Thirty Tyrants
The "Thirty Tyrants" refers to a pro-Spartan oligarchic government that ruled Athens for a brief period following the city's surrender to Sparta in 404 B.C.E. Led by Critias, this regime was established under pressure from Spartan commander Lysander and was characterized by its harsh measures, including the execution of approximately 1,500 individuals and the confiscation of property from citizens and resident aliens. The oligarchs created a list of 3,000 citizens who were allowed to participate in governance, although this move was met with internal conflict, leading to the execution of key figures like Theramenes, who opposed Critias. The oppressive rule of the Thirty lasted only eight months, ending in 403 B.C.E. when democratic exiles, led by Thrasybulus, successfully retook control of Athens. The remnants of the Thirty retreated to Eleusis but were ultimately hunted down and killed by the Athenians. This period is a significant moment in Athenian history, reflecting the tensions between oligarchy and democracy in ancient Greece.
Thirty Tyrants
Related civilization: Classical Greece.
Date: 404-403 b.c.e.
Locale: Athens
Thirty Tyrants
Under the leadership of Critias of Athens, a pro-Spartan oligarchy (known as the Thirty Tyrants) ruled Athens for eight months. Intimidated by Lysander of Sparta, who arrived with the Peloponnesian fleet, the Athenians voted in favor of a proposal to install the Thirty shortly after Athens surrendered to Sparta in 404 b.c.e. In less than a year, the Thirty executed 1,500 people and confiscated the property of citizens and resident aliens. At the insistence of Theramenes, a fellow member of the Thirty, they created a list of 3,000 citizens permitted to participate in the oligarchy. Critias suspected Theramenes of disloyalty and had him convicted and executed.
In the winter of 403 b.c.e., Thrasybulus with a band of democratic exiles seized Phyle, a fortress on the Boeotian border. In May, 403 b.c.e., the democrats successfully captured the Piraeus, Athens’ major port, and Critias fell in the fighting. The Thirty were then replaced by a board of ten rulers and withdrew to Eleusis. The Ten continued the war against the democratic exiles until Sparta, under pressure from its allies, restored the Athenian democracy. Several years later, the Athenians marched out against the remnant of the Thirty living in Eleusis and killed them.
Bibliography
Krentz, Peter. The Thirty at Athens. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1982.
Tritle, Lawrence, ed. The Greek World in the Fourth Century: From the Fall of the Athenian Empire to the Successors of Alexander. New York: Routledge, 1997.