PISISTRATUS, pi-sis'tra-tus, a notable Greek °tyrant* of Athens: d. about 527 He first appears as an educated well-to-do citi zen of Athens, of most engaging manners and strong ambitions. He held a minor office at the time there were three parties in Greece: the party of the Plain, comprising the landed pro prietors, then headed by Lycurgus; that of the Coast, or wealthy trading class, headed by Me Iles; and that of the Highlands, mainly made up of the laboring population. The latter being the party that seemed most likely to further his designs, Pisistratus threw in his lot with it, and secured its allegiance by coming forward as patron and benefactor of the poor. In all his public speeches he was the advocate of civil equality and a democratic constitution. On one occasion he appeared in the market place with several slight self-inflicted wounds, and called upon his fellow-citizens to protect him against certain alleged enemies, who had, as he said, attacked his life on account of his adherence to the democracy. A bodyguard of 50 men was voted him; this force he soon greatly increased, and made himself popular with his guard and bound them to serve him, and in 560 BC. seized upon the acropolis. He was now master, or, as the Greeks termed it, of the city. The term was equivalent to the modern political Solon had long recognized him as a dangerous man and a hypo trite, but his charges had been unheeded, and Solon departed from his enslaved country, But though a tyrant in the Greek sense, his use of power was by no means tyrannical. He was twice in exile, once for five years, once for 11, but regained his power. He forced
many of the idle inhabitants to leave the city and cultivate the country around, which by these means was covered with corn-fields and olive plantations. Those who had no resources of their own he supplied with cattle and seed. He extracted from everyone the tenth part of his income and earnings, and thus increased the revenue of the state, which he expended in splendid public buildings. He established a pub lic library, and collected and arranged the poems of Homer. Twice was he deposed and driven away, and twice he returned and assumed au thority. The last time he came back with an army of Greek mercenaries whom he had at tached to himself by developing some gold mines at Mount Pangzus, and spending the sums gained with great liberality. When le returned, about the year 540, thousands of his old supporters rallied about him, and he ruled from that date until his death, with great wis dom, and care to maintain his popularity. He kept the people at work, reduced the taxes of the agriculturists, improved the courts of law, and increased the prosperity of the state. He carried out many of the reforms proposed by Solon, whom he had virtually thrust out of office. As he well knew how tyranny was hated he carefully concealed his power under the ex terior of a private citizen. He submitted like others to the jurisdiction of the Areopagus, be fore which he was accused of murder, and con ducted himself with as much prudence as clemency. Consult the works by Flach (1885) and Tiipffer (1886).