Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/184

Rh 172 PEISISTRATUS. made a great mistake in supposing that Thucj'dides (vi. 54) states that this temple was built by Peisi- stratus, the son of Hippias : Thucydides only says that the latter set up an altar in it), and a magni- ficent temple to the Olympian Zeus (Arist. PoL v. 11), for which he employed the architects Antis- tates, Callaeschrus, Antimachides, and Porinus (Vitruvius, Pruef. vii. § 15). This temple re- mained unfinished for several centuries, and was at length completed by the emperor Hadrian (Paus. i. 18. § 6 ; Strab. ix. p. 396). Besides these, the Lyceum, a garden with stately buildings a short distance from the city, was the work of Peisistratus (Suidas, s. V, Au/cetoz/), as also the fountain of the Nine Springs ('Ei'j/eaKooui'os/rhucyd. ii. 15; Paus. i. 14. § I). The employment of the sons of Peisi- stratus in superintending works of this kind, or com- pleting them after their father's death, will probably account for slight variations in the authorities as to whether some of these were built by Peisistratus himself or by his sons. According to most au- thorities (the author of the letter in Diog. Laert. i. 53 ; Suidas, s. v. koI acpaK^Aoi ivoiovaiv dT4iiau ; Diodor. Vatic, vii. — x. 33, not. Dind. p. 31) Pei- sistratus, to defray these and other expenses, ex- acted a tithe of the produce of the land, an impost which, so employed, answered pretty nearly the purpose of a poor's rate. He was also (Plut. Sol. c. 31) the author of a measure, the idea of which he had derived from Solon, according to which those disabled in war were maintained at the public expense. Peisistratus likewise bestowed considerable at- tention upon the due performance of public religious rites, and the celebration of festivals and processions (Epist.ap. Diog. Laert. i. 53), an example which was followed by his sons, who are even said to have in- vented SfaXias KOI ku/xovs ( Athen. xii. 44, p. 532). The institution of the greater Panathenaea is ex- pressly ascribed to Peisistratus by the scholiast on Aristeides (p. 323, ed. Dind.) ; and before the time of Peisistratus we do not hear of the distinction between the greater and the lesser Panathe- naea {^Didioiiary of Antiquities, art. Panathe- naea). He at least made considerable changes in the festival^ and in particular introduced the con- tests of rhapsodists. Peisistratus in various ways encouraged literature. It was apparently under his auspices that Thespis introduced at Athens his rude form of tragedy (b. c. 535, Clinton, F. H. sub anno), and that dramatic contests were made a regular part of the Attic Dionysia (Bode, Gesch. der HelUn. DicMkunst, vol. iii. part i. p. 53 ; Diet, of Ant art. Tragoedia). ** It is to Peisistratus that we owe the first written text of the whole of the poems of Homer, which, without his care, would most likely now exist only in a few disjointed fragments." (Respecting the services of Peisi- stratus in relation to the text of Homer, and the poets who assisted him in the work, see the article HoMERUs. Vol. II. p. 507, and the authorities there referred to). Peisistratus is also said to have been the first person in Greece who collected a library, to which he generously allowed the public access (A. Gellius, N. A. vi. 17 ; Athen. i. p. 3, a.). The story that this collection of books was carried away by Xerxes, and subsequently re- stored by Seleucus (A. Gellius, I. c), hardly rests on sufficient authority to deserve much notice. It was probably from his regard to religion and lite- rature that. many were disposed to class Peisi- PEISISTRATUS. stratus with the Seven Sages (Diog. Laert. i. 122). Either from his patronage of diviners, or from his being, like his son Hipparchus, a collector of oracles, he received the surname of BaKis (Suid. s. V. BaKis ; Schol. ad ArisiopL Pax. 103G or 1071). " On the whole, though we cannot approve of the steps by which he mounted to power, we must own that he made a princely use of it, and may believe that, though under his dynasty, Athens could never have risen to the greatness she after- wards attained, she was indebted to his rule for a season of repose, during which she gained much of that strength which she finally unfolded." (Thirl- wall. Hist, of Greece.) vol. ii. p. 65. ) Peisistratus was thrice married (including his connection with the daughter of Megacles). The name of his first wife, the mother of Hippias and Hipparcl^us, we do not know. The statement of the Scholiast on Aristophanes {Equit. 447) that her name was Myrrhine, arises probably from a confusion with the wife of Hippias. From Plu- tarch {Cato Major., c. 24) we learn that when Hippias and Hipparchus were grown up, Peisi- stratus married Timonassa, a lady of Argolis, and had by her two sons, lophon and Thessalus. It is a conjecture of Vater's that Timonassa was connected with the royal house of Macedonia. Nothing more is known of lophon ; he probably died young. Hegesistratus, a bastard son of Pei- sistratus, has been already mentioned. Mention is also made of a daughter of Peisistratus, who was forcibly carried olf by a youth named Thrasybulus, or Thrasymedes, and was afterwards married to him with the consent of her father, when, having put to sea, and fallen into the hands of Hippias, he was brought back. (Plut. Apophth. lieiaiar, vol. ii. p. 189.) Thucydides (i. 20, vi. 54, &c.) expressly states, on what he declares to be good authority, that Hippias was the eldest son of Peisistratus (a statement which he defends by several arguments, not all very decisive, though they at least confirm it), contrary to the general opinion in his day, which assigned the priority of birth to Hipparchus. The authority of Thucy- dides is fully supported by Herodotus (v. 55) and Cleidemus (in Athen. xiii. p. 609, d.). Pei- sistratus died at an advanced age (Thuc. vi. 54) in B.C. 527 (Clinton, Fasti Hellen. vol. ii. App. c. 2), and was succeeded in the tyranny by his son Hippias (Herod. /. c. ; Cleid. I. c), though the brothers appear to have administered the affairs of the state with so little outward distinction, that they are frequently spoken of as though they had been joint tyrants. (Thucyd. I. c. ; Schol. ad Aris- toph. Vcsp. 502, 8e 'iTTTrtas eTupdvurjaev, ovx o Iirirapxos' Koivus 5e iravres at HeicriaTpaTlSat Tvpavvoi €iyovTo). They continued the govern- ment on the same principles as their father. Thu- cydides (vi. 54) speaks in terms of high commend- ation of the virtue and intelligence with which their rule was exercised till the death of Hip- parchus ; and the author of the dialogue Hippar^ chus (p. 229, b.) speaks of their government as a kind of golden age. There seems no reason to question the general truth of this description, though particular exceptions may be adduced, such as the assassination of Cimon, the father of Mil- tiades (Herod, vi. 39, 103. See Cimon). They exacted only one-twentieth of the produce of the land to defray their expenses in finishing the build-