The “tyrranicides” Harmodius and Aristogeiton kill Hipparchus on…

The “tyrranicides” Harmodius and Aristogeiton kill Hipparchus on a vase dating to ca. 400 BCE. Hipparchos was one of two brothers who ruled Athens as tyrants in the late 500s BCE. Harmodius and Aristogeiton murdered Hipparchus over what seems to have been a romantic entanglement – Hipparchus was making unwanted advances toward Harmodius, ignoring the fact that he was already in a relationship with Aristogeiton. Hipparchus abused his power to make the couple miserable, and they finally murdered him. Ironically, the couple were hailed as the saviors of democracy even though their intentions were not political – their act was a model for the later murder of Julius Caesar.