Micythus (), son of Choerus, was a 5th-century BC

tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...

Rhegium Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

(modern

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

) and Zancle (modern

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

) in

Magna Graecia Magna Graecia refers to the Greek-speaking areas of southern Italy, encompassing the modern Regions of Italy, Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, and Sicily. These regions were Greek colonisation, extensively settled by G ...

. He also founded the city of Pyxus (c. 471 BC). He was at first a

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

in the service of Anaxilas, tyrant of Rhegium, but gradually rose to so high a place in the confidence of his master, that at his death (476 BC) Anaxilas left him guardian of his infant sons, with the responsibility of holding sovereign power in trust for them until they should attain manhood. The administration of Micythus appears to have been both wise and vigorous. He gained the affection of his subjects, and managed the government of both Rhegium and Messana undisturbed by any popular commotions. One of the principal events of his reign was the assistance he provided to the Tarentines in their war against the

Iapygians The Iapygians or Apulians () were an Indo-European-speaking people, dwelling in an eponymous region of the southeastern Italian Peninsula named Iapygia (modern Apulia) between the beginning of the first millennium BC and the first century BC. The ...

(473 BC), which was terminated by a disastrous defeat, in which 3000 Rhegians perished, with the survivors being pursued by the Iapygians up to the very gates of the city. But notwithstanding this blow, shortly after (471 BC) he was still powerful enough to found a new colony, the city of Pyxus, or Buxentum, as it was afterwards called.

Hieron Hiero or hieron (; , "holy place" or "sacred place") is an ancient Greek shrine, temple, or temple precinct. Hiero may also refer to: People * Hiero I of Syracuse, tyrant of Syracuse, Sicily from 478 to 467 BC * Hiero II of Syracuse, tyran ...

, tyrant of

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, who had been on friendly terms with Anaxilas but was jealous of Micythus, invited Anaxilas' sons, who were now adults, to his court, urging them to demand that their guardian surrender his sovereign power, as well as an account of his administration. When the young princes returned to Rhegium (467 BC), Micythus immediately complied with their request, and after rendering an exact account of the period of his rule, he resigned his supreme power and departed with all his private wealth to the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

, where he settled at

Tegea Tegea (; ) was a settlement in ancient Arcadia, and it is also a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the Tripoli municipality, of which it is a municipal unit with an area o ...

and resided there for the rest of his life in honour and tranquillity. He is also mentioned by Pausanias (who calls him Smicythus) as having distinguished himself by the number of statues and other offerings that he dedicated at Olympia.

Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...

, VII 170;

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus or Diodorus of Sicily (; 1st century BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek historian from Sicily. He is known for writing the monumental Universal history (genre), universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty ...

XI 48, 52, 59, 66; Pausanias V 26. §§ 4, 5;

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

VI p. 253;

Macrobius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during late antiquity, the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire, and when Latin was ...

Sat. I 11.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Micythus Ancient Rhegians Ancient Greek monarchs 5th-century BC Greek people Sicilian tyrants Year of birth unknown