10. Athens

13. The tangled web that becomes the story of democracy is easier to follow if we pay attention to just one Greek family…the Alcmaeonidae.

15. The first notable Alcmaeonid was Megacles, Megacles was Archon Eponymous and he and his cronies were tired of being bullied by Cylon – the tyrant of Athens at the time (632). Megacles followed Cylon and some of his followers into the temple of Athena and murdered them.

16. This was thought to be sacrilegious, so – even though he got rid of Cylon – the people had him ostracized. From then on it was said that the Alcmaeonid carried a curse. The miasma or “stain” was to be carried by everyone in his family for evermore. Bodies of the buried Alcmaeonid family were dug up and removed from the city.

17. The Alcmaeonids were allowed back into the city in 594 BCE, during the archonship of Solon…Solon was all about forgiving and forgetting.

18. 30 years after Solon introduced his reforms, Megacles and the Alcmaeonidae had gained support from the general populous of Athens. So had another aristocrat – Pisistratus. Pisistratus had gained popularity after defeating the Megarans in 565 BCE – thus freeing Athens of a trade blockage.

19. One day, Pisistratus rolled into the market place on a chariot making wild claims about having been attacked by men who admitted they had been hired by the Alcmaeonidae.

20. As a result of these claims, Pisistratus was given the special permission to establish a private guard for protection. The original number of 50 was later extended. Before long, Pisistratus’ private army had occupied the ports in Attica. He then seized the acropolis and declared himself tyrant. Megacles left town, but only temporarily.

21. Megacles returned 6 years later with a plan
Megacles returned 6 years later with a plan. Pisistratus had stepped down as tyrant after 3 years to appease the people. He agreed to marry Megacles’ daughter. In return, Megacles helped Pisistratus regain control of Athens.

22. They hired a woman to dress up like Athena and ride around town on the back of a golden chariot praising Pisistratus’ name. She also threw coins to the crowd. People believed Pisistratus had regained the favour of the Gods. As a result, there was no opposition when he declared himself tyrant. He also declared that he had no intention of fathering Megacles’ grandchildren. Megacles turned the public’s opinion against Pisistratus and he was exiled again for ten years.

23. In that time he made mad coin from a Laurion silver mine and used the cash to build the army he used to take over Athens for the third time in 546 BCE. He did two things as soon as he “took office”. He banished the Alcmaeodinae and re-instituted Solons reforms in order to appease the common people with the forgiveness of debt.

24. While he was exiled, Megacles married a third time
While he was exiled, Megacles married a third time. He married Agarista, the daughter of the tyrant Cleisthenes of Sicyon. They had two sons, Hippocrates and Cleisthenes, the reformer of the Athenian democracy.

25. Pisistratus died in 527 BCE and left the rule of Athens to his two sons Hippias (the elder) and Hipparchus.