Editing Anytus (section)

=== Tyranny of the Thirty ===
After the battle of [[Battle of Aegospotami|Aigospotami]] in 405 BC, in which the Athenian fleet was destroyed, the city was besieged by the Spartans and eventually capitulated.<ref>Xenophon, ''Hellenica'', ii.1.17 ff.</ref> The Spartans demanded that the city take down its walls, recall its exiles (oligarchic sympathizers all), and restore the ancient government – i.e., dismantle its democracy. At their “suggestion”, a ruling body of thirty governors was selected, mimicking Sparta’s own ruling board of thirty, the ''[[gerousia]]''.

At this time many of those opposed to this coup abandoned the city and took refuge in such places as [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] and [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]]. The leader of these democratic partisans was [[Thrasybulus]], and Anytus was among his lieutenants.<ref>''Atheneion Politeia'', xxxiv.3.</ref> [[Lysias]], in one of his forensic orations, related an incident where one Agoratus, who had cooperated with the Thirty at first, later tried to join the exiles at [[Phyle Campaign|Phyle]], a fortress in northern [[Attica]] where they were organizing a counter coup. <blockquote>As soon as they saw him they laid hold of him [Agoratus] and dragged him straight away to be killed in the place where they executed ordinary pirates or robbers that fell into their hands. Anytus, who was the general, said that they ought not to do that, on the ground that they were not yet in a position to punish certain of their enemies; at that moment they should rather keep quiet. If ever they returned home, they would then proceed to punish the guilty.<ref>Lysias, ''Against Agoratos'', xiii.78-9.</ref></blockquote>The counter coup was ultimately successful and democracy restored at Athens.<ref>Xenophon, ''Hellenica'', ii.4.10-43.</ref> One of the means implemented to reconcile the warring parties was a general amnesty,<ref>Andocides, ''On the Mysteries'', i.81; ''Atheneion Politeia'', §38-39.</ref> which was resented by many who had lost loved ones and property during the carnage perpetrated by the Thirty. They chafed under the proscription of suing those who had wronged them and occasionally tried to seek recompense in the courts in spite of the law forbidding it. Isocrates wrote the defense speech in one such case and pointed out that certain wealthy and influential men and foregone such suits, even though they had the political pull to succeed in such efforts when ordinary men might fail. He specifically named Thrasyboulus and Anytus as:<blockquote>men of greatest influence in the city, although they have been robbed of large sums of money and know who gave in lists of their goods, nevertheless are not so brazen as to bring suit against them or to bring up old grudges against them; on the contrary, even if, in respect to all other claims, they have greater power than others to accomplish their ends, yet in matters covered by the covenant at least they see fit to put themselves on terms of equality with the other citizens.<ref>Isocrates, ''Against Callimachus'', xviii.23-24.</ref></blockquote>