Peisistratos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The Athenian ruler who seized control of Athens several times in the sixth century BCE and governed as a popular tyrant
2. A sixth-century BCE Greek statesman who made himself tyrant of Athens and ruled through patronage and public works
3. The name of the Athenian tyrant who took power in the 500s BCE and later ruled Athens with a mild and lasting hand

Etymology: Peisistratos (Pisistratus in Latin) was an Athenian aristocrat who seized power in Athens around 561 BCE, and he is one of the few tyrants of the period remembered for governing well. Ancient writers credit him with public building projects, support for the farmers of Attica, and the organisation of the Panathenaic festival, which the Athenians celebrated for centuries afterwards. Herodotus and Aristotle both describe him as a popular ruler, although they also record that he was driven out and returned to power more than once. The name is Greek, built from "peithein", "to persuade", and "stratos", "army" or "host", so it can be read as "persuader of the army" or "one who wins over the host". Whether this reflects a real political reputation or was a name later read into his career is uncertain. Its odd spelling in English reflects the Greek original, with the "-os" ending kept, rather than a Latinised form.