Argead dynasty
Encyclopedia
The Argead dynasty was an ancient Greek
royal house. They were the ruling dynasty of Macedonia from about 700 to 310 BC
. Their tradition, as described in ancient Greek historiography, traced their origins to Argos
, in southern Greece
(hence the name Argeads). Initially, the rulers of the homonymous tribe, by the time of Philip II they had expanded their reign further, to include under the rule of Macedonia all Upper Macedonia
n states. The family's most celebrated members were Philip II of Macedonia and Alexander the Great, under whose leadership, the kingdom of Macedonia gradually gained predominance throughout Greece, defeated the Achaemenid Empire
and expanded as far as Egypt
and India
.
The Argeads claimed descent from the Temenids of Argos, in the Peloponnese
, whose legendary ancestor was Temenus
, the great-great-grandson of Heracles
. In the excavations of the royal Palace at Aegae
Manolis Andronikos discovered in the "tholos" room (according to some scholars "tholos" was the throne room) an inscription relating to that belief. This is testified by Herodotus
, in The Histories
, where he mentions that three brothers of the lineage of Temenus, Gauanes
, Aeropus
and Perdiccas
, fled from Argos to the Illyrians
and then to Upper Macedonia
, to a town called Lebaea, where they served the king. The latter asked them to leave his territory, believing in an omen that something great would happen to Perdiccas. The boys went to another part of Macedonia
, near the garden of Midas
, above which mount Bermio stands. There they made their abode and gradually formed their own kingdom. Herodotus also relates the incident of the participation of Alexander I of Macedon
in the Olympic Games in 504 or 500 BC where the participation of the Macedonian king was contested by participants on the grounds that he was not Greek. The Hellanodikai
, however, after examining his Argead claim confirmed that the Macedonians were in fact Greek and allowed him to participate.
According to Thucydides
, in the History of the Peloponnesian War
, the Argeads were originally Temenids from Argos, who descended from the highlands to Lower Macedonia, expelled the Pierians from Pieria and acquired in Paionia
a narrow strip along the river Axios
extending to Pella
and the sea. They also added Mygdonia in their territory by the expulsion of the Edoni
, Eordaea
and Almopia expelling the Eordians and Almopians respectively.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
royal house. They were the ruling dynasty of Macedonia from about 700 to 310 BC
310 BC
Year 310 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rullianus and Censorinus...
. Their tradition, as described in ancient Greek historiography, traced their origins to Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
, in southern Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(hence the name Argeads). Initially, the rulers of the homonymous tribe, by the time of Philip II they had expanded their reign further, to include under the rule of Macedonia all Upper Macedonia
Upper Macedonia
Upper Macedonia is a geographical and tribal term to describe the regions that became part of the kingdom of Macedon in the early 4th century BC. From that date, its inhabitants were politically equal to Lower Macedonians...
n states. The family's most celebrated members were Philip II of Macedonia and Alexander the Great, under whose leadership, the kingdom of Macedonia gradually gained predominance throughout Greece, defeated the Achaemenid Empire
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
and expanded as far as Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Origin
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
, whose legendary ancestor was Temenus
Temenus
In Greek mythology, Temenus was a son of Aristomachus and brother of Cresphontes and Aristodemus. He was a great-great-grandson of Heracles and helped lead the fifth and final attack on Mycenae in the Peloponnese. He became King of Argos. He was the father of Ceisus, Káranos, Phalces, Agraeus,...
, the great-great-grandson of Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
. In the excavations of the royal Palace at Aegae
Vergina
Vergina is a small town in northern Greece, located in the peripheral unit of Imathia, Central Macedonia. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Veroia, of which it is a municipal unit...
Manolis Andronikos discovered in the "tholos" room (according to some scholars "tholos" was the throne room) an inscription relating to that belief. This is testified by Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
, in The Histories
Histories (Herodotus)
The Histories of Herodotus is considered one of the seminal works of history in Western literature. Written from the 450s to the 420s BC in the Ionic dialect of classical Greek, The Histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that...
