
popular and held military support; He is said to have been
considerate and provided sound judgements
• 658-585 B.C.: Cypselus, his son Periander and his son
Psamme8chus controlled Corinth
• Herodotus wrote of Cypselus' rise to power and the tyranny
of his son Periander
• Herodotus- "Father of History"/"Father of Lies"; First Greek historian;
Lived from 448-420 B.C.
◦ Wrote of the conflict between the Greeks and the Persians in a
work called "The Histories" or "The Inquiries"
• Wrote during the Classical period but, wrote of the Archaic
period
◦ He was born in a Greek city in Halicarnassus (in the district of
Caria) which was situated in the Persian Empire
