Athens's Thirty Tyrants arrested rich foreign residents for their money, took Polemarchus's 700 shields and 120 slaves, and made him drink hemlock

Cephalus of Syracuse settled in Athens at Pericles's invitation. His sons Polemarchus and Lysias were metics, free foreigners without citizenship, and ran a shield factory in the Piraeus with 120 slaves. In 404 BC Sparta installed the Thirty. Lysias's own speech says two of them, Theognis and Peison, proposed acting against metics who disliked the regime, as a pretext for raising money, because the government needed funds. Peison came for Lysias. Lysias offered a talent for his life. Peison swore by his children to save him, then saw the strongbox and had his men empty it: three talents of silver, 400 Cyzicene staters, 100 darics and four silver cups. Lysias escaped to Megara. The Thirty ordered Polemarchus to drink hemlock without trial. They took 700 shields, silver, gold, bronze, furniture, women's clothing and the 120 slaves. Melobius tore the gold earrings from the ears of Polemarchus's wife. The family owned three houses, and the Thirty let the funeral start from none of them; they refused a cloak for the body, so friends brought one. Lysias paid the exiles 2,000 drachmas, gave 200 shields and hired 302 mercenaries for the return. He was granted citizenship, and it was voided. After democracy returned he prosecuted Eratosthenes, one of the Thirty, for his brother's death. The speech survives; the verdict does not^†.