, where he mentions that three brothers of the lineage of Temenus, Gauanes
Gauanes
Gauanes was the brother of Aeropus and Perdiccas I of Macedon, as Herodotus narrates. According to N. G. L. Hammond: Gauanes may be a dialectal version of Gaianes, because one finds Auos as a variant of Aias and Parauaians, the ones who live by the Aoos river. Gaianes seems related to Aianos, the...
, Aeropus
Aeropus
Aeropus may refer to:*Aeropus, brother of Perdiccas I, who was the first king of Macedonia of the family of Temenus*Aeropus I of Macedon, King of Macedon, 602 BC–576 BC*Aeropus II of Macedon, King of Macedon, 399 BC–393 BC...
and Perdiccas
Perdiccas I of Macedon
.Perdiccas I was king of Macedon from about 700 BC to about 678 BC. Herodotus stated:-References:...
, fled from Argos to the Illyrians
Illyrians
The Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...
and then to Upper Macedonia
Upper Macedonia
Upper Macedonia is a geographical and tribal term to describe the regions that became part of the kingdom of Macedon in the early 4th century BC. From that date, its inhabitants were politically equal to Lower Macedonians...
, to a town called Lebaea, where they served the king. The latter asked them to leave his territory, believing in an omen that something great would happen to Perdiccas. The boys went to another part of Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
, near the garden of Midas
Midas
For the legend of Gordias, a person who was taken by the people and made King, in obedience to the command of the oracle, see Gordias.Midas or King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold. This was called the Golden touch, or the...
, above which mount Bermio stands. There they made their abode and gradually formed their own kingdom. Herodotus also relates the incident of the participation of Alexander I of Macedon
Alexander I of Macedon
- Biography :Alexander was the son of Amyntas I and Queen Eurydice.According to Herodotus, he was unfriendly to Persia, and had the envoys of Darius I killed when they arrived at the court of his father during the Ionian Revolt...
in the Olympic Games in 504 or 500 BC where the participation of the Macedonian king was contested by participants on the grounds that he was not Greek. The Hellanodikai
Hellanodikai
The Hellanodikai were the judges of the Ancient Olympic Games, and the success of the games are attributed to their efforts. It was their sacred duty to maintain the standards and legacy of the games, as well as uphold the rules...
, however, after examining his Argead claim confirmed that the Macedonians were in fact Greek and allowed him to participate.
According to Thucydides
Thucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
, in the History of the Peloponnesian War
History of the Peloponnesian War
The History of the Peloponnesian War is an account of the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece, fought between the Peloponnesian League and the Delian League . It was written by Thucydides, an Athenian general who served in the war. It is widely considered a classic and regarded as one of the...
, the Argeads were originally Temenids from Argos, who descended from the highlands to Lower Macedonia, expelled the Pierians from Pieria and acquired in Paionia
Paionia
In ancient geography, Paeonia or Paionia was the land of the Paeonians . The exact original boundaries of Paeonia, like the early history of its inhabitants, are very obscure, but it is believed that they lay in the region of Thrace...
a narrow strip along the river Axios
Vardar
The Vardar or Axios is the longest and major river in the Republic of Macedonia and also a major river of Greece. It is long, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of river is ....
extending to Pella
Pella
Pella , an ancient Greek city located in Pella Prefecture of Macedonia in Greece, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia.-Etymology:...
and the sea. They also added Mygdonia in their territory by the expulsion of the Edoni
Edoni
The Edoni were a Thracian people who dwelt mostly between the Nestus and the Strymon rivers in southern Thrace, but also once dwelt west of the Strymon at least as far as the Axios. They inhabited the region of Mygdonia before the Macedonians drove them out...
, Eordaea
Eordaea
This article is based on the article Eordea Province on the English Wikipedia, accessed on 13 September 2011.Eordeae was an ancient kingdom and later administrative unit of Ancient Macedonia...
and Almopia expelling the Eordians and Almopians respectively.
Monarchs
- KaranusKaranus of MacedonCaranus or Karanus was the first king of ancient Macedon according to later traditions. According to Herodotus the first king was Perdicas. King Karanus is first reported by Theopompus. - Myth :...
