La sindrome di Damasia. Eccessi e limiti di esperienze autocratiche

Among the forms of personal power in ancient Greece, tyranny well exemplifies the dangerous drift of individual’s autocratic cravings. However, the boundary between licit and illicit is often blurred, as clearly showed by the comparison between tyranny and the other forms of personal power described in the literary tradition. Starting from Aristotle’s remarks in the opening chapters of the Athenian Constitution, this paper analyzes the Athenian environment during the late 7th century to the mid‑6th century. Placed between Solon and Peisistratos, Damasias perfectly embodies both the excesses and the limits of individual authority, as well as the appetite for power deriving from an institutional position. His failed interlude recalls the tragic outcome of Kylon’s tyrannical attempt, and documents the difficulties rooted in the exercise of power. Solon’s refusal to become a tyrant and the troubled establishment of Peisistratos’ tyranny illustrate the different possible declinations of autocratic power in this turbulent phase of Athenian political history.