The Tyrant-Slayers of Ancient Athens: A Tale of Two Statues

This investigation relies on a rash bet: to write the biography of two of the most famous statues in Antiquity, the Tyrannicides. Representing the murderers of the tyrant Hipparchus in full action, these statues erected on the Agora of Athens have been in turn worshipped, outraged, and imitated. They have known hours of glory and moments of hardships, which have transformed them into true icons of Athenian democracy. The subject of this book is the remarkable story of this group statue and the ever-changing significance of its tyrant-slaying subjects. The first part of this book, in six chapters, tells the story of the murder of Hipparchus and of the statues of the two tyrannicides from the end of the sixth century to the aftermath of the restoration of democracy in 403. The second part, in three chapters, chronicles the fate and influence of the statues from the fourth century to the end of the Roman Empire. These chapters are followed by an epilogue that reveals new life for the statues in modern art and culture, including how Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union made use of their iconography. By tracing the long trajectory of the tyrannicides -- in deed and art -- Azoulay provides a rich and fascinating microhistory that will be of interest to readers of classical art and history.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Foreword by Paul Cartledge Introduction PART ONE Chapter 1 First scene The murder of Hipparchus BIRTHS AND GROWING PAINS The Tyrannicides between glory and outrage Chapter 2 Date of birth unknown Antenor's Tyrannicides Chapter 3 A second birth The statuary group produced by Critius and Nesiotes Chapter 4 The artist's studio as a playground Iconographic variations based on the Tyrannicides (c. 470-411 B.C.) Chapter 5 The disorders of a thankless age The oligarchic revolution of 411 B.C. and its consequences Chapter 6 Their finest hour The revived glory of the statuary group in the restored democracy (403 B.C.) PART 2 THE AGE OF REASON? The incomplete normalisation of the Tyrannicides Chapter 7 The age of honours New meanings for the monument in the fourth century Chapter 8 Model "notables" The Tyrannicides in the Hellenistic period Chapter 9 Forever young The uses of the statuary group in the Roman period Epilogue Born Again. The statuary group's belated rebirth in the West Conclusion Appendix Iconographic allusions to the Tyrannicides group Bibliography

About the Author :
Vincent Azoulay is Professor of Ancient Greek History at Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée University.

Review :
"This is an original and fascinating study that shows how the statues of Harmodius and Aristogiton and their story have reverberated down the centuries." -- Brian A. Sparkes, Classics for All "Azoulay's book is a pleasure to read -thanks also to the translator- as he travels with Harmodius and Aristogiton through the Athenian Agora, down unexpected Roman colonnades, and Syrian alleys. Although, as he confesses, the topic is familiar from political history and art history ('a torrent of specialist studies' 4; cf. 13), Azoulay presents good observations on the ambivalent ideologies of this statuefied pairing and unexpected viewpoints on changing 'strategies of celebration.'" --Donald Lateiner, Ohio Wesleyan University, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review "The overall design of [Azoulay's] microhistory is ingenious. By focusing on a single object originally found at the center of Athens, he conveys us meaningfully through seven centuries of political evolution: Harmodius and Aristogiton become the fixed points around which all of Greek history revolves." -- New York Review of Books "This exhilarating study unpacks the multifaceted life and afterlife of two statues in Naples, known jointly as the Tyrannicides, depicting Athenian heroes Harmodius and Aristogeiton about to strike down Hipparchus, the brother of the Athenian tyrant Hippias, in 514 BCE." -- CHOICE "Vincent Azoulay's work builds on his predecessors ... He offers a comprehensive account of the sources, whether literary, iconographic, historical, or epigraphic ... Paul Cartledge offers a stimulating and sympathetic foreword, and the concluding notes and bibliography are exceptionally full and detailed." -- Lucilla Burn, Times Literary Supplement "Vincent Azoulay has written an important and thoroughly engaging object biography of one of the most important monuments in the history of Greek art, which stood for centuries in the Athenian Agora. While much has been written about this group, Azoulay's novel approach is to consider the changing ideas, perceptions, and reception of this monument over the long arc of its history. This study makes an important contribution to the history of honorific statuary and the role of public art in the Greek city." --Sheila Dillon, Duke University "This wonderfully readable and deeply learned book breathes life into two statues, allowing them to lead us on an immensely engaging journey that begins with intrigue, murder, and factional politics, continues with insult and redemption, and concludes with undying renown. Along the way we visit Athens, Persia, Rome, Russia and many points in between. And we learn how a master historian interweaves historiography, epigraphy, iconography, poetry, and political philosophy into a masterful narrative to explain anew why modernity can never be free of the spell of the classical past." --Josiah Ober, Stanford University "To understand the story of the Tyrannicides and the statues they inspired is to understand Athenian art and history, how they related in antiquity, and how they have related and resonated in the modern world. Vincent Azoulay is a sure guide, untangling the histories of this powerful myth and powerful icon both in antiquity and through to the twentieth century." --Robin Osborne, University of Cambridge