Periander (7th century BCE - 585 BCE), Greek tyrant and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Periander ruled in the city of Corinth. He oversaw the upgrading of the port there and the construction of a ramp across the Isthmus of Corinth. This was used to drag ships across, using horse-drawn wheeled carriages, a short cut avoiding the long voyage around the Peloponnese islands.. In some ways this could be considered the first form of railway. The revenues were so large that he was able to abolish tax in Corinth. However, Periander was ruthless in protecting his power, killing or banishing anyone who could possibly usurp him. This engraving first appeared in The History of Philosophy by Thomas Stanley, published in London in 1656.