The Athenian Constitution
form of government; then there were the men of the Plain, who desired
an oligarchy and were led by Lycurgus; and thirdly there were the men
of the Highlands, at the head of whom was Pisistratus, who was looked
on as an extreme democrat. This latter party was reinforced by those
who had been deprived of the debts due to them, from motives of
poverty, and by those who were not of pure descent, from motives of
personal apprehension. A proof of this is seen in the fact that after
the tyranny was overthrown a revision was made of the citizen-roll, on
the ground that many persons were partaking in the franchise without
having a right to it. The names given to the respective parties were
derived from the districts in which they held their lands.
Part 14
Pisistratus had the reputation of being an extreme democrat, and he
also had distinguished himself greatly in the war with Megara. Taking
advantage of this, he wounded himself, and by representing that his
injuries had been inflicted on him by his political rivals, he
persuaded the people, through a motion proposed by Aristion, to grant
him a bodyguard. After he had got these 'club-bearers', as they were
called, he made an attack with them on the people and seized the
Acropolis. This happened in the archonship of Comeas, thirty-one years
after the legislation of Solon. It is related that, when Pisistratus
asked for his bodyguard, Solon opposed the request, and declared that
in so doing he proved himself wiser than half the people and braver
than the rest,--wiser than those who did not see that Pisistratus
designed to make himself tyrant, and braver than those who saw it and
kept silence. But when all his words availed nothing he carried forth
his armour and set it up in front of his house, saying that he had
helped his country so far as lay in his power (he was already a very
old man), and that he called on all others to do the same. Solon's
exhortations, however, proved fruitless, and Pisistratus assumed the
sovereignty. His administration was more like a constitutional
government than the rule of a tyrant; but before his power was firmly
established, the adherents of Megacles and Lycurgus made a coalition
and drove him out. This took place in the archonship of Hegesias, five
years after the first establishment of his rule. Eleven years later
Megacles, being in difficulties in a party struggle, again opened
negotiations with Pisistratus, proposing that the latter should marry
his daughter; and on these terms he brought him back to Athens, by a
very primitive and simple-minded device. He first spread abroad a
rumour that Athens was bringing back Pisistratus, and then, having
found a woman of great stature and beauty, named Phye (according to
Herodotus, of the deme of Paeania, but as others say a Thracian
flower-seller of the deme of Collytus), he dressed her in a garb
resembling that of the goddess and brought her into the city with
Pisistratus. The latter drove in on a chariot with the woman beside
him, and the inhabitants of the city, struck with awe, received him
with adoration.
Part 15
In this manner did his first return take place. He did not, however,
hold his power long, for about six years after his return he was again
expelled. He refused to treat the daughter of Megacles as his wife, and
being afraid, in consequence, of a combination of the two opposing
parties, he retired from the country. First he led a colony to a place
called Rhaicelus, in the region of the Thermaic gulf; and thence he
passed to the country in the neighbourhood of Mt. Pangaeus. Here he
acquired wealth and hired mercenaries; and not till ten years had
elapsed did he return to Eretria and make an attempt to recover the
government by force. In this he had the assistance of many allies,
notably the Thebans and Lygdamis of Naxos, and also the Knights who
held the supreme power in the constitution of Eretria. After his
victory in the battle at Pallene he captured Athens, and when he had
disarmed the people he at last had his tyranny securely established,
and was able to take Naxos and set up Lygdamis as ruler there. He
effected the disarmament of the people in the following manner. He
ordered a parade in full armour in the Theseum, and began to make a
speech to the people. He spoke for a short time, until the people
called out that they could not hear him, whereupon he bade them come up
to the entrance of the Acropolis, in order that his voice might be
better heard. Then, while he continued to speak to them at great
length, men whom he had appointed for the purpose collected the arms
and locked them up in the chambers of the Theseum hard by, and came and
made a signal to him that it was done. Pisistratus accordingly, when he
had finished the rest of what he had to say, told the people also what
had happened to their arms; adding that they were not to be surprised
or alarmed, but go home and attend to their private affairs, while he
would himself for the future manage all the business of the state.
