Phalaris
Tyrant of Akragas known for extreme cruelty and the brazen bull.
Phalaris (Greek: Φάλαρις) ruled as tyrant of Akragas (modern-day Agrigento) in Sicily, part of Magna Graecia, from around 570 to 554 BC. His reputation rests on extreme cruelty. Stories claim he ate newborn babies, and he allegedly commissioned a sculptor named Perilaus to build a hollow bronze bull. This bull served as an execution device: a person was locked inside, a fire was lit beneath, and the victim’s screams supposedly mimicked a bull’s bellowing.
Phalaris came to power by exploiting his role in building the temple of Zeus Atabyrius on the citadel. During his rule, Akragas appears to have flourished. He improved the water supply, constructed fine buildings, and fortified the city with walls. On Sicily’s northern coast, the people of Himera appointed him general with full authority, ignoring warnings from the poet Stesichorus. According to the Suda, he eventually controlled the entire island.
His downfall came through a widespread revolt led by Telemachus, an ancestor of the later tyrant Theron of Acragas (who ruled around 488–472 BC). Some versions of the story say Phalaris was burned alive inside his own bronze bull. The poet Pindar, writing less than a century later, directly linked the bull to Phalaris. The satirist Lucian also mentioned it in two dialogues, “Phalaris A” and “Phalaris B.”
A bronze bull did exist at Akragas. The Carthaginians took it to Carthage, and it was reportedly returned to Akragas around 200 BC by Scipio Africanus—or more likely by Scipio Aemilianus after he destroyed Carthage in about 146 BC, ending the Third Punic War.
In medieval times, Phalaris gained literary fame as the supposed author of a collection of letters. In 1699, Richard Bentley published a dissertation proving these epistles were misattributed and actually written around the 2nd century AD.
Quick Facts
- Reign
- c. 570–554 BC
- Reign Type
- Tyrant
- Death Date
- 554 BC
- Death Place
- Agrigento, Magna Graecia, Italy
- Spouse
- <!-- or
- Religion
- Ancient Greek
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Phalaris was entrusted with building the temple of Zeus Atabyrius in the citadel and used this position to make himself tyrant. Under his rule, Akragas prospered: he supplied the city with water, adorned it with fine buildings, and strengthened its walls. On the northern coast of Sicily, the people of Himera elected him general with absolute power despite warnings from the poet Stesichorus. According to the Suda, he succeeded in making himself master of the whole island.
Reader's Guide
Phalaris's significance lies in his enduring reputation as a paradigm of ancient tyranny and cruelty. His name is inextricably linked with the brazen bull, a hollow bronze sculpture used for executions, in which victims were roasted alive while their screams mimicked a bull's bellowing. The bull was said to have been made by a sculptor named Perilaus. After Phalaris's overthrow in a general uprising led by Telemachus, some versions claim he was burned alive in his own bull. The bull itself was later carried off by Carthaginians to Carthage and possibly returned to Agrigentum by Scipio Aemilianus after the destruction of Carthage around 146 BC. In medieval times, Phalaris gained literary fame as the supposed author of a collection of epistles, but in 1699 Richard Bentley proved these were misattributed and written around the 2nd century AD. Pindar, living less than a century after Phalaris, associated the brazen bull with him, and Lucian wrote two satirical dialogues about the tyrant.
Did You Know?
- Phalaris was said to have eaten suckling babies.
- He ordered sculptor Perilaus to make a brazen hollow bull used as an execution machine.
- The brazen bull was designed so victims' cries sounded like a bull's bellowing.
- Phalaris was overthrown in a general uprising headed by Telemachus, ancestor of Theron of Acragas.
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