Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1182 TYRANNUS. TYRANNIDOS GRAPHE.
Among the early tyrants of Greece those most maintain his state. Peisistratus had the tithe of
worthy of mention are: -- Cleisthenes of Sicyon, land, which his sons reduced to the twentieth.
grandfather of the Athenian Cleisthenes, in whose [TELos.]
family the government continued for a century The causes which led to the decline of tyranny
since its establishment by Orthagoras, about B. c. among the Greeks were partly the degeneracy of
672 (Herod. v. 67, 69); Cypselus of Corinth, who the tyrants themselves, corrupted by power, indoexpelled the Bacchiadae, B. c. 656, and his son lence, flattery, and bad education; for even where
Periander, both remarkable for their cruelty; their the father set a good example, it was seldom foldynasty lasted between seventy and eighty years lowed by the son; partly the cruelties and excesses
(Herod. v. 92); Procles of Epidaurus (Herod. iii. of particular men, which brought them all into
50, 52); Pantaleon of Pisa, who celebrated the disrepute; and partly the growing spirit of inquiry
thirty-fourth Olympiad, depriving the Eleans of among the Greek people, who began to speculate
the presidency (Pausan. vi. 21, 22); Theagenes upon political theories, and soon became disconof Megara, father-in-law to Cylon the Athenian tented with a form of government, which had no(Thucyd. i. 126); Peisistratus, whose sons were thing in theory, and little in practice, to recommend
the last of the early tyrants on the Grecian conti- it. Few dynasties lasted beyond the third genenent. ration. Most of the tyrannies, which flourished
In Sic:ly, where tyranny most flourished, the before the Persian war, are said to have been overprincipal were Phalaris of Agrigentum, who es- thrown by the exertions of Sparta, jealous probably
tablished his power in B. C. 568, concerning whose of any innovation upon the old Doric constitution,
supposed epistles Bentley wrote his famous treatise; especially of any tendency to ameliorate the conTheron of Agrigentum; Gelon, already mentioned, dition of the Perioeci, and anxious to extend her
vho, in conjunction with Theron, defeated Hamil- own influence over the states of Greece by means
car the Carthaginian, on the same day on which of the benefits which she conferred. (Thucyd. i.
the battle of Salamis was fought; and Hiero, his 18.) Upon the fall of tyranny, the various repubbrother: the last three celebrated by Pindar. (See lican forms of government were established, the
Herod. vii. 156, 165, 166.) In Grecian Italy we Dorian states generally favouring oligarchy, the
may mention Anaxilaus of Rhegium, who reigned Ionian democrary. (Wachsmuth, vol. i. pt. i. p.
B. C. 496 (Herod. vi. 23, vii. 165); Cleinias of 289; Schimann, Id. pp. 84, 88-91.)
Croton, who rose after the dissolution of the Py- As we cannot in this article pursue any historical
ihcagorean league; (as to which see Polyb. ii. 39; narrative, we will shortly refer to the revival of
Athen. xii. p. 522, xiv. p. 623; Thirlwall, Id. tyranny in some of the Grecian states after the end
vol. ii. p. 154.) The following also are worthy of the Peloponnesian war. In Thessaly Jason of
of notice: Polycrates of Samos (Herod. iii. 39, Pherae raised himself, under the title of Tayds, B. c
56, 120, 125; Thucyd. i. 13); Lygdamis of 374, to the virtual sovereignty of his native city,
Naxos (Herod. i. 61, 64); Histiaeus and Aris- and exercised a most extensive sway over most of
tagoras of Miletus. (Herod. iv. 137, v. 23, 30, 37, the Thessalian states, but this power ceased with
vi. 29.) Perhaps the last mentioned can hardly Lycophron, B. C. 353. [TAUos.] In Sicily, the
be classed among the Greek tyrants. as they were corruption of the Syracusans, their intestine disconnected with the Persian monarchy. (Wachs- cords, and the fear of the Carthaginian invaders,
muth, Id. vol. i. pt. i. p. 274.) led to the appointment of Dionysius to the chief
The general characteristics of a tyranny were, military command, with unlimited powers; by
that it was bound by no laws, and had no recog- means of which he raised himself to the throne,
nized limitation to its authority, however it might B. c. 406, and reigned for 38 years, leaving his son
be restrained in practice by the good disposition of to succeed him. The younger Dionysius, far in..
the tyrant himself, or by fear, or by the spirit of the ferior in every respect to his father, was expelled
age. It was commonly most odious to the wealthy by Dion, afterwards regained the throne, and was
and noble, whom the tyrant looked upon with again expelled by Timoleon, who restored liberty
jealousy as a check upon his poxver, and whom he to the various states of Sicily. (For their history
often sought to get rid of by sending them into the reader is referred to Xenoph. Hell. ii. 2. ~ 24;
exile or putting them to death. The advice given Died. xiv. 7, 46, 66, 72, 109, xv. 73, 74, xvi. 5,
by Thrasybulus of Miletus to Periander affords an 16, 36, 68, 69, &c.; Plut. Dion. and Timol.;
apt illustration of this. (Herod. v. 92.) The tyrant Wachsmuth, vol. i. pt. ii. pp. 316-326.) With
usually kept a body-guard of foreign mercenaries, respect to the dynasty of the Archaenactidae i t
by aid of whom he controlled the people at home; the Cimmerian Bosporus, and some of the towns
but he seldom ventured to matke war, for fear of on the coast of the Euxine, see XVachsmuth, vol. i.
giving an opportunity to his subjects to revolt. pt. ii. p. 329. Lastly, we may notice Evagoras
The Sicilian sovereigns form an exception to this of Cyprus, who is panegyrized by Isocrates; Pluobservation. (Thulcyd. i. 17.) He was averse to a tarch of Eretria, Callias and Taurosthenes of
large congregation of men in the town, and en- Chalcis, who were partisans of Philip against the
deavoured to find rustic employments for the popu- Athenians. (Plut. Phsoc. 12; Isocr. Evay.; Wachslace; but was not unwilling to indulge them with muth, vol. i. pt. ii. p. 330.) The persons comnshows and amusements. A few of the better sort monly called the thirty tyrants at Athens, who obhcultivated literature and the arts, adorned their tained the supreme power at the close of the Pelocity with handsome buildings, and even passed good ponnesian war, do not fall within the scope of the
laws. Thus, Peisistratus commenced building the present subject. With respect to the Athenian
splendid temple of Jupiter Olympus, laid out the laws against tyranny, and the general feelings of
garden of the Lyceum, collected the Homeric the people, see PRODOSIA. [C. R. K.]
poems, and is said to have written poetry himself. TYRANNIDOS GRAPHE (rvupavvios'ypa.
Tribute was imposed on the people, to raise a (p5). [PRODOSIA.]
revenue for the tyrant, to pay his mercenaries, and