Part 16
Such was the origin and such the vicissitudes of the tyranny of
Pisistratus. His administration was temperate, as has been said before,
and more like constitutional government than a tyranny. Not only was he
in every respect humane and mild and ready to forgive those who
offended, but, in addition, he advanced money to the poorer people to
help them in their labours, so that they might make their living by
agriculture. In this he had two objects, first that they might not
spend their time in the city but might be scattered over all the face
of the country, and secondly that, being moderately well off and
occupied with their own business, they might have neither the wish nor
the time to attend to public affairs. At the same time his revenues
were increased by the thorough cultivation of the country, since he
imposed a tax of one tenth on all the produce. For the same reasons he
instituted the local justices, and often made expeditions in person
into the country to inspect it and to settle disputes between
individuals, that they might not come into the city and neglect their
farms. It was in one of these progresses that, as the story goes,
Pisistratus had his adventure with the man of Hymettus, who was
cultivating the spot afterwards known as 'Tax-free Farm'. He saw a man
digging and working at a very stony piece of ground, and being
surprised he sent his attendant to ask what he got out of this plot of
land. 'Aches and pains', said the man; 'and that's what Pisistratus
ought to have his tenth of'. The man spoke without knowing who his
questioner was; but Pisistratus was so pleased with his frank speech and
his industry that he granted him exemption from all taxes. And so in
matters in general he burdened the people as little as possible with
his government, but always cultivated peace and kept them in all
quietness. Hence the tyranny of Pisistratus was often spoken of
proverbially as 'the age of gold'; for when his sons succeeded him the
government became much harsher. But most important of all in this
respect was his popular and kindly disposition. In all things he was
accustomed to observe the laws, without giving himself any exceptional
privileges. Once he was summoned on a charge of homicide before the
Areopagus, and he appeared in person to make his defence; but the
prosecutor was afraid to present himself and abandoned the case. For
these reasons he held power long, and whenever he was expelled he
regained his position easily. The majority alike of the upper class and
of the people were in his favour; the former he won by his social
intercourse with them, the latter by the assistance which he gave to
their private purses, and his nature fitted him to win the hearts of
both. Moreover, the laws in reference to tyrants at that time in force
at Athens were very mild, especially the one which applies more
particularly to the establishment of a tyranny. The law ran as follows:
'These are the ancestral statutes of the ATHENIANs; if any persons
shall make an attempt to establish a tyranny, or if any person shall
join in setting up a tyranny, he shall lose his civic rights, both
himself and his whole house.'
Part 17
Thus did Pisistratus grow old in the possession of power, and he died a
natural death in the archonship of Philoneos, three and thirty years
from the time at which he first established himself as tyrant, during
nineteen of which he was in possession of power; the rest he spent in
exile. It is evident from this that the story is mere gossip which
states that Pisistratus was the youthful favourite of Solon and
commanded in the war against Megara for the recovery of Salamis. It
will not harmonize with their respective ages, as any one may see who
will reckon up the years of the life of each of them, and the dates at
which they died. After the death of Pisistratus his sons took up the
government, and conducted it on the same system. He had two sons by his
first and legitimate wife, Hippias and Hipparchus, and two by his
Argive consort, Iophon and Hegesistratus, who was surnamed Thessalus.
For Pisistratus took a wife from Argos, Timonassa, the daughter of a
man of Argos, named Gorgilus; she had previously been the wife of
Archinus of Ambracia, one of the descendants of Cypselus. This was the
origin of his friendship with the Argives, on account of which a
thousand of them were brought over by Hegesistratus and fought on his
side in the battle at Pallene. Some authorities say that this marriage
took place after his first expulsion from Athens, others while he was
in possession of the government.
Part 18
Hippias and Hipparchus assumed the control of affairs on grounds alike
of standing and of age; but Hippias, as being also naturally of a
statesmanlike and shrewd disposition, was really the head of the
government. Hipparchus was youthful in disposition, amorous, and fond
of literature (it was he who invited to Athens Anacreon, Simonides, and
the other poets), while Thessalus was much junior in age, and was
violent and headstrong in his behaviour. It was from his character that
all the evils arose which befell the house. He became enamoured of
Harmodius, and, since he failed to win his affection, he lost all
restraint upon his passion, and in addition to other exhibitions of
rage he finally prevented the sister of Harmodius from taking the part
of a basket-bearer in the Panathenaic procession, alleging as his
reason that Harmodius was a person of loose life. Thereupon, in a
frenzy of wrath, Harmodius and Aristogeiton did their celebrated deed,
in conjunction with a number of confederates. But while they were lying
in wait for Hippias in the Acropolis at the time of the Panathenaea
(Hippias, at this moment, was awaiting the arrival of the procession,
while Hipparchus was organizing its dispatch) they saw one of the
persons privy to the plot talking familiarly with him. Thinking that he
was betraying them, and desiring to do something before they were
arrested, they rushed down and made their attempt without waiting for
the rest of their confederates. They succeeded in killing Hipparchus
near the Leocoreum while he was engaged in arranging the procession,
but ruined the design as a whole; of the two leaders, Harmodius was
killed on the spot by the guards, while Aristogeiton was arrested, and
perished later after suffering long tortures. While under the torture
he accused many persons who belonged by birth to the most distinguished
families and were also personal friends of the tyrants. At first the
government could find no clue to the conspiracy; for the current story,
that Hippias made all who were taking part in the procession leave
their arms, and then detected those who were carrying secret daggers,