Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War

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Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War

Editions and translations: Greek | English
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LIV. Indeed, the daring action of Aristogiton and Harmodius was undertaken in consequence of a love affair, which I shall relate at some length, to show that the Athenians are not more accurate than the rest of the world in their accounts of their own tyrants and of the facts of their own history. [2] Pisistratus dying at an advanced age in possession of the tyranny, was succeeded by his eldest son, Hippias, and not Hipparchus, as is vulgarly believed. Harmodius was then in the flower of youthful beauty, and Aristogiton, a citizen in the middle rank of life, was his lover and possessed him. [3] Solicited without success by Hipparchus, son of Pisistratus, Harmodius told Aristogiton, and the enraged lover, afraid that the powerful Hipparchus might take Harmodius by force, immediately formed a design, such as his condition in life permitted, for overthrowing the tyranny. [4] In the meantime Hipparchus, after a second solicitation of Harmodius, attended with no better success, unwilling to use violence, arranged to insult him in some covert way. [5] Indeed, generally their government was not grievous to the multitude, or in any way odious in practice; and these tyrants cultivated wisdom and virtue as much as any, and without exacting from the Athenians more than a twentieth of their income, splendidly adorned their city, and carried on their wars, and provided sacrifices for the temples. [6] For the rest, the city was left in full enjoyment of its existing laws, except that care was always taken to have the offices in the hands of some one of the family. Among those of them that held the yearly archonship at Athens was Pisistratus, son of the tyrant Hippias, and named after his grandfather, who dedicated during his term of office the altar to the twelve gods in the market-place, and that of Apollo in the Pythian precinct. [7] The Athenian people afterwards built on to and lengthened the altar in the market-place, and obliterated the inscription; but that in the Pythian precinct can still be seen, though in faded letters, and is to the following effect:--

Pisistratus, the son of Hippias,
Set up this record of his archonship
In precinct of Apollo Pythias.

There are a total of 37 comments on and cross references to this page.

Further comments from Charles Forster Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 6:
book 6 (general note)
book 6, chapter 54 (general note)
book 6, chapter 54: to gar Aristogeitonos kai Harmodiou tolmêma
book 6, chapter 54: xuntuchian
book 6, chapter 54: hên...diêgêsamenos apophanô
book 6, chapter 54: oute tous allous
book 6, chapter 54: akribes ouden legontas
book 6, chapter 54: Peisistratou gar
book 6, chapter 54: gêraiou teleutêsantos
book 6, chapter 54: hôsper hoi polloi oiontai
book 6, chapter 54: esche tên archên
book 6, chapter 54: hôrai hêlikias lamprou
book 6, chapter 54: anêr tôn astôn
book 6, chapter 54: mesos politês
book 6, chapter 54: eichen auton
book 6, chapter 54: peiratheis
book 6, chapter 54: katagoreuei
book 6, chapter 54: perialgêsas
book 6, chapter 54: epibouleuei...katalusin têi turannidi
book 6, chapter 54: hôs apo tês huparchousês axiôseôs
book 6, chapter 54: kai en toutôi ho Hipparchos
book 6, chapter 54: en tropôi de tini aphanei
book 6, chapter 54: dê
book 6, chapter 54: propêlakiôn
book 6, chapter 54: tên allên archên
book 6, chapter 54: anepiphthonôs katestêsato
book 6, chapter 54: kai epetêdeusan
book 6, chapter 54: eikostên monon
book 6, chapter 54: tôn gignomenôn
book 6, chapter 54: diekosmêsan
book 6, chapter 54: tous polemous diepheron
book 6, chapter 54: es ta hiera ethuon
book 6, chapter 54: autê hê polis
book 6, chapter 54: epemelonto
book 6, chapter 54: en tais archais
book 6, chapter 54: Athênaiois
book 6, chapter 54: tou turanneusantos
book 6, chapter 54: hos
book 6, chapter 54: tôn dôdeka theôn bômon
book 6, chapter 54: en Puthiou
book 6, chapter 54: tou bômou
book 6, chapter 54: dêlon estin
book 6, chapter 54: amudrois grammasi

Cross references from Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges:
1925 [AORIST INDICATIVE]: Peisistratou teleutêsantos Hippias esche tên archên

Cross references from W. W. How, J. Wells, A Commentary on Herodotus:
6, 108, 4 [BOOK VI]
1, 64, 1 [BOOK I]
1, 59, 6 [BOOK I]

Cross references from C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 4:
4, 3
4, 14
4, 61
4, 3
4, 14
4, 61
4, 65

Cross references from C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 5:
5, 82

Cross references from William Watson Goodwin, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses of the Greek Verb:
361 [Object Infinitive and Indirect Questions.]
793 [Articular Infinitive as Subject or Object.]

Cross references from Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve, Syntax of Classical Greek:
33 [Adjectives]

Cross references from Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1:
1, 33

Cross references from Sir Richard C. Jebb, Selections from the Attic Orators:
Antiphon, 3, 11 [Tetralogia2 speech 2]

Preferred URL for linking to this page: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Thuc.+6.54.1

This text is based on the following book(s):
Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War. London, J. M. Dent; New York, E. P. Dutton. 1910.