Fame Money and Power

Peisistratos and his sons dominated Athenian politics in the second half of the 6th century BC although the sources are contradictory as to whether their reign of tyranny was a good or bad thing. What Lavelle reveals here is that this popular man, successful military tactician and elected leader, was not so different from the early democratic leaders, labelling him a prototype of democratic leadership in a period of 'protodemocracy'. Through a range of source material, Lavelle looks at the early life and career of Peisistratos, his early tyrannies, exile and return to power and how he turned the tide of political leadership. Rather than the political history of Athens being impeded by Peisistratos' tyranny, Lavelle argues that it benefited from it, in part because it laid the foundations for the democratic rule of his successors.