Anytus

Anytos (Ἄνυτος, Ánytos) son of Anthemion (Ἀνθεμίων, Anthemíōn) of Euonymon (Εὐώνυμον Euōnymon)

Anytos' father, Anthemíon, started out as a relatively poor Athenian thēs (pl. thētes) and having established himself as a very successful tanner and business man became, in the words of Plato (Meno 90a), Anytus’ “wise and wealthy father.”

Because his family's tannery and shoemaking business proved so successful, Anytos benefitted from considerable wealth and played an active role among other wealthy families who belong to the liturgical class. At the same time, since his wealth came from what Socrates apparently called a “servile occupation” (Xenophon, Apology 29-30), he have avoided the stigma of aristocracy. He played an prominent role in the political affairs of the city, representing his tribe as a member of the boulé in 413/412 and serving as a stratēgós in 409/408. During his term as stratēgós, the Messenian garrison at Pylos was under threat by the Lakedaimonians, so the city sent him with thirty ships to assist them. Pylos held a special significance for the Athenians. In 425, a storm forced an Athenian fleet bound for Sicily to land at Pylos, an uninhabited penninsula on the western coast of the Pelonponnese. At the urging of Demosthenes, who had recently lead a successful coalition of Acarnanians and Amphilochians against a force of Ambraciots, Mantineans, and Peloponnesians, the Athenians built a fort and left Demosthenes with a small force to defend the fortification while the rest of the expedition sailed on to Corcyra. The Spartans tried to dislodge the Athenians with forces they deployed on the mainland and the neighboring island of Sphacteria. The Spartans were unsuccessful. When the Athenian fleet returned, they were eventually able to capture about 120 Spartans and 170 allied troops. This fort had been under Athenian control since then. However, knowing that most of the Athenian forces were in the Hellespont, the Lakedaimonians made a move against Pylos in 409. They began a siege, and the Messenians held out as long as they could hoping for help from Athens. Anytos and the ships encountered bad weather rounding the Peloponnese and never made it, leading to accusations of treason among Anytus' detractors. He successfully defended himself in court, but rumors persisted that he successfully bribed the jury. Anytos strongly opposed the Thirty when they came to power in 404 and went into exile, leaving behind assets, which the Thirty confiscated. He worked closely with Thrasybulus and helped organize the resistance. In the winter of 404/403 Anytus was among a group, coming from Thebes, where he had gone to escape from the Thirty, first established themselves on a hill, known as Phylē, on the southern slope of Mt. Parnes, which forms part of the natural boundary of Attica to the north. The hill takes its name from the neighboring deme of Phylē. The resistence experienced significant success against the Thirty from their base at Phylē. (Xenophon describes this in Hellenica 2.4.1-7.) The resistence then moved to a similarly defensible location, the hill of Munichia, in the Peireus, the main port of Athens and engaged the Thirty again, achieving a victory that led the the men “from the city” to depose the Thirty and establish a new governing board of ten. (See Xenophon, Hellenica 2.4.10-23.) Consequently, in commemoration of the cause, the resistence refered to themselves as those “from the Peiraeus.” At the time of Socrates' trail, Thrasybulus, the leader of the resistence, was more prominent in the political landscape than Anytus, but the presence of the latter among the plaintiffs would have been significant especially for those who fought against the Thirty.

For further reading in the ancient sources about Anytus, consult the following:

Aristotle, Constitution of the Athenians 27.5: Alligation that Anytus bribed the jury in connection with events concerning Pylos

Diodorus Siculus, Library 13.64.6: Anytus’ service as general and subsequent trial

Plutarch, Life of Alcibiades 4.4-5: Alcibiades’ treatment of Anytos