(Painting of a ancient festival to Demeter, by Francis Davis
Millet (1846–1912), [Public Domain] via
Creative Commons)
The tyrant, Cleisthenes, is
thought to have ruled the city-state of Sicyon from approximately 600-570 BCE.
Sicyon was located somewhere in the northern Peloponnesus, between ancient
Corinth and Achaea. Cleisthenes was a member of the Orthagoras family (or the
Orthagorids), and his reign was the climax of his dynasty’s rule in Sicyon.
Cleisthenes successfully
ushered Sicyon through the political and military conflicts of ancient Greece.
He sided with the Oracle of Delphi in the First Sacred War (around the 590s BCE),
which led to the destruction of Crisa. He was also a patron of athletics and
sports, both in Delphi and at home in Sicyon.
It was around this time, after emerging
victorious from the First Sacred War, that Cleisthenes began thinking of
arranging a marriage for his daughter, Agariste. The tyrant, however, did not
want just any marriage for his daughter; he wanted to marry his girl to the
greatest man in all of Greece. To make sure the most accomplished men in Greece
would hear of his daughter’s marriage eligibility, Cleisthenes made an
announcement at one of Greece’s most prestigious events—either the Olympic or
Pythian Games. According to the historian, Herodotus, he made his declaration
after having won fist place in an Olympic chariot race. Yet, others think his
announcement came after participating in the 582 BCE Pythian Games. Either way,
the most athletic and affluent Greeks heard that Cleisthenes was accepting
suitors for his daughter’s hand in marriage. As with most stories recorded by
Herodotus, the tale of Cleithenes’ marriage fiasco is likely highly exaggerated
and filled with folklore, but nonetheless, it remains incredibly entertaining.
Continue reading about the bizarre story of the tests and trials that Cleisthenes of Sicyon put his daughter's suitors through, HERE.
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