Chaeron of Pellene

4th-century BC wrestler and tyrant of Pellene

Chaeron (Ancient Greek: Χαίρων) was a wrestler and tyrant from Pellene, ancient Achaea.

Chaeron won at the Isthmian Games, possibly twice, and four times at the Ancient Olympic Games, between 356 BC and 344 BC. Alexander the Great made him tyrant of Pellene.^[1] It is said that the people of Pellene refused to even mention Chaeron by his name.^[2] He may be the same person as Chaeron of Megalopolis.

He was believed to have exiled the aristocrats of Pellene and given their wives and property to their slaves, perhaps because of his study of Plato and Xenocrates.^[3]^[2]^[4]

Athenaeus states

And such now are some of the Academics, who live in a scandalous and infamous manner. For they, having by impious and unnatural means acquired vast wealth by trickery, are at present highly thought of; as Chaeron of Pellene, who was not only a pupil of Plato, but of Xenocrates also. And he too, having usurped the supreme power in his country, and having exercised it with great severity, not only banished the most virtuous men in the city, but also gave the property of the masters to their slaves, and gave their wives also to them, compelling them to receive them as their husbands; having got all these admirable ideas from that excellent Republic and those illegal Laws of Plato.^[3]

References

^ Pausanias Description of Greece 7.27.7
^ ^a ^b Golden, Mark (2004). Sport in the Ancient World from A to Z. Routledge. p. 208. ISBN 9781134535958.
^ ^a ^b Athenaeus. "The Deipnosophists, Book 11". Attalus.org. p. 509. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
^ J. Dillon, The Heirs of Plato. A Study of the Old Academy (347 - 274 BC), OUP (2003), p. 14.

Ancient Olympic Games

General

Sports

Foot races	Diaulos Dolichos Hoplitodromos Stadion
Horse races	Apene Chariot of polos Decapolon Kalpe Keles Perfect chariot Polos Synoris Synoris of polos Tethrippon Tethrippon of polos
Combat	Boxing Pankration Wrestling
Special	Herald and Trumpet contest Pentathlon

Winners

Acanthus of Sparta Agasias of Arcadia Agesarchus of Tritaea Alcibiades of Athens Alexander I of Macedon Anaxilas of Messenia Aratus of Sicyon Archelaus of Macedon Arrhichion of Phigalia Arsinoe II Astylos of Croton Berenice II of Egypt Bilistiche Chaeron of Pellene Chilon of Patras Chionis of Sparta Cimon Coalemos Coroebus of Elis Cylon of Athens Cynisca of Sparta Damarchus Demaratus of Sparta Desmon of Corinth Diagoras of Rhodes Diocles of Corinth Ergoteles of Himera Euryleonis Herodorus of Megara Hiero I of Syracuse Hypenus of Elis Hysmon of Elis Iccus of Taranto Leonidas of Rhodes Leophron Milo of Croton Nero Caesar Augustus Oebotas of Dyme Onomastus of Smyrna Orsippus of Megara Peisistratos of Athens Phanas of Pellene Philinus of Cos Philip II of Macedon Philippus of Croton Phrynon of Athens Polydamas of Skotoussa Pythagoras of Laconia Pythagoras of Samos Sostratus of Pellene Theagenes of Thasos Theron of Acragas Tiberius Caesar Augustus Timasitheus of Delphi Troilus of Elis Varazdat of Armenia Xenophon of Aegium Xenophon of Corinth
Lists of winners	Ancient Olympic victors Stadion race Archaic period Classical period Hellenistic period Roman period