In the course of the late seventh and sixth century, when Greece was experiencing rapid social and political changes, many Greek towns were ruled by so-called tyrants or sole rulers. Often, these men were aristocrats who had seized extra powers, sometimes relying on a group of wealthy nouveaux riches. Although the word 'tyrant' sounds very negative to us, this was not the case in ancient Greece.

Periander was the son of Gorgus, the founder of Ambracia (more correctly Ampracia, modern day town of Lefkas), and grandson of Periander tyrant of Corinth. A conspiracy was formed against Periander, the tyrant of Ambracia, because, while drinking with his favorite youth lover, he asked him, "Are you pregnant by me, yet?" and was promptly knifed by his boyfriend. After the expulsion of Gorgus's son, Periander, Ambracia's government developed into a strong democracy.