25. Athens’ Popular Tyrant
The hill district was Athens’ poorest and most populous region, and its impoverished residents got little from Solon’s reforms other than a meaningless vote. So they invited Peisistratos to make himself tyrant. With their support, he marched on the city in a procession headed by a tall girl dressed up as the goddess Athena, who blessed Peisistratos and declared it her divine will that he be made tyrant. The other Athenians saw through the mummery and chased Peisistratos and his followers out of town. Fleeing, he bought silver and gold mines in northern Greece and got rich off their proceeds. Then, investing his wealth in mercenaries, Peisistratos returned to Athens and tried again, this time with a well-equipped private army instead of a girl dressed up as a goddess. It worked, and in 546 BC, he overthrew the government and proclaimed himself tyrant.
Championing the lower classes, Peisistratos’ tyranny was wildly popular. He suppressed the feuding factions, exiled his aristocratic enemies, and confiscated their land holdings. He then broke up the confiscated estates into small farms and redistributed them to his followers, thus cementing their support. Peisistratos also loaned small farmers money for tools; lowered taxes; standardized currency; enforced the laws evenly; promoted the growing of olives and grapes; encouraged commerce and craftsmen; funded popular religious rites such as the Dionysia; promoted theater, culture, and the arts; built an aqueduct; implemented a public buildings program, and beautified the city. By the time Peisistratos died, circa 527 BC, Athens was peaceful and more prosperous than it had ever been, with a growing and increasingly affluent middle class.
