Alcmaeonidae

The Alcmaeonidae (/ˌælkmiːˈɒnɪdiː/; Greek: Ἀλκμαιωνίδαι, Alkmaionidai; Attic: Ἀλκμεωνίδαι, Alkmeonidai) or Alcmaeonids (/ˌælkmiːˈoʊnɪdz/) were a wealthy and powerful noble family of ancient Athens, a branch of the Neleides who claimed descent from the mythological Alcmaeon, the great-grandson of Nestor.^[1]

In the 7th through 5th centuries BC, the Alcmaeonidae played a significant role in the developments and events that occurred in Athens. Such developments included overthrowing an Athenian tyrant, helping to lay the foundations of Athenian democracy, and having generals for Athens during the Peloponnesian War. The Alcmaeonidae were mentioned frequently throughout Herodotus' The Histories, and many played a key role in shaping Athens. The first prominent Alcmaeonid was Megacles, who was exiled from the city and given a curse on him and his family. Furthermore, there was Cleisthenes, who became known as "the father of Athenian democracy" by numerous scholars and historians.^[2] Another famous Alcmaeonid was Pericles, whom Thucydides would later call "the first citizen of Athens," as well as Alcibiades, who switched sides numerous times during the Peloponnesian War, and would end up being the last of the notable Alcmaeonidae.^[3] The main aristocratic rival of the Alcmaeonidae in the 6th and 5th centuries BC were the Peisistratids.^[4]

^ Smith, Philip (1867). "Alcmaeonidae". In William Smith (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 105–106. Archived from the original on 2008-05-21.
^ R. Po-chia Hsia, Julius Caesar, Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein, and Bonnie G. Smith, The Making of the West, Peoples and Cultures, A Concise History, Volume I: To 1740 (Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007), 44.
^ Strassler, R.B, ed. The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War. Trans. by R. Crawley. New York: The Free Press, 1996. pp. 6.61.
^ Strassler, R.B, ed. The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories. Trans. by A.L. Purvis. New York: Anchor Books, 2009. p. 791.

[DGRBM-1] Smith, Philip (1867). "Alcmaeonidae". In William Smith (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 105–106. Archived from the original on 2008-05-21.

[2] R. Po-chia Hsia, Julius Caesar, Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein, and Bonnie G. Smith, The Making of the West, Peoples and Cultures, A Concise History, Volume I: To 1740 (Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007), 44.

[3] Strassler, R.B, ed. The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War. Trans. by R. Crawley. New York: The Free Press, 1996. pp. 6.61.

[4] Strassler, R.B, ed. The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories. Trans. by A.L. Purvis. New York: Anchor Books, 2009. p. 791.

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