Hipponicus Ammon

Hipponicus Ammon was a politician and military leader who belonged to one of the wealthiest families in ancient Greece.

Known as the “palaeplutoi”, meaning “old rich men” the members of the Callias-Hipponicus family enjoyed a privilege of carrying a torch at the Eleusinian mysteries reserved only for high ranking families. The fortune that his grandfather amassed thanks to the land speculations during the Solon’s reforms was partially diminished by his father and his passion for racehorses. Hipponicus succeeded to replenish the family fortune, although it is not known how precisely. According to some jelaous gossips, he did that with the treasure taken from a Persian general in 480 BC. However, he passed an enormous fortune to his son, Callias II. His son, also known as “Lakkoploutos”, meaning “wealth from a pit” additionally augmented the family prosperity by silver mining activities, and it is possible that he inherited that enterprise from his father.

About the extent of Hipponicus wealth left a testimony by Andocides who in a speech delivered around 400 BC , can refer to a period “when Athens was mistress of Greece and at the height of her prosperity and Hipponicus was the richest man in Greece.”