Harmodius and Aristogiton
Harmodius and Aristogiton were two prominent figures in ancient Athens, known for their assassination of Hipparchus, the brother of the tyrant Hippias, in 514 BCE. Both men were aristocrats and lovers, and their motivations for the assassination were deeply personal and political. After Hipparchus attempted to seduce Harmodius twice and subsequently insulted Harmodius's sister, the couple sought revenge, believing that their actions could also contribute to the overthrow of tyranny in Athens. They planned the assassination during the Panathenea festival, a time when they could appear armed without raising suspicion.
The assassination was partially successful; while Harmodius was killed immediately, Aristogiton was captured and tortured but did not betray his allies. Their actions are significant in Athenian history, as they were later celebrated as patriots and liberators. Statues were erected in their honor, and they were revered in songs and public memory, particularly in the context of the eventual overthrow of the tyrant Hippias four years later. Harmodius and Aristogiton are remembered as symbols of resistance against tyranny and are often referred to as the "Tyrannicides." Their legacy continues to be a point of cultural and historical discussion.
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Subject Terms
Harmodius and Aristogiton
Related civilization: Archaic Greece
Major role/position: Tyranicides
Life
Harmodius (hahr-MOH-dee-uhs) and Aristogiton (uh-rihs-TOH-ji-tahn) assassinated Hipparchus, the brother of the ruling tyrant Hippias of Athens, at the Panathenea in 514 b.c.e. The pair belonged to the same Athenian aristocratic clan and were committed homosexual lovers. After attempting to seduce Harmodius and failing twice, Hipparchus took revenge by defaming Harmodius’s sister. She was summoned as a potential basket-bearer in a religious procession (possibly connected to the same Panathenea), but she was sent home as unworthy, probably because she was—allegedly—no longer a virgin. This public insult motivated Harmodius, but according to the historian Thucydides, Aristogiton, the elder of the pair, also intended “to pull down the tyranny.” They enlisted a few friends and planned to kill Hippias and Hipparchus at the Panathenea on the only day they could appear armed in the streets without provoking suspicion. However, at the set hour an accomplice was seen talking with Hippias. Fearing betrayal, they assassinated Hipparchus in the Agora, where he probably was acting as marshal for the grand parade for the festival. Harmodius was killed on the spot. Aristogiton was arrested later and tortured; he died without betraying a single coconspirator. Four years later, Hippias was expelled, and the tyrant rule overthrown.
Influence
Almost immediately, Harmodius and Aristogiton were deemed patriots; bronze statues of them were soon erected in the Agora; and in the Ceramicus, a tomb was built for the Tyrannicides, as they were known when, in the fifth century b.c.e., the murdered Hipparchus was misremembered as the actual tyrant. Drinking songs hailed their liberation of Athens, and their descendants were honored and exempted from certain public obligations.
Bibliography
Moudson, S. Sara. “The Allure of Harmodius and Aristogeiton.” In Greek Love Reconsidered, edited by Thomas K. Hubbard. New York: W. Hamilton Press, 2000.
Taylor, Michael W. The Tyrant Slayers. Salem, N.H.: Ayer, 1991.