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Peisistratos died 528/7), was the son of Hippocrates, was a ruler of
ancient Athens during most of the period between 561 and 527. His legacy lies
primarily in his instituting the Panathenaic Games, historically assigned the
date of 566, and the consequent first attempt at producing a definitive version
of the Homeric epics. Peisistratos' championing of the lower class of Athens,
the Hyperakrioi (see below), is an early example of populism. While in power,
Peisistratos did not hesitate to confront the aristocracy, and he greatly
reduced their privileges, confiscated their lands and gave them to the poor and
funded many religious and artistic programs. He did so with the goal of
improving the economy and spreading the wealth more equally among the
Athenians. Peisistratus was a one-time brother-in-law of Cleisthenes; however,
Peisistratos was much older. Peisistratids is the common term for the three
tyrants who ruled in Athens from 546 to 510, namely Peisistratos and his two
sons, Hipparchus and Hippias.
Peisistratos was a distant relative of Solon from northern Attica. He had made
a name for himself by capturing the port of Nisaea in nearby Megara by creating
a successful coup in 565. Peisistratos was backed by the Men of the Hill, the
poorer and majority of the population. This victory opened up the unofficial
trade blockage that had been contributing to food shortages in Athens during
the previous several decades. In the period after the Megaran defeat, several
political factions competed for control in the government of Athens. These
groups were both economically and geographically partitioned.
Pedieis: the population that resided on the plains, led by Lycurgus. These
landowners produced grain, giving them leverage during the food shortage.
Paralioi: the population living along the coast, led by Megacles, an
Alcmaeonid, the Paralioi party was not as strong as the Pedieis, primarily
because they could not produce grain, as did the plainsmen. With the Megareans
patrolling the sea, much of Athens' import/export power was limited.
Hyperakrioi: not previously represented by formal party, dwelled primarily in
the hills and were by far the poorest of the Athenian population. Their only
production was barter in items like honey and wool.
Peisistratos organised them into the Hyperakrioi, or hill dwellers. This party
grossly outnumbered the other two parties combined. His role in the Megarian
conflict gained Peisistratos popularity in Athens, but he did not have the
political clout to seize power.
Herodotus tells us how he intentionally wounded himself and his mules in order
to demand from the Athenian people bodyguards for protection, which he
received. By obtaining support from the vast number of the poorer population as
well as bodyguards, he was able to seize the Acropolis and the reins of
government. The Athenians were open to a tyranny similar to that under Solon
– and possible stability and internal peace – and Peisistratos' ruse
won him further prominence. With this in his possession, and the collusion of
Megacles and his party, he declared himself tyrant. Despite the success of his
takeover he only maintained power for a short period finding himself fighting
for power once again a short 2 years later.
Periods of power:
Peisistratos was ousted from political office and exiled twice during his
reign. The first occurrence was circa 555 after the two original parties,
normally at odds with each other, joined forces and removed Peisistratos from
power. Actual dates after this point become unclear. Peisistratos was exiled
for 3 to 6 years during which the agreement between the Pedieis and the
Paralioi fell apart. Peisistratos returned to Athens and rode into the city in
a golden chariot accompanied by a tall woman dressed as Athena. It is debated
to what extent this impacted the return of many to his side. While some argue
that the general public believed he had won the favour of the goddess, others
instead put forward the idea that the public were aware that Peisistratos was
using the chariot ride as a political manoeuvre, drawing comparisons between
himself and the ancient kings of Athens. Differing sources state that he held
the tyranny for one to six years before he was exiled again. During his second
exile, he gathered support from local cities and resources from the Laurion
silver mines in Attica. He also raised money in the Pangaion region during his
second exile which assisted in helping him regain his power. After 10 years he
returned in force, regained his tyranny, and held power until his death in 527.
