Peisistratus. A name that rings synonymous with 'tyrant' since the word transformed from a noun to an adjective. However, a reading of historical sources convinces that this Athenian - after the founder Theseus and the legislator Solon - is, paradoxically, one of the three founders of the greatness and glory of Athens.

Of noble birth, a scion of a large and wealthy family, a relative and friend of Solon, he managed, after a first adventurous phase of his life (he was exiled twice by his political opponents), to become the tyrant of Athens and achieve a feat: without ever assuming an office, he ensured social peace within the framework established by Solon.

Peisistratus ruled for seventeen years, and his governance was so significant that the Athenians of his time referred to it as 'the life under Cronus', meaning the golden age. His achievements included a large construction program, a substantial encouragement of Art and Letters, and a significant enhancement of Athens' prestige within the Greek world.

He died in 527 BC and was succeeded smoothly by his son Hippias, who was ousted by the Athenians in 510 BC with the help of Sparta. Peisistratus had started the construction of the great temple known as the 'Olympieion'. The Athenians, out of disdain for his memory, halted the work; it was completed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian seven centuries later.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]