Periander

views updated

Periander

Died 588 b.c.e.

Tyrant of corinth

Source

Commercial Prosperity. Periander was the tyrant of Corinth from circa 625 to his death in 588 b.c.e. Although he treated the Corinthian nobility harshly, he was an effective ruler who encouraged the commercial activities of his city-state and built the portage across the Isthmus of Corinth. During his reign import duties accounted for almost all government revenues. He founded colonies at Potidaea in Chalcidice and at Apollonia in Illyria as well as conquered Epidaurus and Corcyra. Nevertheless, his land aggrandizements did not prohibit Periander from maintaining friendly relations with Thrasybulus, tyrant of Miletus, as well as the kings of Lydia and Egypt. A patron of the arts, Periander composed a collection of two thousand maxims and is considered by some scholars to be one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece.

Source

Will Durant, The Life of Greece, The Story of Civilization: Part II (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1939).

More From encyclopedia.com