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List of Rulers of the Ancient Greek World. The following abridged list of rulers for the ancient Greek world is primarily for the rulers of the Hellenistic age (323–31 B.C.), after the time of Alexander the Great. In the preceding centuries, the dominant geopolitical unit was the polis or city-state. Greek city-states were governed by a ...
- Alexander the Great (356 BC–323 BC) Alexander the Great is famous for being one of the greatest military generals the world has ever seen. He was the son of Philip II, the king of Macedonia.
- Pericles (494 BC-429 BC) Pericles was a renowned Greek statesman. He was born in Athens and lived from 495 to 429 BC. He was also an orator, politician, patron of the arts, and a renowned Athenian general.
- Leonidas, King of Sparta (540 BC-480 BC) Historians do not have a lot of information about this courageous king of Sparta, but during the war between Sparta and the Persians, he was no doubt the most courageous king Greece has ever seen.
- Solon (630 BC-560 BC) Solon was a poet, politician, and the founder of democratic government in Greece. He was born in 638 BC and died in 558 BC. Solon was a lawmaker who was the first to grant democratic rights to the common citizens of Athens.
- Democracy
- Monarchy
- Tyranny
- Oligarchy
- Public Officials
The word democracy derives from the Greek dēmos which referred to the entire citizen body and although it is Athens which has become associated with the birth of democracy (demokratia) from around 460 BCE, other Greek states did establish a similar political system, notably, Argos, (briefly) Syracuse, Rhodes, and Erythrai. Athens is, however, the s...
In the Greek world monarchies were rare and were often only distinguishable from a tyranny when the hereditary ruler was more benevolent and ruled in the genuine interest of his people. The most famous monarchies were those in the states of Macedonia and Epeiros, where the ruler shared power with an assembly, limited though these were in practice. ...
Tyrants were sole rulers of a state who had taken power in an unconstitutional manner, often murdering their predecessor. However, Greek tyrants were not necessarily evil rulers (as the word signifies today); they simply looked after their own interests. Syracuse in Sicily had a run of famous tyrants, for example, Dionysios from 405 BCE and his son...
An oligarchy is a system of political power controlled by a select group of individuals, sometimes small in number but it could also include large groups. For the Greeks (or more particularly the Athenians) any system which excluded power from the whole citizen-body and was not a tyranny or monarchy was described as an oligarchy. Oligarchies were p...
In Athens the law was devised and enforced by magistrates (archai). All citizens were eligible for the position, and indeed there may well have been a certain expectation that the honourable citizen would play his active part in civic life. For the Greeks, the state was not seen as an interfering entity which sought to limit one's freedom but as an...
- Mark Cartwright
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Jun 21, 2023 · The earliest rulers of Ancient Greece were the kings, also known as monarchs. These monarchs ruled during the Monarchy period, which lasted from around 2000 BCE to 800 BCE. The kings held absolute power and were considered to be divine beings. Notable Kings.
- Leslie Robbins
Beyond the immediate confines of the oikos, the families of Ancient Greece extended into larger, more broader connections formed by gens and clans. These extended family units, while rooted in blood ties and shared ancestry, were also powerful socio-political entities, wielding significant influence in the community and often shaping the course ...
Oct 13, 2022 · Subsequently, Darius the Great, the Persian ruler, sought to secure his empire from further revolts and interference from the mainland Greeks, and embarked upon a scheme to conquer all of Greece. The first Persian invasion of Greece began in 492 BCE, and was successful in conquering Macedon and re-subjugating Thrace.
Dec 15, 2021 · Pisistratus (born c. 608 BC) ruled Athens from 561 to 527, though he was expelled from power several times during that period. He was considered a tyrant, which in Ancient Greece was a term used specifically to refer to those who obtain political control by force.
