The word tyrannos did not originate from ancient Greece; rather, it emerged from the Middle East and was later adopted by the Greeks around the seventh century BC.[1] Tyranny mostly disappears from ancient Greece at the end of the sixth century, but single rule remains a political fixture. If we look to Homer’s Iliad, which predates these periods, we can find a clear expression of one-man rule understood as a kind of social contract:
Glaucus, why are we most of all singled out for honour at
home in Lycia, with pride of place, the choicest meat and never empty
cups? Why do they all look up to us as
gods? And why do we cultivate a great
estate on the banks of the River Xanthus, with lovely orchards and splendid
fields of wheat? All this now obliges us
to take our places in the front ranks of the Lycians and fling ourselves into
the flames of battle. Only then will our
Lycian men-at-arms say of us: “Well!
These are no dishonourable lords of Lycia that rule over us and eat fat
sheep and drink the best sweet wine: they are indominable and fight in the
forefront of the Lycians.”[2]
In other words, kings were important to the community
because they offered leadership, especially at times of war, and they were
rewarded in turn with social esteem and many advantages – namely power and
wealth. Since the time of Homer, at
least, one-man rule has carried with it potent cultural symbolism which seems
to spring forth when anxieties overrule other forms of political
expression. From today’s perspective, again
looking at the Middle East, in particular at Israel, along with its biggest ally, it
would seem as if war was considered essential to preserving – and extending -- one-man
rule.
[1] Sara
Forsdyke, “The Uses and Abuses of Tyranny” in A Companion to Greek and Roman
Political Thought, Ed. Ryan K. Balot (Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley
Blackwell, 2013), p. 232.
[2]
Homer, The Iliad, tr. R.V. Rieu, Revised by Peter Jones and D.C.H. Rieu
(London: Penguin, 2003), p. 211 [12:310-321]
No comments:
Post a Comment