Pheidon (Argos)

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Pheidon ( Greek  Φείδων ), also Phaidon , the son of Aristodamidas , was king of Argos according to the Greek mythology . After the death of his father, he drove his brother Karanos out of Argos and ascended the throne. He increased the power of Argos and tried to break the power of Corinth by requiring that a thousand youths be sent to war training. He intended to kill these youths in order to considerably weaken the Corinthian army. His plan was caught and the youths were not sent. As a result of meddling in Corinthian affairs, he is said to have died in Corinth.

He is said to have introduced measures and weights for liquids and solids in Argos and to have been the first Greek to put silver coins into circulation , which he had minted on Aegina . When the Pisaier the eighth Olympic Games (748/747 v. Chr.) Instead of the Eleans themselves wanted to align, they called Pheidon to support them. He was considered very violent and is said to have turned the kingdom into a tyranny . Through his intervention, the possession of the Temenos was regained. His son Leokedes was his successor.

Diodor reports that according to the historian Theopompos Pheidon is the father and not the brother of Karanos and gives the following genealogy: Pheidon was the son of Aristodamis, the son of Merops (Argos) , the son of Thestius , the son of Kissios , the son of Temenus , son of Aristomachus , son of Cleodaios , son of Hyllos , son of Heracles .

historicity

Most historians today assume that the Argive ruler Pheidon really existed. However, when he lived is controversial, as the traditions are very different. The Parian Chronicle reports that Pheidon died in 895/894 BC. BC introduced the measures and the coins in Aegina. This was said to have been during the reign of Pherekles , which, however, mostly dates from 863/862 - 844/843 BC Is dated. According to Georgios Synkellos, Karanos, the brother of Pheidon, ascended the throne of Macedonia 18 years before the 1st Olympiad (ie 794/793 BC) .

Pausanias reports on the events during the 8th Olympic Games (748/747 BC). Some historians suspect that there was an error in the transmission of the text of Pausanias and that the 28th Olympic Games (668/667 BC) were originally meant. They argue that Pheidon could only reach Olympia by land if he had the appropriate realm of control. Therefore, they believe that Pheidon led the Argives to the Battle of Hysiai (669/668 BC), in which Argos defeated Sparta , although there is no ancient source to prove this. According to Herodotus, Leokedes, the son of Pheidon, was among the suitors of the daughter of Kleisthenes of Sicyon around 600 BC. However, many scholars suspect that Herodotus confused two people with the same name here.

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Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Pausanias , Reisen in Greece , 6, 22, 2.
  2. ↑ Aristotle : Politics , 5, 10.
  3. ↑ Strabo : Geographica , 8, 3, 33 (p. 358)
  4. ↑ Herodotus , Historien , 6, 127.
  5. ↑ Diodor: Bibliotheca historica , 7, fragment 17.
  6. ^ Parish Chronicle , line 30.
  7. ^ Georgios Synkellos: Chronographie , 234
predecessor Office successor
Aristodamidas King of Argos
8th century BC Chr.
(Fictional chronology) 		Leokedes