Bacchiadae
Encyclopedia
The Bacchiadae a tightly-knit Doric clan, were the ruling family of archaic Corinth
in the eighth and seventh centuries BCE, a period of Corinthian cultural power. Corinth had been a backwater in eighth-century Greece. In 747 BCE (a traditional date) an aristocrat
ic revolution ousted the Bacchiad kings of Corinth, when the royal clan of Bacchiadae, numbering perhaps a couple of hundred adult males and claiming descent from the Dorian hero Heracles
through the seven sons and three daughters of a legend
ary king Bacchis, took power from the last king, Telestes. Practicising strict endogamy
which kept clan outlines within a distinct extended oikos
, they dispensed with kingship and ruled as a group, governing the city by electing annually a prytanis who held the kingly position for his brief term, no doubt a council (though none is specifically documented in the scant literary materials) and a polemarch
os to head the army.
In 657 BCE the Bacchiadae were expelled in turn by the tyrant
Cypselus
, who had been polemarch. The exiled Bacchiadae fled to Corcyra but also to Sparta
and west, traditionally to found Syracuse in Sicily, and to Etruria
, where Demaratus installed himself at Tarquinia
, founding a dynasty of Etruscan kings. The royal line of the Lynkestis
of Macedon
also claimed Bacchiad descent. The foundation myths of Corcyra, Syracuse, and Megara Hyblaea contain considerable detail about the Bacchiadae and the expeditions of the Bacchiad Archias of Corinth
, legendary founder of Syracuse in 734/33 BCE, and Philolaos, lover of Diocles of Corinth
, victor at Olympia in 728 BCE and a nomothete (lawgiver) of Thebes
.
Ancient Corinth
Corinth, or Korinth was a city-state on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece, roughly halfway between Athens and Sparta. The modern town of Corinth is located approximately northeast of the ancient ruins...
in the eighth and seventh centuries BCE, a period of Corinthian cultural power. Corinth had been a backwater in eighth-century Greece. In 747 BCE (a traditional date) an aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
ic revolution ousted the Bacchiad kings of Corinth, when the royal clan of Bacchiadae, numbering perhaps a couple of hundred adult males and claiming descent from the Dorian hero Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
through the seven sons and three daughters of a legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
ary king Bacchis, took power from the last king, Telestes. Practicising strict endogamy
Endogamy
Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific ethnic group, class, or social group, rejecting others on such basis as being unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. A Greek Orthodox Christian endogamist, for example, would require that a marriage be only with another...
which kept clan outlines within a distinct extended oikos
Oikos
An oikos is the ancient Greek equivalent of a household, house, or family....
, they dispensed with kingship and ruled as a group, governing the city by electing annually a prytanis who held the kingly position for his brief term, no doubt a council (though none is specifically documented in the scant literary materials) and a polemarch
Polemarch
A polemarch was a senior military title in various ancient Greek city states . The title is composed out of the polemos and archon and translates as "warleader" or "warlord", one of the nine archontes appointed annually in Athens...
os to head the army.
In 657 BCE the Bacchiadae were expelled in turn by the tyrant
Tyrant
A tyrant was originally one who illegally seized and controlled a governmental power in a polis. Tyrants were a group of individuals who took over many Greek poleis during the uprising of the middle classes in the sixth and seventh centuries BC, ousting the aristocratic governments.Plato and...
Cypselus
Cypselus
Cypselus 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...
, who had been polemarch. The exiled Bacchiadae fled to Corcyra but also to Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
and west, traditionally to found Syracuse in Sicily, and to Etruria
Etruria
Etruria—usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia—was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. A particularly noteworthy work dealing with Etruscan locations is D. H...
, where Demaratus installed himself at Tarquinia
Tarquinia
Tarquinia, formerly Corneto and in Antiquity Tarquinii, is an ancient city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Italy.- History :Tarquinii is said to have been already a flourishing city when Demaratus of Corinth brought in Greek workmen...
, founding a dynasty of Etruscan kings. The royal line of the Lynkestis
Lynkestis
Lynkestis or Lynchestia was a region of Upper Macedonia on the southern borders of Illyria which was ruled by kings, lords and independent or semi-independent chieftains till the later Argead rulers of Macedon neutralized their independence with dynastic alliances and the practice of bringing up...
of Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
also claimed Bacchiad descent. The foundation myths of Corcyra, Syracuse, and Megara Hyblaea contain considerable detail about the Bacchiadae and the expeditions of the Bacchiad Archias of Corinth
Archias of Corinth
Archias was a quasi-mythological Corinthian citizen and founder of the colony of Syracuse in Sicily.-Legend:Archias fell in love with the son of Melissus, named Actaeon - the most handsome and modest youth of his age in the city - and proceeded to court him...
, legendary founder of Syracuse in 734/33 BCE, and Philolaos, lover of Diocles of Corinth
Diocles of Corinth
Diocles of Corinth was an ancient Greek athlete from Corinth who won the stadion race of the 13th Ancient Olympic Games in 728 BC. The stadion race was the only competition in the first 13 Olympiads....
, victor at Olympia in 728 BCE and a nomothete (lawgiver) of Thebes
Thebes, Greece
Thebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others...
.
Further reading
- Will, Edouard. Korinthiaka. Recherches sur l'histoire et la civilisation de Corinthe des origines aux guerres médiques