Latest / The History of Greece: Philosophy, Empire, and Endless Reinvention — Fexingo History / The Thirty Tyrants: Athens Under the Knife
Transcript
- Lucas: So Athens surrendered in 404 BCE. The Peloponnesian War was finally over. But the peace that followed was not exactly peaceful for the Athenians themselves. Luna: What do you mean? Lucas: Well, the Spartans, under Lysander, didn't just tear down the Long Walls and take the fleet. They imposed a new government — an oligarchy made up of thirty Athenian collaborators. History calls them the Thirty Tyrants, and they ruled Athens for about a year. It was a reign of terror. Luna: Thirty men ruling a city that had been democratic for a century — that must have been a shock. Lucas: It was. And the leader of the Thirty was a man named Kritias. He was an aristocrat, a former student of Socrates, and a relative of Plato. But he was also a ruthless ideologue. Under him, the Thirty set about purging the city of anyone they saw as a threat — democrats, wealthy metics, intellectuals, anyone who might resist. Lucas: They started with the most prominent democrats — men like Strombichides, who had been a naval commander. Then they moved on to metics, the resident aliens who were often wealthy and influential. The Thirty needed money, so they confiscated property and executed the owners on trumped-up charges. Luna: So it was political purge mixed with plain robbery. Lucas: Exactly. Xenophon tells us that Kritias and his colleague Eratosthenes drew up a list of three thousand citizens who were allowed to keep their rights. Everyone else was essentially disenfranchised. But even the Three Thousand weren't safe — the Thirty could have anyone arrested and executed without trial. Lucas: One of the most chilling moments came when Theramenes, one of the original Thirty, began to argue for more moderation. He thought they were going too far. So Kritias had him arrested and forced to drink hemlock in the council chamber. Theramenes died defiantly, but it showed that even among the tyrants, dissent meant death. Luna: Theramenes was one of the oligarchs who had helped set up the regime, right? Lucas: Yes, he had been part of the earlier oligarchic coup in 411, but he was more pragmatic. Kritias was the extremist. After Theramenes was gone, there was no one left to check the violence. The Thirty started executing ordinary citizens, not just leaders. They killed about fifteen hundred people in the first few months. Lucas: But resistance began to build. Many Athenians fled to the nearby city of Thebes, which was hostile to Sparta. And from there, a band of exiles led by Thrasybulus started planning a return. Thrasybulus was a democratic general who had fought in the war. He gathered about seventy men and seized a fortification on the border. Luna: Seventy men against the Thirty and the Spartan garrison? Lucas: It grew quickly. When the Thirty sent out a force to crush them, many of the Three Thousand refused to fight. They were sick of the tyranny. Thrasybulus's force swelled to over a thousand, and they marched on the Piraeus, Athens' port. They defeated the troops of the Thirty at the Battle of Mounikhia, and Kritias himself was killed in the fighting. Luna: So the tyrant fell in battle. That's almost poetic. Lucas: It was. After Kritias died, the remaining Thirty were replaced by a more moderate oligarchy, but they were soon overthrown too. Thrasybulus and the democrats entered Athens, and a general amnesty was declared — no one could be prosecuted for crimes committed during the tyranny, except the Thirty themselves and a few top officials. Lucas: That amnesty was remarkable. The Athenians chose to forgive rather than revenge, and it allowed the democracy to be restored without a bloodbath. But the memory of the Thirty left a deep scar. It shaped how Greeks thought about tyranny and democracy for generations. Luna: It's interesting that Kritias was a student of Socrates. Did that affect Socrates' trial later? Lucas: Absolutely. Kritias had studied with Socrates, and another member of the Thirty, Charmides, was also associated with him. When democracy was restored, some Athenians saw Socrates as a teacher of tyrants. That suspicion was a factor in his trial and execution in 399 BCE. The shadow of the Thirty hung over that courtroom. Lucas: So in just one year, Athens went from a defeated democracy to a bloody oligarchy and back again. It's a story of how quickly political systems can collapse, and how fragile freedom really is. Luna: And how people can find the courage to fight back. Thrasybulus and the exiles didn't have much hope, but they kept going. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the thread I want to hold onto. You know, when we talk about these stories, it's easy to think they're ancient history, irrelevant. But the idea that a small group of people can stand up against a violent regime — that's timeless. And honestly, if today's episode was worth a coffee to you, there's a link where you can toss one our way. It's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That really does help us keep doing this, ad-free and independent. Luna: Yeah, it makes a difference. And we love bringing these stories to life. Lucas: So, back to the aftermath: the restored democracy didn't just forget the Thirty. They passed laws to prevent any future oligarchy, and they erected a stele recording the names of the tyrants. The amnesty held, but the lesson was carved in stone. Luna: And the Thirty themselves — what happened to the survivors? Lucas: Most of them fled to Eleusis, where they had set up a separate stronghold. But within a few years, the democrats persuaded them to surrender, and they were either executed or went into exile. The tyranny was over, and Athens began the slow work of rebuilding.