This discontent of the majority of the people made way for the form of government called a tyranny. A tyranny is known as one man who seizes absolute power of the city-states. In Greek civilizations a tyranny is someone who seizes power of the King without proper royal descent. The citizens accepted the change because it provided them with inspiration that was lost during the tensions arising within the oligarchy. (MacLaren, 80) The tyrants of the Greek civilization flourished during the 7th century because of their ability to introduce this new form of governing. The tyrants appealed to the citizens because they displayed themselves as military innovators or entrepreneurs who united their economic dominance into a new form of political power unseen in the past. Many tyrants of the Greek culture, similar to the those of the oligarchy, had incredible wealth. Two idealistic tyrants were Croesus and Polycrates whom were above their fellow people with their extreme amount of wealth. Blinded to their individualistic motives, the Greek people accepted many powers of which the tyrant awarded himself. Tyrants were able to award their friends and punish their enemies in any way they wished, and possessed nearly an unlimited sexual freedom. (McGlew, 26) "To the tyrant his rule is a blessing; to the city it is a curse. And in each case the reason is the same: the tyrant can do what he pleases." (McGlew quoting Connor, 26) Herodotus notes many acts of sexual freedom among tyrants in his works. Periander had relations with his deceased wife while Cambyses participated in incest with his own sister. The philosopher Plato records such acts of sexual freedom when he writes of the tyrant, Gyges, who wore a magical ring. The ring provided him with the power "to take without fear whatever he desires from the agora, go into any house and sleep with whomever he wishes, kill or release from bonds whomever he wants and do other things that gods do to men.
