- 7th & 6th centuries BCE aristocrats ran most of Greece
- aristocrat: wealthy/ noble person
- influenced society and had more governmental power
Aristocracy:
- aristocracy is ruled by aristocrats
- they attended symposiums (meetings where the elite men would enjoy wine and poetry, performances by dancers and acrobats and the company of hetaeras (courtesans) while discussion politics
- women were for entertainment, had no say in decision making
- an exclusive club- no women (except the "entertainment"), no middle class or slaves. and sometimes even aristocrats would be excluded because they didn't have the right connections or fell out of favor
Tyranny:
- sometimes they would form alliances with hoplites ( well-armed soldiers) and set up an alternative form of gov't called a tyranny
- a tyrant is someone who rules outside the framework of the polis
- modern meaning of tyrant: an abusive or oppressive ruler
- the Greek meaning of tyrant: someone who simply seized power (usually w/ hoplite help)
Hippias:
- tyrant who rules from 527 to 510 BCE
- his brother was murdered, and his rule became harsh
- eventually he was expelled from Athens (ostracized)
- in revenge, he began working w/ the Persian Kind Darius I, helping them invade Marathon
- if he was killed, it would have been more honorable because he did for his cause
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