Further reading
- Felix J., "Die Attische Königsliste," Klio 3 (1902), 406–439.
Before the establishment of a democracy, the Ancient Greek city-state of Argos was ruled by kings. Most of them are probably mythical or only semi-historical. This list is based on that largely given by Eusebius of Caesarea.
An alternative version supplied by Tatian of the original 17 consecutive kings of Argos includes Apis and Argios between Argos and Triopas.
Inachos, the supposed son of Oceanos and Tethys, is affirmed to have been the founder of this kingdom. He married his sister Melissa, by whom he had two sons, Phoroneus and Aegialeus: he is supposed to be the father of Io, and therefore the Greeks are sometimes called "Inachoi" after him (see also the names of the Greeks).
Argos named the kingdom after himself.
Lynceus means "lynx-eyed".
After the death of Temenos, the royal prerogative began to decrease. To Cisos succeeded Lacidamos, who had little else than the title of king. His son Meltas, impatient of such restraint, endeavored, when it was too late, to restore it to its ancient dignity; but the people were by that time so powerful that, as soon as they discovered his plan, they ended the royal power, converted the government to a democracy, and condemned Meltas to death. [7]
After Meltas, the kingship survived into historical times but rarely had any political power, one exception being the tyrant king Pheidon.
This is the king after the heraaclids fell out.
In Greek mythology, Io was one of the mortal lovers of Zeus. An Argive princess, she was an ancestor of many kings and heroes, such as Perseus, Cadmus, Heracles, Minos, Lynceus, Cepheus, and Danaus. The astronomer Simon Marius named a moon of Jupiter after Io in 1614.
Argos is a city and former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and one of the oldest in Europe. It is the largest city in Argolis and a major center in the same prefecture, having nearly twice the population of the prefectural capital, Nafplio.
In Greek mythology, Lynceus was a king of Argos, succeeding Danaus on the throne.
In Greek mythology, Inachus,Inachos or Inakhos was the first king of Argos after whom a river was called Inachus River, that drains the western margin of the Argive plain.
In Greek mythology, Phoroneus was a culture-hero of the Argolid, fire-bringer, law giver, and primordial king of Argos.
In Greek mythology, Sthenelus was a name attributed to several different individuals:
In Greek mythology, Temenus was a son of Aristomachus and brother of Cresphontes and Aristodemus.
In Greek mythology, Anaxagoras was a king of Argos. He was the son and successor of either King Megapenthes or by the latter's son, King Argeus.
In Greek mythology, the Danaïdes, also Danaides or Danaids, were the fifty daughters of Danaus, king of Libya. In the Metamorphoses, Ovid refers to them as the Belides after their grandfather Belus. They were to marry the 50 sons of Danaus' twin brother Aegyptus, a mythical king of Egypt. In the most common version of the myth, all but one of them killed their husbands on their wedding night and are condemned to spend eternity carrying water in a sieve or perforated device. In the classical tradition, they came to represent the futility of a repetitive task that can never be completed.
Alector refers to more than one person in classical mythology and history:
Cylarabes, or Cylarabos, or Cylasabos, son of Sthenelus, was a mythological king of Argos.
Aegialeus also Aegealeus, Aigialeus, Egialeus, was the elder son of Adrastus, a king of Argos, and either Amphithea or Demonassa.
In Greek mythology, Iasus or Iasius was a king of Argos.
In Greek mythology, Piras was a king of Argos. Otherwise, he was also known as Piren, Peiren, Peiras (Πειράς), Peirasus (Πείρασος) and Piranthus.
In Greek mythology, Phorbas or Phorbaceus was the sixth king of Argos.
In Greek mythology, Triopas or Triops was the seventh king of Argos. Triopas may be an aspect of the Argive Zeus, or may be his human representative.
In Greek mythology, Proetus, the son of Abas, was a king of Argos and Tiryns.
In Greek mythology, Melia was an Oceanid, one of the 3,000 water nymph daughters of the Titans Oceanus and his sister-spouse Tethys. She was the mother of culture hero Phoroneus, and Aegialeus, by her brother Inachus, the river-god of Argos. However, in some accounts, Inachus fathered Phoroneus by an Oceanid nymph named Argia. According to Argive tradition, Phoroneus was the first man, or first inhabitant of Argos, who lived during the time of the Great Flood, associated with Deucalion.
In Greek mythology, Megapenthes was a king of Argos.
In Greek mythology, Pelasgus also known as Gelanor, was an Inachid king of Argos.
