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Tyrant Cypselus of Corinth

Type Event Region Greece Time c. -657–-627

Around 657 BCE, Cypselus overthrew the Bacchiad aristocracy of Corinth, establishing a tyranny that lasted about thirty years and making Corinth a ma…

Timeline

  1. c. -657Corinth · PeloponneseThough born into the Bacchiad family, Cypselus was excluded from it; with popular support and the endorsement of the Delphic oracle, he overthrew the hereditary aristocratic oligarchy, seized power in Corinth, and founded a tyranny.
  2. c. -650–-630Corinth · PeloponneseCypselus curtailed the aristocracy's land monopoly and encouraged commerce and crafts; Corinth's position on the isthmus gave it control of north-south land routes, and its pottery exports were famed throughout the Greek world; his rule was relatively mild and won popular support.
  3. c. -627Corinth · PeloponneseAfter Cypselus's death his son Periander succeeded him as tyrant; the Corinthian tyranny continued into the early sixth century BCE and became an important case in the study of Greek tyranny.

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