Tyrannicides
Flourished: Both c. 514 b. c.e.; Athens, Greece Category: Government and politics
Lives Harmodius (hahr-MOH-dee-uhs) and Aristogiton (uh-rihs-TOH-ji-tahn) assassinated Hipparchus of Athens, the brother of the ruling tyrant Hippias of Athens, at the Panathenea in 514 b. c.e. The pair belonged to the same Athenian aristocratic clan and were committed homosexual lovers. After attempting to seduce Harmodius and failing twice, Hipparchus took revenge by defaming Harmodius’s sister. She was summoned as a potential basket-bearer in a religious procession (possibly connected to the same Panathenea), but she was sent home as unworthy, probably because she was—allegedly—no longer a virgin. This public insult motivated Harmo-dius, but according to the historian Thucydides, Aristogiton, the elder of the pair, also intended “to pull down the tyranny.” They enlisted a few friends and planned to kill Hippias and Hipparchus at the Panathenea on the only day they could appear armed in the streets without provoking suspicion. However, at the set hour an accomplice was seen talking with Hippias. Fearing betrayal, they assassinated Hipparchus in the Agora, where he probably was acting as marshal for the grand parade for the festival. Harmodius was killed on the spot. Aristogiton was arrested later and tortured; he died without betraying a single co-conspirator. Four years later, Hippias was expelled, and the tyranny was overthrown.
Influence Almost immediately, Harmodius and Aristogiton were deemed patriots; bronze statues of them were soon erected in the Agora; and in the Ceramicus, a tomb was built for the Tyrannicides—as they were known when, in the fifth century b. c.e., the murdered Hipparchus was misremembered as the actual tyrant. Drinking songs hailed their liberation of Athens, and their descendants were honored and exempted from certain public obligations.
Further Reading
Monoson, S. Sara. “The Allure of Harmodius and Aristogeiton.” In Greek Love Reconsidered, edited by Thomas K. Hubbard. New York: W. Hamilton Press, 2000.
Mott, William. Athens Rising: A Tale of Harmodius and Aristogiton. Lincoln, Nebr.: IUniverse, 2003.
Taylor, Michael W. The Tyrant Slayers. Salem, N. H.: Ayer, 1991.
F. E. Romer
See also: Hippias of Athens; Thucydides.
World History
