Damocles, a 4th Century BCE, Greek courtier to Dionysius the Elder, tyrant of Syracuse, forced to sit at a banquet table under a sword suspended by a single hair to demonstrate the precariousness of a king's fortunes. According to the legend, when Damocles spoke in extravagant terms of his sovereign’s happiness, Dionysius invited him to a sumptuous banquet and seated him beneath a naked sword that was suspended from the ceiling by a single thread. Thus did the tyrant demonstrate that the fortunes of men who hold power are as precarious as the predicament in which he had placed his guest.

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Size: 3492px × 3516px
Location: Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
Photo credit: © De Luan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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