Athenian tyrannos: Rise of the Peisistratids: Land and Resources

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Athenian tyrannos Rise of the Peisistratids
Land and Resources

• topography of Attica (Landsat)
• reconstruction of Athens (Sikyon.com)
• Archaic Athens images
• composite plan (Acropolis, Athens)
• model (classical Athens)

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Peisistratus rise to power

• anarchia, 590/89 and 586/5 BCE
• Damasias, 582/1-580/79 BCE
• Sources for Peisistratus
• Herodotus, Thucydides, Atthidographers, Archon
  lists, Athenaion Politeia "Constitution of the
  Athenians"
• Map of Attica
• Factions
• "men of the plain" pediakoi including Philaidai
  and Lykourgos (conservative)
• "men of the coast" paraloi including
  Alkmaionidai and Megakles (moderate)
• "men of the hills" hyperakrioi or diakrioi
  including Peisistratus (appeal to the masses)
• Peisistratos as demotikotakos "friend to
  democracy"
• Peisistratos home at Brauron, owns land in
  Thrace at Strymon River

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Peisistratus tyrannies

• 561/0 BCE with the club-bearers
• 556/5 BCE with Phye of Paiania
• 546/5 BCE with Battle of Pallene - 528/7 BCE

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Peisistratus patronage

• City Dionysia - 534/3 BCE (Dionysos and Satyrs)
• Greater/Lesser Panathenaia - 566BCE(?)
  (Panathenaic Amphora one obverse one reverse)
• Codification of Iliad and Odyssey
• Temple of Athena on Akropolis (ca. 529 BCE)
• Reconstruction
• Temple of Olympian Zeus
• Fountainhouses (510 BCE Vase)

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Tyranny The Next Generation

• Hippias, 528-510 BCE
• Archon list, 527/6-522/1 BCE
• Hipparchos, 528-514 BCE
• Tyrannicides Harmodius and Aristogeiton, 514 BCE
• Overthrow of Hippias 511/0 BCE

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Assessment of Solon and Peisistratids

• What did Solon do for Athens?
• What did Peisistratus do for Athens?
• What did his sons do for Athens?
• On balance, how do you view the political system
  of Athens in the 6th century BCE?

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For Wednesday

• Was the Peisistratid tyranny inevitable, or did
  the Athenians have any other choice?
• When the tyranny came to an end, what choices did
  the Athenians have?

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Another kind of narrative The democratic reforms
of Kleisthenes

• What happened?
• When?
• Why?

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What did Kleisthenes do?
What does this representation teach you about the
Athenian demos?