Cypselus
| Cypselus | |
|---|---|
| Tyrant of Corinth | |
| Reign | 657–627 BC |
| Predecessor | Bacchiadae |
| Successor | Periander |
| Born | before 670 BC Corinth |
| Died | 627 BC Corinth |
| Consort | Cratea |
| Issue |
|
| Greek | Κύψελος |
| House | Cypselid |
| Father | Eëtion |
| Mother | Labda |
| Religion | Greek polytheism |
Cypselus(Greek:Κύψελος,Kypselos) was the firsttyrantofCorinthin the 7th century BC.
With increased wealth and more complicated trade relations and social structures,Greekcity-statestended to overthrow their traditional hereditarypriest-kings;Corinth, the richest archaicpolis,led the way.[1]Like thesignoriof late medieval and Renaissance Italy, thetyrantsusually seized power at the head of some popular support. Often the tyrants upheld existing laws and customs and were highly conservative as to cult practices, thus maintaining stability with little risk to their own personal security. As inRenaissance Italy,acult of personalitynaturally substituted for thedivine rightof the former legitimate royal house.
After the last traditional king of Corinth,Telestes,was assassinated byArieusandPerantas,there were no more kings; insteadprytanestaken from the former royal house of theBacchiadaeruled for a single year each. Cypselus, the son ofEëtionand a disfigured woman namedLabda,who was a member of the Bacchiad family, the ruling dynasty, usurped power, became tyrant and expelled the Bacchiadae.
According toHerodotusthe Bacchiadae heard two prophecies from theDelphic oraclethat the son of Eëtion would overthrow their dynasty, and they planned to kill the baby once it was born; however, Herodotus says that the newborn smiled at each of the men sent to kill it, and none of them could go through with the plan. An etiological myth-element, to account for the name Cypselus (cf. κυψέλη,kypsele,"chest" ) accounted how Labda then hid the baby in a chest, and when the men had composed themselves and returned to kill it, they could not find it. (Compare the infancy ofPerseus.) Thecedarchest of Cypselus, richly worked with mythological narratives and adorned withivoryandgold,was a votive offering atOlympia,wherePausaniasgave it a detailed description in his 2nd century AD travel guide.[2]
When Cypselus had grown up, he fulfilled the prophecy. Corinth had been involved in wars withArgosandCorcyra,and the Corinthians were unhappy with their rulers. At the time, around 657 BC, Cypselus waspolemarch,thearchonin charge of the military, and he used his influence with the soldiery to expel the Bacchiadae. He also expelled his other enemies, but allowed them to set upcoloniesin northwesternGreece.He also increased trade with the colonies inItalyandSicily.
He ruled for thirty years and in 627 BC was succeeded as tyrant by his sonPeriander,who was considered one of theSeven Sages of Greece.The treasury Cypselus built atDelphiwas apparently still standing in the time ofHerodotus. Cypselus' second son Gorgus became tyrant of the Corinthian colonyAmbracia,followed after his death by his sonPeriander of Ambracia.Another known Cypselid from Ambracia was named Archinus, whose wife later marriedPeisistratus of Athens.[3]While some consider him a tyrant as well,[4]the sources are not definite, and there is no reason to believe Ambracia had any Cypselid tyrants other than the aforementioned two.[5]Cypselus' other grandson by Gorgus wasPsammetich,who followed the sage Periander as the last tyrant of Corinth.
Notes[edit]
- ^J. B. Salmon,Wealthy Corinth. A History of the City to 338 B.C.(Oxford: Clarendon Press) 1984.
- ^Pausanias, 5.18.7.
- ^"Perseus Under Philologic: Arist. Ath. Pol. 17.4".perseus.uchicago.edu.Archived fromthe originalon 2010-12-06.
- ^Kinzl, Konrad (Peterborough) (October 2006)."Timonassa".Brill's New Pauly.
- ^L. G. Pechatnova,A History of Sparta (Archaic and Classic Periods)