Thirty Tyrants

After the end of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE), the city of Athens renounced its democratic government and elected Thirty Tyrants to rule the city; the traditional elected leader, the Archon, was replaced by the Thirty Tyrants in the form of an oligarchy.

The Tyrants appointed three thousand citizens to serve as advisors but the true democratic nature of the Athenian government was lost; to appease the Spartan victors of the war and allow Athens to govern its own affairs without too much direct interference from Sparta, the city’s protective walls were torn down and the populace, with the exception of the Thirty Tyrants and their immediate supporters, were disarmed.

Citizens and aristocrats who were accused of collaborating with the Spartans during the long, hard war were rigorously sought out and severely punished, some were banished from the city but most were simply executed; the tyrants were dominated by one man, Kritias (Critias), who had the support of all but one of the other tyrants, Theramenes.

Theramenes accused the Thirty of punishing innocent men and using their authority for personal gain instead of for the good of the city; the open hostilities between these two men, Kritias and Theramenes, eventually caused the failure of the oligarchy.

The Thirty Tyrants were:

Aeskhines (Aeschines);

Anaetius;

Aresias;

Aristoteles;

Diokles (Diocles);

Drakontides (Dracontides);

Erasistratus;

Eratosthenes;

Eukleides (Eucleides);

Eumathes;

Hieron;

Hippolokhos (Hippolochos);

Hippomakhos (Hippolochos);

Khaereloes (Chaereloes);

Kharikles (Charicles);

Khremon (Chremon);

Kleomedes (Cleomedes);

Kritias (Critias);

Melobios;

Mnesilokhos (Mnesilokhos);

Mnesitheides;

Onomakles (Onomacles);

Peison;

Phaedrias;

Pheidon;

Polykhares (Polychares);

Sophokles (Sophocles);

Theogenes;

Theognis; and

Theramenes.

• Hellenica, book 2, chapter 3