Cylon

See also: Cylon (homonymy)

Cylon (in Greek old Κύλων / Kýlôn ) is an Athenian conspirator seventh century BC

According to Hérodote and Thucydide, Cylon is resulting from the Eupatrides, the Athenian aristocracy. Son-in-law of Théagène, Tyrant of Mégare, he is also former Olympic champion . With the support of his father-in-law, it tries towards 632 av. J. - C. (the exact date is impossible to establish) to seize the capacity in Athens and to impose a tyranny. Thucydide indicates that it is determined on the faith of the Oracle de Delphes.

Cylon succeeds in seizing the Acropole but it yields vis-a-vis the determination Athenians, mainly those of the campaigns. Besieged and pushed by the hunger, Cylon and his/her brother place themselves under the protection of Athéna, with the foot of its furnace bridge. According to Thucydide, nine Archonte S (three archontes and six Thesmothète S) in charge of the monitoring with insurgent and are then equipped with the full powerss. At Hérodote, they are the prytanes naucrares, which control then in Athens according to him, which takes in hand the business.

One promises with entreated the safe life but those are put at died at once after their rendering whereas some, Thucydide note, had however taken refuge near the Majestic Goddesses. Plutarque describes the scene in detail: entreated would have attached a wire to the statue of Athéna, to remain under its protection; the wire being broken in front of the temple of the Majestic Goddesses, they would have been massacred at once under pretext which divine protection to them had been refused. If Thucydide does not mention any name particular to this occasion, Hérodote names the Alcméonides, one of the eupatrides big families. It is Plutarque which specifies that Mégaclès, Alcméonide, is then archonte.

The sacrileges are then exiled and one calls upon Épiménide Crétois to purify the city and to bring back the harmony. The “curse of Alcméonides” will be then a rengaine of traditional Athens: it is taken again by the King de Sparte Cléomène I {{er}}, which supports the Isagoras Athenian against Clisthène with the election for the magistrature of Archonte éponyme. He indeed asks the exile of Alcméonides to make it possible Isagoras to reach the load. Alcibiade and Périclès will undergo in their turn of the recalls of the sacrilege.

It is difficult to interpret the attempt at Cylon. An often advanced explanation is that of the resistance of the Athenian aristocracy to the current reformist which will end in the decrees of Solon.

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