F25-11 - Tyranny in Ancient Greece - NOTE last 2 classes meet on Thursdays instead of Tuesdays
Class | Registration opens 9/2/2025 9:00 AM
Gyges of Lydia, Periander of Corinth, Thrasybulus of Miletus, Peisistratus of Athens, Dionysius of Sicily: such are the names of the first tyrants" in
the western tradition. "Tyranny" emerges in the ancient world in the 7th century, BC, in the form of autocrats who come to power through non-
traditional means (such as regicide or support of the poor). But although some tyrants were infamous for their cruelty and suppression of their subjects, others were equally famous for their support of culture and philosophy or the construction of massive public building projects. This course will examine how ancient historians, political scientists, and philosophers--such as Herodotus, Xenophon, Plato and Aristotle--interpreted the nature of these autocrats, both for good and for ill. Our examination of ancient tyranny will also suggest comparisons and contrasts with modern autocracy.
Thornton Lockwood
Thornton Lockwood is Professor of Philosophy at Quinnipiac University (with a joint appointment in Environmental Studies). His research focuses on ancient Greek and Roman ethical and political thought, and he has published the co-edited volumes Aristotle’s Politics: A Critical Guide (Cambridge University Press, 2015) and Aristote Politique VII: La constitution « selon nos vœux ». His research on Aeschylus, Herodotus, Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero has been published in numerous peer-reviewed research journals. He is currently at work on two overlapping projects: He has written several pieces on the moral status of non-human animals in Aristotle’s ethical and political works, which he plans to develop into a monography tentatively titled Animals in the City by Nature: Aristotle’s Environmental Philosophy. He is also finishing up a book-length manuscript entitled Aristotle on Justice: The Virtues of Citizenship (currently under contract at Cambridge University Press).