Around the 4th century BCE in Greece, a man named Heracleodorus lived in the Euboean city-state of Oreus, which was then ruled by an oligarchic government. Heracleodorus seemed to have been a member of the oligarchic ruling class, as he was able to become a magistrate or official in the government of Oreus. Yet, unbeknownst to the other oligarchs, Heracleodorus was a reformer who, around 377 BCE, would use his access and influence to legally dismantle the oligarchy from within. The other oligarchs of Oreus did not see what was coming—Aristotle (c. 384-322 BCE) described their point of view, writing, “It is owing to lack of vigilance that those who are not friendly to the constitution are sometimes allowed to get into supreme offices” (Aristotle, Politics, Bekker number 1303a). In this case, it was Oreus’ oligarchic constitution that was targeted, and it was Heracleodorus who was able to exploit the complacency of his peers and maneuver his way into a supreme office. In short, when Heracleodorus became an official in the oligarchic government of Oreus, he was able to put himself in a position where he could reform and revolutionize the realm’s constitution. On this, Aristotle wrote, “at Oreus[,] oligarchy was broken up when Heracleodorus became one of the magistrates, who in place of an oligarchy formed a constitutional government, or rather a democracy” (Politics, Bekker number 1303a). Unfortunately, Aristotle did not elaborate any further on what occurred in Oreus during that transformational period. Other than these details, the incident remains vague, with little contextual information existing besides the historical belief that Heracleodorus’ reform likely occurred during the political chaos of 377 BCE, when Oreus transferred from the Spartan sphere of influence into that of Athens.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Picture Attribution: (Men with raised arms on a Terracotta loutrophoros (ceremonial vase for water), Greek Atticlate 6th century BCE, [Public Domain]. via Creative Commons and the MET.jpg).
Sources:
- The Politics by Aristotle, translated by T. A. Sinclair and revised by T. J. Saunders. London: Penguin Classics, 1962, 1992.
- https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0058%3Abook%3D5%3Asection%3D1303a
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Euboea-island-Greece
