Euphaes (Aipytide)

Euphaes ( ancient Greek Εὐφάης ) was, according to Pausanias, a Messenian king from 745 to 732 BC. From the Aipytiden family . He was the successor to his father Antiochus . The First Messenian War broke out under Euphaes .

In 743 BC Under King Alkamenes , son of Teleklos , Spartans took the Messenian mountain town of Ampheia on the border with Sparta and killed its inhabitants. The Spartans established themselves in the fortified city and from here undertook raids into the Messenian plain. In return, the Messenians plundered Spartan cities on the coast. Euphaes then prepared the war and in 739 BC There was the first battle between Messenia and Sparta. Although a year later Euphaes caused a defeat for the Spartans, he had the unprotected small towns evacuated and settled the inhabitants on the Ithome , where there was already a town whose walls he extended. In 732 BC Then the Spartan king Theopompus attacked the fortress on the Ithome and Euphaes fell in battle. Since he had no sons, the Aipytide Aristodemus was chosen as his successor.

The historicity of the literarily embellished events is critically assessed in research and the dates given in Pausanias are considered incorrect and should be set around 40 years later.

source

• Pausanias , travels in Greece 4.5.8-4.10.5

Individual evidence

1. ^ V. Parker: The Dates of the Messenian Wars ; 1991 Chiron 21: 25-47.

literature

• Nino Luraghi : The Ancient Messenians: Constructions of Ethnicity and Memory. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge / New York 2008, ISBN 978-0-521-85587-7 . P. 96f.