PHEIDON (king of Argos)
Figure of myth · king of Argos, son of Aristodamidas
- Parents
- Aristodamidas
- Children
- Leocedes
- In the sources
- 8 ancient passages
Pheidon, son of Aristodamidas and tenth descendant of Temenus, ruled Argos as a tyrant.1,2 He was considered the most powerful prince of his age and the most overbearing tyrant among the Greeks.3,1 His arrogance exceeded that of any other Greek individual.2
Pheidon recovered the entire inheritance of Temenus, which had been divided into many portions.1 He deprived the Lacedaemonians of the sovereignty of Peloponnesus, which they previously possessed.1 He attacked cities Heracles had taken and claimed the games Heracles established.1 He forcibly entered Eleian territory to celebrate the Olympic games, holding them jointly with the people of Pisa during the eighth festival.2,1,3
Accounts differ on the origin of weights and measures; while Pheidon is credited with inventing the Pheidonian system, Gellius attributes them to Palamedes.2,4 According to Ephorus, Pheidon was the first to strike silver as money, a practice confirmed by his stamping of silver coinage.5,1 Pheidon swore an oath while making drink-offerings in his house, and he sent the speaker away on a Thesprotian ship bound for Dulichium.6,7
The Eleians and Lacedaemonians joined forces and succeeded in overthrowing Pheidon.1 His son Leocedes, who came from the Peloponnese, discovered the speaker near death from cold and fatigue.2,8
The codex facts behind this entry
In the myths
He invented the weights and measures known as Pheidonian. Herodotus 6.127.3 +2 Pheidon swore an oath while making drink-offerings in his house. Odyssey 14 ¶17 +1 Pheidon forcibly entered Eleian territory to celebrate the Olympic games. Herodotus 6.127.3 +1
