This investigation relies on a rash bet: to write the biography of two of the most famous statues in Antiquity, the Tyrannicides. By recreating the eventful life of these statues, from their birth to their disappearance, Vincent Azoulay reveals that they were much more than a simple reflection: an acting symbol that models and makes history.

Acknowledgements Foreword by Paul Cartledge Introduction PART ONE Chapter 1 First scene The murder of Hipparchus BIRTHS AND GROWING PAINS The Tyrannicides between glory and outrage Chapter 2 Date of birth unknown Antenor's Tyrannicides Chapter 3 A second birth The statuary group produced by Critius and Nesiotes Chapter 4 The artist's studio as a playground Iconographic variations based on the Tyrannicides (c. 470-411 B.C.) Chapter 5 The disorders of a thankless age The oligarchic revolution of 411 B.C. and its consequences Chapter 6 Their finest hour The revived glory of the statuary group in the restored democracy (403 B.C.) PART 2 THE AGE OF REASON? The incomplete normalisation of the Tyrannicides Chapter 7 The age of honours New meanings for the monument in the fourth century Chapter 8 Model "notables" The Tyrannicides in the Hellenistic period Chapter 9 Forever young The uses of the statuary group in the Roman period Epilogue Born Again. The statuary group's belated rebirth in the West Conclusion Appendix Iconographic allusions to the Tyrannicides group Bibliography

"Such an innovative treatment of a seemingly well-worn subject inspires fresh ways of thinking about the past in the present." -- Tyler Jo Smith, Religious Studies Review "This is an original and fascinating study that shows how the statues of Harmodius and Aristogiton and their story have reverberated down the centuries." -- Brian A. Sparkes, Classics for All "Azoulay's book is a pleasure to read -thanks also to the translator- as he travels with Harmodius and Aristogiton through the Athenian Agora, down unexpected Roman colonnades, and Syrian alleys. Although, as he confesses, the topic is familiar from political history and art history ('a torrent of specialist studies' 4; cf. 13), Azoulay presents good observations on the ambivalent ideologies of this statuefied pairing and unexpected viewpoints on changing 'strategies of celebration.'" --Donald Lateiner, Ohio Wesleyan University, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review "The overall design of [Azoulay's] microhistory is ingenious. By focusing on a single object originally found at the center of Athens, he conveys us meaningfully through seven centuries of political evolution: Harmodius and Aristogiton become the fixed points around which all of Greek history revolves." -- New York Review of Books "This exhilarating study unpacks the multifaceted life and afterlife of two statues in Naples, known jointly as the Tyrannicides, depicting Athenian heroes Harmodius and Aristogeiton about to strike down Hipparchus, the brother of the Athenian tyrant Hippias, in 514 BCE." -- CHOICE "Vincent Azoulay's work builds on his predecessors ... He offers a comprehensive account of the sources, whether literary, iconographic, historical, or epigraphic ... Paul Cartledge offers a stimulating and sympathetic foreword, and the concluding notes and bibliography are exceptionally full and detailed." -- Lucilla Burn, Times Literary Supplement "Vincent Azoulay has written an important and thoroughly engaging object biography of one of the most important monuments in the history of Greek art, which stood for centuries in the Athenian Agora. While much has been written about this group, Azoulay's novel approach is to consider the changing ideas, perceptions, and reception of this monument over the long arc of its history. This study makes an important contribution to the history of honorific statuary and the role of public art in the Greek city." --Sheila Dillon, Duke University "This wonderfully readable and deeply learned book breathes life into two statues, allowing them to lead us on an immensely engaging journey that begins with intrigue, murder, and factional politics, continues with insult and redemption, and concludes with undying renown. Along the way we visit Athens, Persia, Rome, Russia and many points in between. And we learn how a master historian interweaves historiography, epigraphy, iconography, poetry, and political philosophy into a masterful narrative to explain anew why modernity can never be free of the spell of the classical past." --Josiah Ober, Stanford University "To understand the story of the Tyrannicides and the statues they inspired is to understand Athenian art and history, how they related in antiquity, and how they have related and resonated in the modern world. Vincent Azoulay is a sure guide, untangling the histories of this powerful myth and powerful icon both in antiquity and through to the twentieth century." --Robin Osborne, University of Cambridge

Selling point: New foreword by Paul Cartledge Selling point: Utilizes an interdisciplinary approach with all available documentation (iconography, archeology, epigraphy, literary sources) Selling point: One of the first full cultural biographies of a major Athenian monument

Selling point: New foreword by Paul Cartledge Selling point: Utilizes an interdisciplinary approach with all available documentation (iconography, archeology, epigraphy, literary sources) Selling point: One of the first full cultural biographies of a major Athenian monument