With his passing, the rule of Athens fell to his oldest son Hippias for the
short period before the end of the Peisistratids tyranny. Peisistratus was a
Greek tyrant having overthrown the democracy by force. He achieved this by
using his strong mercenary force in dissuading and killing all the other
aristocrats. To ensure his ruling he maintained his strong mercenary force to
act as his private bodyguards who reported directly to him. In addition, to
dissuade other political families, Peisistratus held hostages from the major
families to ensure cooperation. Unlike many tyrants, Peisistratus maintained
the government's structure as opposed to removing it entirely, choosing to
rather improve and evolve the current system. By doing so he was able to keep
many of the aristocrats in seats of power by allowing only those who cooperated
to take places as Archons, while the others were sentenced to exile. With the
government being run by a trusted group, he had comfortable control over all
rulings and personal protection from the law.
Construction and contribution in Athens:
During his rule in Athens, Peisistratos headed the construction of many great
projects. Peisistratos was one of the first tyrants to heavily focus on the
infrastructure of Athens, his building of wells specifically was greatly
appreciated by the masses. Additionally he constructed great monuments like the
one believed to be his home at the temple of Apollo. This idea of using the
states collective money to fund such projects was one which would be used by
nearly all future leaders due to the effectiveness and impact it made on the
citizens of Athens. During the period of 561-527, "Athens itself was
becoming more of a city, rather than an agglomeration of villages". Athens
had always struggled with water supply. This was greatly improved during the
rule of Peisistratos through the construction of an aqueduct. The market in
Athens prior to Peisistratos was disorderly and inefficient. He improved this
by reconstructing the market to be laid out systematically to improve the
effectivesness and use of space. Peisistratos also began the construction of a
Temple to Zeus. Despite his efforts he was unable to complete the construction,
and the temple was finally completed during the Roman era by Roman emperor
Hadrian.
One of the largest changes was the shift in agriculture implemented by Solon to
encourage the growth of more profitable crops, such as olives, over less
profitable crops that did not perform as well in the local climate.
Peisistratos promoted these endeavours by creating financing options for
farmers to access tools needed to maximize their production. With many exiled
aristocrats still attempting to maintain control over large sections of land,
which was supposed to be broken up. However, Peisistratos took additional
measures to ensure the equal distribution. He achieved this by bringing legal
action out of Athens, by having traveling judges handle the inspection and
legal cases regarding farm land in rural areas. A collection of mountains and
hills in Greece filled with Silver Mines. Peisistratos financed a majority of
the upgrades in Athens through silver mines to pay for the construction that
came with the newly expanding political culture. "Most of the revenues
were gained from the mines of Mount Pangaeum".
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica the silver mines of Laurium were state
property, and all dues were exacted from the growing trade at Athenian
harbours. Another route of financing that Peisistratos pursued was a tax which
was focused on the agriculture sectors, this tax was estimated to be around
5%.All of the money produced through these sources was instrumental in
developing the Athenian economy setting them up for success throughout the
latter 6th Century.
In addition to this his political movements to protect immigrants and improve
the quality of life in Athens were very important in maintaining their strong
economy.
Popular tyrant:
As opposed to the modern definition of a tyrant, which is a single ruler, often
violent and oppressive, Peisistratos' career was a model example of tyranny, a
non-heritable position taken by purely personal ability, often in violation of
tradition or constitutional norms. We see this in remarks by both Herodotus and
Aristotle. Herodotus, in his Histories, wrote that Peisistratos, "not
having disturbed the existing magistrates nor changed the ancient laws…
administered the State under that constitution of things which was already
established, ordering it fairly and well", while Aristotle wrote that
"his administration was temperate…and more like constitutional
government than a tyranny". Peisistratos often tried to distribute power
and benefits rather than hoard them, with the intent of easing stress between
the economic classes. The elites who had held power in the Areopagus Council
were allowed to retain their archonships. For the lower classes, he cut taxes
and created a band of travelling judges to provide justice for the citizens.
Peisistratos enacted a popular program to beautify Athens and promote the arts.
