The late archaic period in Greece, defined…

The late archaic period in Greece, defined on the basis of pottery styles, succeeds the early archaic period in about 620 BCE.

Lasting until around 480, the period will see significant advancements in political theory, and the rise of democracy, philosophy, theater, and poetry, as well as the revitalization of the written language (which had been lost during the Dark Ages).

The period takes its name from what, in art history, is considered the archaic or old-fashioned style of sculpture and other works of art/craft that were characteristic of this time, as opposed to the more natural look of work made in the following Classical period.

The major sculptural forms during the period are the kouros and its female equivalent, the kore.

In pottery, the Archaic period sees the development of the Orientalizing style, which signals a shift from the Geometric Style and the accumulation of influences derived from Phoenicia and Syria.

Pottery styles associated with the later part of the Archaic age are the black-figure pottery, which originates in Corinth during the seventh century BCE and its successor, the red-figure style, which the Andokides Painter will develop in about 530 BCE.

Periander, the second tyrant of Corinth, had in 627 succeeded the first tyrant, his father, Cypselus.

He has upgraded Corinth's port, and built a ramp across the Isthmus of Corinth so that ships could be dragged across (the Diolkos), avoiding the sea route around the Peloponnese.

The money gained from the diolkos allows Periander to abolish taxes in Corinth.

However, Periander will later be considered the typical evil tyrant (for example, by Aristotle).

Herodotus will later write that Periander had learned his "savagery" from Thrasybulus, the tyrant of Miletus, who had instructed Periander to get rid of anyone who could conceivably take power from him.

Among his acts are sending young boys from Corcyra to be castrated in Lydia (who are reputed to have escaped and be rescued by the Samians), and the murder (and possible necrophiliac rape) of his own wife, Melissa.

Their son Lycophron had discovered that his father was the murderer, so Periander had exiled him from Corinth and forbidden any of his subjects to shelter him.

Periander had later tried to reconcile with Lycophron, but Lycophron had refused to return unless Periander abdicated.

The inhabitants of Corcyra killed LycophronH, however, to prevent Periander from arriving.

Periander, a more ruthless and authoritarian tyrant than his father, nevertheless establishes Corinth’s prosperity by efficient administration and the founding of several colonies.

Listed by most authors as one of the Seven Sages of Greece, Periander also, according to Herdotus, holds the famous musical contest that is won by the poet Arion, who shapes the lyric form known as the dithyramb into a literary composition.