Hipparchus (tyrant of Athens)

Hipparchus ( Greek Ἵππαρχος , † 514 BC) was part of the Peisistratiden tyranny in Athens . Together with his brother Hippias , after the death of their father Peisistratos, he continued the tyrant rule from 527 until he was killed by the " tyrant murderers " Harmodios and Aristogeiton.

Regarding the role distribution of the tyrant brother couple, it is said in the tradition that Hippias essentially made the political and economic decisions, while Hipparchus dealt mainly with the arts. He brought the poet Simonides von Keos to Athens. Hipparchus was - like his brother - devoted to the Orphic Mysteries . The brothers showed great reverence for the cults. Hipparchus sent Onomakritus , a close friend, into exile because he is said to have forged an oracle.

In the context of the murder of Hipparchus, private motives may have played a more important role than political ones, even if Harmodios and Aristogeiton were later celebrated as murderers of tyrants . According to Herodotus and Thucydides , Hipparchus fell in love with Harmodios, but he rejected him. When Harmodios' sister was refused to take part in a religious celebration on the pretext that she was no longer a virgin, a dispute broke out in the fatal attack on Hipparchus on the occasion of the great panathenaic 514 BC. Culminated in BC. For Aristotle, on the other hand, it was the younger third Peisistratiden brother, Thessalus, who, through his attempts to get closer to Harmodios, provided the occasion for the murder of Hipparchus.

personal data
SURNAME	Hipparchus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Ἵππαρχος (Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Tyrant of Athens
DATE OF BIRTH	6th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	514 BC Chr.