He minted coins with Athena's symbol (the owl), although this was only one type
on the so-called Wappenmünzen (heraldic coins) and not a regular device as
on the later, standard silver currency. Under his rule were introduced two new
forms of poetry, the dithyramb and tragic drama, and the era also saw growth in
theatre, arts, and sculpture. He commissioned the permanent copying and
archiving of Homer's two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, and the canon
of Homeric works is said to derive from this particular archiving. Much of
Athens grandeur started with Peisistratos and his push for larger and more
luxurious buildings.
Three attempts at tyranny:
With Peisistratos' successful invasion and capture of Nisaea, he attained great
political standing in the assembly. He initially met with resistance from
nobles like Megacles, the son of Alcmaeon, and Lycurgus, the son of
Aristolaïdes, who had shared power between them. Megacles came over to
Peisistratos' side and, with his help, Peisistratos was accepted as tyrant by
the Athenian assembly in 561, and, according to Herodotus, he
"administered the state constitutionally and organized the state's affairs
properly and well." However, he was soon thereafter ousted. Herodotus
explains his exile “Not much later, however, the supporters of Megacles
and those of Lycurgus came to an understanding and expelled him”. He soon
had a second chance. Megacles invited him back in 556 on condition that he
marry Megacles' daughter. Peisistratos returned in triumph accompanied by a
tall, local woman named Phye, whom he passed off as Athena. The awestruck
Athenians thus accepted his second tyranny. Peisistratus, however, refused to
impregnate Megacles' daughter not wanting to dilute his families power, which
ended their coalition. Peisistratos was forced to leave Attica entirely. During
his nearly ten-year exile, he aligned himself with powerful individuals, and
accumulated great wealth. With a strong personal army, he marched to Marathon
and from there to Athens. His popularity soared and many locals supported him.
Thus, in 546, he began his third and final tyranny. With this tyranny being one
of the longest lasting tyrannies in classical Greece history.
Policies:
Peisistratos' main policies were aimed at strengthening the economy, and
similar to Solon, he was concerned about both agriculture and commerce. He
offered land and loans to the needy. He encouraged the cultivation of olives
and the growth of Athenian trade, finding a way to the Black Sea and even Italy
and France. Under Peisistratos, fine Attic pottery travelled to Ionia, Cyprus
and Syria. In Athens, Peisistratos' public building projects provided jobs to
people in need while simultaneously making the city a cultural centre. He
replaced the private wells of the aristocrats with public fountain houses.
Peisistratos also built the first aqueduct in Athens, opening a reliable water
supply to sustain the large population.
Legacy:
Peisistratos died in 527 or 528. His eldest son, Hippias, succeeded him as
tyrant of Athens. Hippias and his brother, Hipparchus, ruled the city much as
their father had. After a successful murder plot against Hipparchus conceived
by Harmodius and Aristogeiton, Hippias became paranoid and oppressive. This
change caused the people of Athens to hold Hippias in much lower regard. The
Alcmaeonid family helped depose the tyranny by bribing the Delphic oracle to
tell the Spartans to liberate Athens, which they did in 508. The Peisistratids
were not executed, but rather were mostly forced into exile. The surviving
Peisistratid ruler, Hippias, went on to aid the Persians in their attack on in
Marathon 490, acting as a guide. After the death of Peisistratus, Athens was
much less important politically and with military status compared to Sparta.
Nonetheless, the religious and patriotic unification of Athens had made great
progress during Peisistratus’s ruling. As Aristotle reports, it became a
common saying that the tyranny of Peisistratus had been the age of Cronus, the
golden age.
The poet Dante in Purgatorio XV of the Comedia uses Peisistratos as an example
of meekness since he was well known for being able to placate wrath with a
gentle answer. According to Suda the bodyguards of Peisistratos were called
wolf-feet, because they always had their feet covered with wolf-skins, to
prevent frostbite; alternatively because they had a wolf symbol on their
shields.
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