Pittakos

  Pittakos was one of the Seven Sages of antiquity, and was native of Mytilene (648 B.C). He was devoted to public service, associated with the aristocratic party, and fought in many wars, eventually becoming a General. He was renowned for his adamant character and decency. His popularity was such that the Mytileneans vested him with dictatoral powers, a kind of elected tyrant. He introduced and applied many new laws and granted amnesty to his enemies, believing that forgiveness is better than punishment. He opted to rule for only ten years, relinquishing power with his own free will. The Mytileneans, on his decision to leave public life, presented him with a piece of land, the ‘Pittakean plot’, from which he kept only an area as far as he could throw his spear, since he said ‘a fair amount is more than enough’. Too bad his paradigm has not been followed by many...