Pheidon of Argos: The Tyrant Who Seized the Olympics and Minted Coinage

Pheidon of Argos, a shadowy tyrant from ancient Greek history, is remembered for his hubris and expansionist ambitions. According to Herodotus, he deposed the Eleian presidents of the Olympic Games and presided over the festival himself, demonstrating his power across the Peloponnese. He is also credited with introducing silver coinage to the Greeks and establishing measures used in the region. The dating of his reign is highly contested: the Parian Chronicle places him around 900 BC, while Pausanias associates him with the eighth Olympiad (748 BC), but modern scholars often correct this to the 28th (668 BC). Some argue for a 7th-century BC date based on the Battle of Hysiae (669/8 BC) and Eusebius's account of the 668 BC games held by the inhabitants of Pisa. However, a later date in the first half of the 6th century BC is supported by Herodotus's mention of Pheidon's son Leokedes as a suitor of Agariste, daughter of Cleisthenes of Sicyon, and by the fact that coinage only reached Greece in the late 7th century BC. Additionally, Herodotus's description of Argive dominance over the western Peloponnese and Kythera around 547 BC aligns with this later period. Thus, Pheidon likely ruled Argos during the mid-6th century BC, carving out a mini-empire that extended to Elis and Olympia.