
Hippias the Vivacious (died 431 BC) was the Athenian representative of Megaris during the Peloponnesian War. He was assassinated by the Spartans while relaxing at a tent outside the Megara city walls during the Siege of Megaris in 431 BC.
Biography[]
Hippias the Vivacious grew up poor and with friends, but he was known to be an opportunist, and he decided that he would rather be rich and lonely. He became the pro-Athenian leader of the Attican city-state of Megaris prior to the Peloponnesian War, when Sparta laid siege to his city-state. Hippias was a devious man, sending assassins to murder Odessa of Megaris' suitor and to murder her with the goal of securing her family's inheritance (she was a descendant of the renowned King Odysseus). He also hired the mercenary Alexandra the Ravager to hunt down the Spartan mercenary Kassandra, who was leading the sabotage campaign against Megaris.
Assassination[]

Hippias' death
Despite Megaris being besieged by the Spartans and several Athenian soldiers being murdered behind Athenian lines by Kassandra, Hippias decided to spend his time outside the city walls in a tent on the road from Megara to the port at Nisaia. Hippias was under heavy guard, and the mercenary Alexandra was on the move nearby with her dog, searching for any trace of Kassandra. Kassandra hid across the road in some bushes and occasionally fired arrows at Hippias' guards, panicking them and forcing them and Hippias to move around. Kassandra took advantage of their transformation into a frantic search party to cross the road and reach some bushes near Hippias' tent. By the time that Hippias and his entourage had returned to the tent, Kassandra was behind the guards, who were facing the road. Kassandra slowly sneaked into the tent and proceeded to stab Hippias dead with a dagger as he reposed on the ground, and she then fled to the Spartan siege lines, having struck a severe blow to the Athenian cause.