Anytus

Anytus (/ˈænɪtəs/; Greek: Ἄνυτος Ánytos; c. 5th–4th century BCE), son of Anthemion, was an ancient Athenian politician. He served as a general in the Peloponnesian War, and was later a leading supporter of the democratic movements in Athens opposed to the oligarchic forces behind the Thirty Tyrants.

He is best remembered as one of the prosecutors of the philosopher Socrates, and is depicted as an interlocutor in Plato's Meno.

Life

Political career

Anytus came from a family of tanners, successful from the time of his grandfather. He was a powerful, upper-class politician in ancient Athens, one of the nouveaux riches. While a general in the Peloponnesian War, he lost Pylos to the Spartans and was charged with treason. According to the Constitution of the Athenians associated with Aristotle, he was later acquitted by bribing the jury. Anytus later won favour by playing a major role in the overthrow of the Thirty Tyrants. In 403 BCE, he supported the amnesty of Eucleides, which prohibited the punishment of anyone who committed a crime before or during the time of the Thirty Tyrants.