Periander
| Periander | |
|---|---|
| Tyrant of Corinth | |
 Periander, Roman copy after a Greek original of the 4th century BC, Vatican Museums. | |
| Reign | 627–585 BC |
| Predecessor | Cypselus |
| Successor | Psammetichus |
| Born | prior to 635 BC Corinth |
| Died | 585 BC Corinth |
| Consort | Lyside |
| Issue |
|
| Greek | Περίανδρος |
Greek polytheism | |
Periander (
Life
Family
Periander was the second tyrant of Corinth[3] and the son of Cypselus, the founder of the Cypselid dynasty. Because of his father, he was called Cypselides (Κυψελίδης).[4]
Cypselus’ wife was named Cratea. There were rumors that she and her son, Periander, slept together.
Rule
Periander built Corinth into one of the major trading centers in
Periander's style of leadership and politics was termed a 'tyranny'. Tyrants favored the poor over the rich, sometimes confiscating landlord's possessions and enacting laws that limited their privileges. They also started the construction of temples, ports and fortifications, and improved the drainage of the city and supply of water. Periander adopted measures that benefitted commerce.[2]
Writing and philosophy
Periander was said to be a patron of literature, who both wrote and appreciated early philosophy. He is said to have written a didactic poem 2,000 lines long.
Influences
Periander is referenced by many contemporaries in relation to philosophy and leadership. Most commonly he is mentioned as one of the Seven Sages of Ancient Greece, a group of philosophers and rulers from early Greece, but some authors leave him out of the list. In Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Diogenes Laërtius, a philosopher of the 3rd century AD, lists Periander as one of these Seven Sages. Ausonius also refers to Periander as one of the Sages in his work The Masque of the Seven Sages.[9]
Some scholars have argued that the ruler named Periander was a different person from the sage of the same name. Diogenes Laërtius writes that "Sotion, and Heraclides, and Pamphila in the fifth book of her Commentaries say that there were two Perianders; the one a tyrant, and the other a wise man, and a native of Ambracia. Neanthes of Cyzicus makes the same assertion, adding, that the two men were cousins to one another. Aristotle says, that it was the Corinthian Periander who was the wise one; but Plato contradicts him."[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Seven Wise Men of Greece". Columbia Encyclopedia (6 Copyright © 2023 ed.) – via www.infoplease.ocm.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78274-762-8.
- ^ a b c d "Periander". Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Cypsĕlus
- ^ a b c d e f g Laertius, Diogenes. "Life of Periander". Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ^ a b Gentleman of Cambridge (1731). The history of Periander, King of Corinth. printed: and sold by J. Roberts in Warwick-Lane.
- ^ Herodotus The Histories, 5.92g
- ^ "Corinth, Ancient". www.hellenicaworld.com.
- ^ Ausonius. "The Masque of the Seven Sages".
- ^ Pausanias. "Description of Greece".
External links
Quotations related to Periander at Wikiquote
Media related to Periander at Wikimedia Commons
Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. Vol. 1:1. Translated by Hicks, Robert Drew(Two volume ed.). Loeb Classical Library.
