Making History

The statue of the tyrant killers Harmodius and Aristogeiton was erected in the 5th century BC as a memorial to the victory of democracy over tyranny on the Agora of Athens. The motif was also adopted on Greek vases and coins. Historian Vincent Azoulay explains how the depiction of the tyrant killers has evolved over the centuries, culminating in the most controversial of all contemporary monumental sculptures.