Cypselus - Wikipedia Cypselus From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Tyrant of Corinth Cypselus Tyrant of Corinth Reign 657–627 BC Predecessor Bacchiadae Successor Periander Born prior to 670 BC Corinth Died 627 BC Corinth Consort Cratea Issue Periander Gorgus Greek Κύψελος House Cypselid Father Eëtion Mother Labda Religion Greek polytheism Cypselus (Greek: Κύψελος, Kypselos) was the first tyrant of Corinth in the 7th century BC. With increased wealth and more complicated trade relations and social structures, Greek city-states tended to overthrow their traditional hereditary priest-kings; Corinth, the richest archaic polis, led the way.[1] Like the signori of late medieval and Renaissance Italy, the tyrants usually seized power at the head of some popular support. Often the tyrants upheld existing laws and customs and were highly conservative as to cult practices, thus maintaining stability with little risk to their own personal security. As in Renaissance Italy, a cult of personality naturally substituted for the divine right of the former legitimate royal house. After the last traditional king of Corinth, Telestes, was assassinated by Arieus and Perantas, there were no more kings; instead prytanes taken from the former royal house of the Bacchiadae ruled for a single year each. Cypselus, the son of Eëtion and a disfigured woman named Labda, who was a member of the Bacchiad family, the ruling dynasty, usurped power, became tyrant and expelled the Bacchiadae. According to Herodotus the Bacchiadae heard two prophecies from the Delphic oracle that the son of Eëtion would overthrow their dynasty, and they planned to kill the baby once it was born; however, Herodotus says that the newborn smiled at each of the men sent to kill it, and none of them could go through with the plan. An etiological myth-element, to account for the name Cypselus (cf. κυψέλη, kypsele, "chest") accounted how Labda then hid the baby in a chest, and when the men had composed themselves and returned to kill it, they could not find it. (Compare the infancy of Perseus.) The cedar chest of Cypselus, richly worked with mythological narratives and adorned with ivory and gold, was a votive offering at Olympia, where Pausanias gave it a detailed description in his 2nd century AD travel guide.[2] When Cypselus had grown up, he fulfilled the prophecy. Corinth had been involved in wars with Argos and Corcyra, and the Corinthians were unhappy with their rulers. At the time, around 657 BC, Cypselus was polemarch, the archon in charge of the military, and he used his influence with the soldiery to expel the Bacchiadae. He also expelled his other enemies, but allowed them to set up colonies in northwestern Greece. He also increased trade with the colonies in Italy and Sicily. He ruled for thirty years and in 627 BC was succeeded as tyrant by his son Periander, who was considered one of the Seven Sages of Greece. The treasury Cypselus built at Delphi was apparently still standing in the time of Herodotus. Cypselus' second son Gorgus became tyrant of the Corinthian colony Ambracia, followed after his death by his son Periander of Ambracia. Another known Cypselid from Ambracia was named Archinus, whose wife later married Periander of Athens.[3] While some consider him a tyrant as well,[4] the sources aren't definite about that, and there is no reason to believe Ambracia had any Cypselid tyrants other than the aforementioned two.[5] Cypselus' other grandson by Gorgus was Psammetich, who followed the sage Periander as the last tyrant of Corinth. Notes[edit] ^ J. B. Salmon, Wealthy Corinth. A History of the City to 338 B.C. (Oxford: Clarendon Press) 1984. ^ Pausanias, 5.18.7. ^ http://perseus.uchicago.edu/perseus-cgi/citequery3.pl?dbname=GreekTexts&getid=1&query=Arist.%20Ath.%20Pol.%2017.4 ^ https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/timonassa-e1214990?s.num=12&s.au=%22Kinzl%2C+Konrad%22 ^ L. G. Pechatnova, A History of Sparta (Archaic and Classic Periods) External links[edit] Mary McHugh, Brief biography of Cypselus v t e Rulers of Ancient Corinth Heleidae Aeëtes Bounos Epopeus Corinthus Polybus Creon Jason Sisyphidae Sisyphus Glaucus Bellerophon Ornytion Thoas Damophon Propodas two kings at the same time Doridas and Hyanthidas Heracleidae Aletidae Aletes Ixion Agelas I Prymnes Bacchiadae Bacchis Agelas II Eudaemus Aristomedes Agemon Alexander Telestes Automenes Pritanius Cypselid tyrants Cypselus I Periander Psammetichus (Cypselus II) Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cypselus&oldid=996000398" Categories: 627 BC deaths Ancient Corinthians Ancient Greek rulers 7th-century BC Greek people Archaic tyrants Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text Year of birth unknown Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version Languages العربية Български Bosanski Català Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Français 한국어 Italiano Lëtzebuergesch Nederlands 日本語 Polski Português Русский Slovenčina Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 24 December 2020, at 00:26 (UTC). 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