Title: Cruel and Oppressive: 7 Noteworthy Ancient Greek Tyrants
Headings: Cruel and Oppressive: 7 Noteworthy Ancient Greek Tyrants
Cruel and Oppressive: 7 Noteworthy Ancient Greek Tyrants
1 – Cypselus: Corinth (657 – 627 BC?)
2 – Cylon: Athens (632 BC)
3 – The Peisistratids: Athens (546 – 510 BC)
4 – Aristagoras: Miletus (513- 499 BC)
5 – The Thirty Tyrants: Athens (404 – 403 BC)
6- Dionysius I: Syracuse (405 – 367 BC)
7 – Nabis: Sparta (207 – 192 BC)

Content: Cruel and Oppressive: 7 Noteworthy Ancient Greek Tyrants
Ancient History
Cruel and Oppressive: 7 Noteworthy Ancient Greek Tyrants
Patrick Lynch - August 15, 2017
When we think of tyrants in the modern era, we focus on cruel and oppressive despots. In Ancient Greece however, turannos or â€˜tyrant’ was the phrase given to an illegitimate ruler. These usurpers overturned the Greek polis and often came to power on a wave of popular support. While Greek tyrants were like the modern day version insofar as they were ambitious and possessed a yearning for power, not all of them were butchers or psychopaths. The term â€˜tyrant’ was first used in Greek in around the 7th century BC, but it didn’t have negative connotations for at least half a century. In this piece, I will look at 7 notable Greek tyrants; they ruled different city states including Athens, Corinth, and Megara. 1 – Cypselus: