Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

20 Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks
Solon boasted in his poetry that he had “thrown his stout shield
over both parties” (meaning both the rich and the poor). In truth,
it is likely that neither the rich nor the poor were satisfied by his
reforms. His laws seem to have had a beneficial effect on both society
and the economy in the long term, however, and Solon is justly
remembered for his even-handedness.
The Tyrants
From the mid-seventh to the mid-sixth centuries b.c.e. (though
rather later in the case of Athens), many Greek states were ruled
by tyrants. Most tyrants were disaffected aristocrats who nursed
a grudge against their peers. Their rise depended on the support
of the common people, with whom they allied themselves against
aristocratic power and privilege. This coalition of interests typically
lasted for two or three generations, after which the ruling
tyrant, having lost popular support, found himself isolated and
beleaguered.
Although the Greeks vilified their tyrants in later times because
of their detestation of unconstitutional power, tyrants played an
important part in the progress toward democracy by serving as a
catalyst at the point of transition from aristocratic to popular rule.
This was particularly true in the case of the Athenian tyrant Peisistratos,
who came to power in 546 b.c.e. and gave Athens a stable
period of government that lasted until his death in 528 b.c.e. It was
under his rule that Athens took the first steps to becoming a major
military power. Although Peisistratos safeguarded his position by
ensuring that prominent magistracies were filled by his own supporters,
he left the constitution essentially intact. In the words of
the historian Thukydides, “The Peisistratids observed the existing
laws. They merely saw to it that the highest offices were always
held by their friends” (6.54.6).
The Athenians took great pride in the fact that they overthrew
Peisistratos’ successor, Hippias, attributing this exploit to two courageous
Athenians named Harmodios and Aristogeiton, whom
they honored with a statue in the Agora. There was also a popular
song celebrating their achievement sung at symposia (see p. 153) .
The story of the Tyrannicides, as they were called, became the charter
myth of Athenian democracy, because it instanced the moment
in their history when the Athenians comprehensively rejected tyranny
and embraced self-rule. The true story, however, as Thukydides
pointed out, was not quite so inspirational. The pair had been