Pittacus (650?–570? B.C.), a Greek statesman who was called one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece. He was a native of Mytilene, on the island of Lesbos. About 589 B.C. the people made Pittacus dictator for 10 years. He exiled the aristocrats, including the poets Alcaeus and Sappho, and restored domestic peace. After 10 years Pittacus recalled the exiles and retired. He was noted for such proverbs as: “Even the gods do not fight against necessity."