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{{Short description|Name of several men of ancient Athens}}
'''Megacles''' or '''Megakles''' ({{langx|grc|Μεγακλῆς}}) was the name of several notable men of ancient [[Athens]], as well as an [[Megacles of Epirus|officer]] of [[Pyrrhus of Epirus]].

== First archon ==
The first Megacles was possibly a legendary [[archon of Athens]] from 922 BC to 892 BC.

==Archon eponymous==
The second Megacles was a member of the [[Alcmaeonidae]] family, and the [[Archons of Athens|archon eponymous]] in 632 BC when [[Cylon (ancient Athenian)|Cylon]] made his unsuccessful attempt to take over Athens. Megacles was convicted of killing Cylon's supporters (who had taken refuge on the [[Acropolis, Athens|Acropolis]] as suppliants of [[Athena]]) and was exiled from the city, along with all the other members of his [[genos]], the Alcmaeonidae. The Alcmaeonidae inherited a ''[[Miasma (Greek mythology)|miasma]]'' ("stain") that lasted for generations among Megacles' descendants.

== Alcmaeonidae ==
The third Megacles, the grandson of the above eponymous archon, son of [[Alcmaeon, son of Megacles|Alcmaeon]] and member of the [[Alcmaeonidae]] family, was an opponent of [[Peisistratos (Athens)|Pisistratus]] in the 6th century BC. He drove out Pisistratus during the latter's first reign as [[tyrant]] in 560 BC, but the two then made an alliance with each other, and Pisistratus married Megacles' daughter. [[Herodotus]] says that they also tricked the Athenians into believing Athena herself had arrived to proclaim Pisistratus tyrant, by dressing up a woman named [[Phye]] as the goddess, although Herodotus himself casts doubt on the truth of this story.<ref>Herodotus 1.60</ref> However, Megacles turned against Pisistratus when Pisistratus refused to have children with Megacles' daughter, which brought an end to the second tyranny.<ref>Herodotus 1.61</ref>

This Megacles earlier had competed with [[Hippocleides]], a future [[archon]] of Athens, to marry [[Agariste of Sicyon|Agarista]], the daughter of [[Cleisthenes of Sicyon]]. They had two sons.  The elder was [[Hippocrates the elder|Hippocrates]], whose children were another Megacles (ostracized 486 BC) and a daughter Agariste, the mother of [[Pericles]] and [[Ariphron]] (himself the father of [[Hippocrates of Athens]] who died 424 BC). The younger son was [[Cleisthenes]], who was allegedly the grandfather of [[Deinomache]] (or Dinomache), mother of [[Alcibiades]] (d. 404 BC). Thus, Megacles the elder was great-grandfather of [[Pericles]] and the great-great-grandfather of [[Alcibiades]].

==Battle of Marathon==
The fourth Megacles, grandson of the above, son of Hippocrates, and nephew of [[Cleisthenes]] is sometimes described as the father of [[Deinomache]] and thus the maternal grandfather of [[Alcibiades]]. Other sources, notably [[William Smith (lexicographer)|William Smith]], insist that his uncle [[Cleisthenes]] was the grandfather of Alcibiades.

In 490 BC, in the aftermath of the [[Battle of Marathon]], a shield-signal was raised on [[Penteliko Mountain|Mount Pentelicon]] above Marathon supposedly to signal the Persians to sail around [[Cape Sounion]] and attack the unguarded city of Athens. [[Herodotus]] reports that the Alcmaeonidae were widely believed to have been behind this act of treachery.<ref>Herodotus 6.124</ref> With Megacles being the leading figure of the Alcmaeonid clan at the time, a lingering suspicion of [[medism]] hung over him.
[[File:Ostraka_against_Megacles.jpg|thumb|200px|Ostraka against Megacles]]
In 486 BC, Megacles was [[ostracism|ostracised]]. Numerous [[ostraca]] have been found with comments on them making reference to his ostentatious wealth and love of luxury.<ref>Exile, ostracism, and democracy: the politics of expulsion in ancient Greece - Sara Forsdyke (Princeton University Press), 2005 - pg 155</ref>

He was honored by [[Pindar]] as exiled winner in the chariot race of [[Pythian Games]] 486 BC.<ref>Pythian eleven By Pindar, Patrick Finglass Page 25 </ref>

== Megacles of Epirus ==
{{main|Megacles of Epirus}}
Megacles of Epirus was an officer in the service of [[Pyrrhus of Epirus]], who accompanied that monarch on his [[Pyrrhic War|expedition to Italy]], 280 BC. He is mentioned as accompanying Pyrrhus when he reconnoitered the Roman camp previous to the [[battle of Heraclea]]; and in that action was the means of saving the king's life, by exchanging armour with him, and thus directing the efforts of the assailants upon himself, instead of Pyrrhus. He fell a victim to his devotion, being slain by a Roman named [[Publius Decius Mus (consul 279 BC)|Publius Decius Mus]].

==Bibliography==
* Monica Berti, "L’antroponimo Megakles sugli ostraka di Atene. Considerazioni prosopografiche, storiche e istituzionali". ''Minima Epigraphica et Papyrologica'' 5 (2001), pp. 8-69
* Monica Berti, "‘Megakles, non eretrizzare!’ Una nuova proposta di lettura e d’interpretazione di un ostrakon attico". In ''Syggraphé. Materiali e appunti per lo studio della storia e della letteratura antica''. Ed. D. Ambaglio. Como: Edizioni New Press, 2001, pp. 41-57

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{SmithDGRBM|title=Megacles}} (Plut. Pyrrh. 16, 17; Zonar. viii. 3.)

[[Category:890s BC deaths]]
[[Category:Ancient Athenians]]
[[Category:Kings of Athens]]
[[Category:Alcmaeonidae]]
[[Category:Ancient Greeks accused of sacrilege]]
[[Category:Ostracized Athenians]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek chariot racers]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Eponymous archons]]
[[Category:Ancient Epirotes]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek murder victims]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek generals]]
[[Category:Pyrrhic War]]