DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5253#0318
THE TYRANT-SLAYERS. 285
of threatened Athens steadily arose in the midst of difficulties as great as those
met by Nehemiah and Ezra in a similar work. A law freed from taxation
workmen and artists engaged in thus rebuilding and fortifying the city, and
numbers were attracted thither to vie with one another and the native
Athenians in their labors. Later, from Thasos came also Polygnotos, the
father of Greek painting, destined to exercise a great influence on Attic art,
and to assist Kimon in commencing to beautify Athens, — a work which
Pericles and his associates should carry to highest perfection.
What we know of the Attic sculptors of the first part of this century is
associated with a great political change which took place during the latter
half of the preceding century. The later Tyrants of the house of Peisistratos,
Hipparchos and Hippias, then assumed the bearing of luxurious foreign princes,
rather than of free-born, frugal Greeks ; and their over-weening spirit awakened
a general feeling of discontent among the Athenians. Hipparchos went so
far as to insult a noble old Athenian family by refusing the daughter a place
among the bearers of the sacred baskets in Athena's festive procession, as was
her right with other high-born maidens of the city. Her offended brother,
Harmodios, and his older friend, Aristogeiton, determined to have vengeance,
and resolved to slay the Tyrants on the day of the festival. Tyrants and
people were assembled, when the conspirators, believing themselves betrayed,
rushed prematurely into the crowd; and in the melcc Hipparchos and Harmo-
dios were slain. The enraged and affrighted Hippias, having quelled the
disturbance, imprisoned those suspected, and put many of them to torture.
In 510 B.C. Hippias was, however, obliged to flee; and the two friends who
had brought about this result were looked upon as the martyrs of freedom and
the saviors of the people. Their statues, the work of Antenor, were set up in
a public place in Athens in honor of the now deified heroes.5oS Offerings were
made, and song brought its tribute, saying that Harmodios was not dead, but
lived on the island of the blest, companion of Achilles and Diomedes. This
group, by Antenor, was carried off by Xerxes, who robbed Athens in 480 B.C.
of many of its precious ancient images. Long centuries after, a Greek con
queror, a successor of Alexander, returned these loved objects from far-off
Ecbatana in Persia to Athens. Coming by way of Rhodes, the statues of the
heroes were received with great religious pomp, and honored with a festival
such as was held to the gods.
Still another Attic sculptor, Amphicrates, is known to us in connection
with this bold attempt to slay the Athenian Tyrants.5°9 Upon the death of
Hipparchos, the surviving ruler, Hippias, put to torture the girl Leaina,
Aristogeiton's friend, in order to force from her information concerning the
conspiracy. The girl, however, kept silent, until death put an end to her
sufferings. The good old Athenians, desirous to honor such courage, but
unwilling, as the story goes, to honor a courtesan with a statue on the Acrop-
of threatened Athens steadily arose in the midst of difficulties as great as those
met by Nehemiah and Ezra in a similar work. A law freed from taxation
workmen and artists engaged in thus rebuilding and fortifying the city, and
numbers were attracted thither to vie with one another and the native
Athenians in their labors. Later, from Thasos came also Polygnotos, the
father of Greek painting, destined to exercise a great influence on Attic art,
and to assist Kimon in commencing to beautify Athens, — a work which
Pericles and his associates should carry to highest perfection.
What we know of the Attic sculptors of the first part of this century is
associated with a great political change which took place during the latter
half of the preceding century. The later Tyrants of the house of Peisistratos,
Hipparchos and Hippias, then assumed the bearing of luxurious foreign princes,
rather than of free-born, frugal Greeks ; and their over-weening spirit awakened
a general feeling of discontent among the Athenians. Hipparchos went so
far as to insult a noble old Athenian family by refusing the daughter a place
among the bearers of the sacred baskets in Athena's festive procession, as was
her right with other high-born maidens of the city. Her offended brother,
Harmodios, and his older friend, Aristogeiton, determined to have vengeance,
and resolved to slay the Tyrants on the day of the festival. Tyrants and
people were assembled, when the conspirators, believing themselves betrayed,
rushed prematurely into the crowd; and in the melcc Hipparchos and Harmo-
dios were slain. The enraged and affrighted Hippias, having quelled the
disturbance, imprisoned those suspected, and put many of them to torture.
In 510 B.C. Hippias was, however, obliged to flee; and the two friends who
had brought about this result were looked upon as the martyrs of freedom and
the saviors of the people. Their statues, the work of Antenor, were set up in
a public place in Athens in honor of the now deified heroes.5oS Offerings were
made, and song brought its tribute, saying that Harmodios was not dead, but
lived on the island of the blest, companion of Achilles and Diomedes. This
group, by Antenor, was carried off by Xerxes, who robbed Athens in 480 B.C.
of many of its precious ancient images. Long centuries after, a Greek con
queror, a successor of Alexander, returned these loved objects from far-off
Ecbatana in Persia to Athens. Coming by way of Rhodes, the statues of the
heroes were received with great religious pomp, and honored with a festival
such as was held to the gods.
Still another Attic sculptor, Amphicrates, is known to us in connection
with this bold attempt to slay the Athenian Tyrants.5°9 Upon the death of
Hipparchos, the surviving ruler, Hippias, put to torture the girl Leaina,
Aristogeiton's friend, in order to force from her information concerning the
conspiracy. The girl, however, kept silent, until death put an end to her
sufferings. The good old Athenians, desirous to honor such courage, but
unwilling, as the story goes, to honor a courtesan with a statue on the Acrop-