Periander
Periander ( ancient Greek Περίανδρος (τοῦ Κυψέλου) ὁ Κορίνθιος - Periander ( son of Kypselus ) the Corinthians; Latin Periander ; † 583 BC) was around since 628 BC. BC tyrant of Corinth . He was one of the seven wise men , but was later replaced by Myson from Chenai. He was the son of Kypselus and Kratea.
The tyrant
Periander was considered the prototype of the tyrant , tough but farsighted. Under his rule, Corinth flourished economically and culturally. He allegedly planned the Corinth Canal, created a strong fleet and ensured Corinth's greatest reputation in antiquity through extensive trade and military successes (conquest of Epidaurus , Korkyra ). His legislative successes included the allotment of land to poor peasants, job creation schemes, luxury laws and the prohibition of slave acquisition. In the dispute between Mytilene and Athens over Sigeion , Periander was appointed as judge. He decided the dispute in Athens' favor.
In Periander's time, Arion is said to have arrived in Corinth from Lesbos and lived at his court for a while.
The Council of Thrasybulus
In the fifth book of his histories , Herodotus reports that shortly after he had ascended the throne in Corinth, Thrasybulus of Miletus asked a more experienced tyrant for advice on how best to stay in power. While the Periander's messenger brought his request to him, the latter is said to have walked across a wheat field and tore up the ears of wheat that protruded from the crowd. Otherwise the ambassador received no answer. When he returned to Corinth, he reported to his master what he thought was a fruitless meeting with the ruler of Miletus. But Periander understood the message and had all the outstanding personalities in the area he ruled murdered.
The transformation
At first, Periander is said to have been a peaceful ruler. Parthenius of Nicaea reports that his mother Kratea fell in love with him and sneaked up to him at night in the dark, seduced him and disappeared again before sunrise. So Periander's identity was hidden for a while. One day, when his mother lay down with him again, he lit a lamp and discovered that his mother was his lover. At first he wanted to kill her, but gave up on his plan. But since then he has turned into a violent and cruel ruler.
The family
Periander married Lyside ("Melissa"), the daughter of Prokles , the tyrant of Epidaurus . With her he fathered two sons, Kypselus and Lycophron , and a daughter. Periander accidentally kicked his pregnant wife, but did not let his children know. When his sons visited Prokles, he revealed Periander's secret. When the sons returned, Lycophron, the younger of the two, wanted nothing more to do with his father, he withdrew and finally went to Korkyra. Because of the treason, Periander went against Epidaurus, conquered it and took Prokles prisoner.
When Periander was old, he wanted to hand over the government to his son Lycophron. He sent his daughter to him to persuade him to return to Corinth. But he did not want to live in a city with his father, which is why Periander suggested that he go to Korkyra if Lycophron took over the business of government in Corinth. Now he agreed, but before he could leave, he was killed by the Corkyrians who wanted to prevent the violent Periander from coming to their island.
In revenge for this, Periander had 300 sons of distinguished Corkyrs brought to Alyattes II in Sardis to have them castrated there. However, when they landed on Samos , the Samians freed them and thus escaped this punishment.
Gnomes
The following gnomes have come down to us from Periander (translation by Bruno Snell ):
Periander, son of Cypselus, from Corinth said ( Περίανδρος Κυψέλου Κορίνθιος ἔφη ):
- Μελέτη τὸ πᾶν. 1. Have the whole thing in mind.
- Καλὸν ἡσυχία. 2. Quiet is nice.
- 3. Being hasty is dangerous.
- Δημοκρατία κρεῖττον τυραννίδος. 6. Democracy is better than tyranny.
- Αἱ μὲν ἡδοναὶ θνηταί, αἱ δ᾿ ἀρεταὶ ἀθάνατοι. 7. The lusts are fleeting, the virtues immortal.
- Εὐτυχῶν μὲν μέτριος ἴσθι, ἀτυχῶν δὲ φρόνιμος. 8. Be moderate in happiness, be prudent in unhappiness.
- 10. Show yourself worthy of your parents.
- 11. Seek praise for life, price for death. Ζῶν μὲν ἐπαινοῦ, ἀποθανὼν δὲ μακαρίζου.
- 12. Be the same to your friends in their happiness and unhappiness. Φίλοις εὐτυχοῦσι καὶ ἀτυχοῦσιν ὁ αὐτὸς ἴσθι.
- 14. Don't share secrets. Λόγων ἀποῤῥήτων ἐκφορὰν μὴ ποιοῦ.
- 15. Scold so that you can quickly become friends again. Λοιδοροῦ ὡς ταχὺ φίλος ἐσόμενος.
- 16. Keep to old laws, but to fresh food. Τοῖς μὲν νόμοις παλαιοῖς χρῶ, τοῖς δ᾿ ὄψοις προσφάτοις.
swell
- Diogenes Laertios , Lives and Teachings of the Philosophers , 1, 94-100.
- Herodotus , Histories , 1, 20; 1, 23; 3, 48-53; 5, 92; 5, 95.
- Hyginus Mythographus , Fabulae , 221.
- Lukian of Samosata , Dialogues of the Sea Gods 8.
- Lyra graeca, terpander of Antissa .
- Parthenios of Nicaea , 17th century
- Pausanias , traveling in Greece , 1, 23, 1; 2, 28, 8; 10, 24, 1.
- Strabon , Geographica , 600.
literature
- Fritz Schachermeyr : Periandros 1. In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume XIX, 1, Stuttgart 1937, Col. 704-717.
- Bruno Snell : Lives and Opinions of the Seven Wise Men. Greek and Latin sources. Heimeran, Munich 1952.
- Barbara Patzek : Periandros. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 9, Metzler, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-476-01479-7 , column 564 f.
- Maria Paola Castiglioni: Il programma coloniale di Periandro: Potidea e l'Illiria meridionale. In: Paola Schirripa (Ed.): I Traci. Tra l'Egeo e il Mar Nero. CUEM, Milan 2004, pp. 169-178.
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ Bruno Snell : Lives and Opinions of the Seven Wise Men. Greek and Latin sources. Heimeran, Munich 1952, p. 107 f.
predecessor | Office | successor |
---|---|---|
Kypselus |
Ruler of Corinth 627 / 6–585 / 4 BC Chr. |
Psammetich |
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Periander |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Periandros |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Tyrant of Corinth |
DATE OF BIRTH | 7th century BC Chr. |
DATE OF DEATH | 583 BC Chr. |