Cylon

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Kylon ( Greek  Κύλων ) was a politician in ancient Athens in the 7th century BC. Chr. , And one of the first concrete tangible people in the history of the city .

Life

Kylon came from the noble family of the Eupatrids and was the winner in the double run at the Olympic Games in 640 BC. Around the year 632 BC He tried to use his popularity to seize power in a coup in Athens. He benefited from the fact that he had powerful foreign allies: his father-in-law was the tyrant Theagenes of Megara . The oracle of Delphi is said to have advised him to seize power in Athens during the celebrations of Zeus, which probably meant the Olympic Games. However, Kylon encountered heavy resistance during his action in Athens, so that he and his people had to retreat to the Temple of Athena on the Acropolis . Plutarch and Thucydides report that Cylon was then offered by the archons that he would be killed if he left the temple and faced a trial.

The exact course of the following events is presented somewhat differently by historians. In any case, Kylon's opponents apparently stormed into the temple under the leadership of the Alkmeonid Megakles , where they stoned to death the followers of Kylon, who had sought protection at the altar of Athena Polias . This act went down in the history of Athens as the "Cylon sacrilege". The Alkmeonids then had to leave the city of Athens and go into exile because of breach of the right to asylum. The later representatives of the Alkmeonids were also often blamed for this stain of family honor. Recent research assumes that Kylon escaped stoning and only his followers were killed.

swell

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Article Kylon, in: Der Kleine Pauly - Lexikon der Antike, Sp. 396.
  2. ↑ Article Kylon, in: Lexikon der Alten Welt , Sp. 1656.
personal data
SURNAME Cylon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Κύλων
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek politician
DATE OF BIRTH 7th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 7th century BC Chr.