808-778 BCE - Koinos 778-750 BCE
- TyrimmasTyrimmas of MacedonTyrimmas was an Argead King of Macedon from about 750 BC to 700 BC.In the "History of The World", Sir Walter Raleigh states that Caranus, leading a colony into Macedon, observed a herd of goats fleeing a storm and followed them to the Gates of Edessa. Being dark, he entered the city un-noticed and...
750-700 BCE - Perdiccas IPerdiccas I of Macedon.Perdiccas I was king of Macedon from about 700 BC to about 678 BC. Herodotus stated:-References:...
700-678 BCE - Argaeus IArgaeus I of MacedonArgaeus I of Macedon was a king of Macedon of the Argead dynasty from about 678 BC to about 640 BC. He succeeded in the throne his father Perdiccas I. Argaeus left as successor his son Philip I...
678-640 BCE - Philip IPhilip I of MacedonPhilip I of Macedon was one of the early kings of Macedon, a kingdom to the north of ancient Greece. He was a member of the Argead dynasty and son of Argaeus I, becoming king in 640 BC upon his father's death.As king, Philip was noted to be both wise and courageous...
640-602 BCE - Aeropus IAeropus I of MacedonAeropus I of Macedon was the son of Philip I, the great-grandson of Perdiccas I, the first king of Macedon, and the father of Alcetas.- Reign :...
602-576 BCE - Alcetas IAlcetas I of MacedonAlcetas I of Macedon was a son of Aeropus I of Macedon and the 8th king of Μacedon, counting from Karanus, and the 5th, counting from Perdiccas, reigned, according to Eusebius, 29 years...
576-547 BCE - Amyntas IAmyntas I of MacedonAmyntas I was a king of Macedon. He was a son of Alcetas I of Macedon and his queen. He married a woman called Eurydice and had a son Alexander....
547-498 BCE - Alexander IAlexander I of Macedon- Biography :Alexander was the son of Amyntas I and Queen Eurydice.According to Herodotus, he was unfriendly to Persia, and had the envoys of Darius I killed when they arrived at the court of his father during the Ionian Revolt...
498-454 BCE - Perdiccas IIPerdiccas II of MacedonPerdiccas II was a king of Macedonia from about 454 BC to about 413 BC. He was the son of Alexander I and had two brothers.-Background:After the death of Alexander in 452, Macedon began to fall apart. Macedonian tribes became almost completely autonomous, and were only loosely allied to the king...
454-413 BCE - ArchelausArchelaus I of MacedonArchelaus I was a king of Macedon from 413 to 399 BC. He was a capable and beneficent ruler, known for the sweeping changes he made in state administration, the military, and commerce. By the time that he died, Archelaus had succeeded in converting Macedon into a significantly stronger power...
413-399 BCE - OrestesOrestes of MacedonOrestes of Macedon was son of Archelaus and successor king of his murdered father. He reigned between 399-396 BC along with his guardian Aeropus II.-References:*History of the Macedonians Page 43 By Edward Farr 1850...
and Aeropus IIAeropus II of MacedonAeropus II of Macedon , king of Macedon, guardian of Orestes, the son of Archelaus, reigned nearly six years from 399 BC....
399-396 BCE - Archelaus IIArchelaus II of MacedonArchelaus II of Macedon succeeded his father Archelaus I and reigned seven years. He died while out hunting, either by accident or assassination. He was brother of Orestes of Macedon. According to the Chronicon he reigned four years.-References:*History of the World Page 283 By Sir Walter Raleigh,...
396-393 BCE - Amyntas IIAmyntas II of MacedonAmyntas II or Amyntas the Little, king of Macedon, was son of Philip or Menelaus, brother of Perdiccas II. He succeeded his father in his appanage in Upper Macedonia, of which Perdiccas seems to have wished to deprive him, as he had before endeavoured to wrest it from Philip, but had been...
393 BCE - PausaniasPausanias of MacedonPausanias of Macedon , the son and successor of Aeropus II. He was assassinated in the year of his accession by Amyntas III.-References:*Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology...
393 BCE - Amyntas IIIAmyntas III of MacedonAmyntas III son of Arrhidaeus and father of Philip II, was king of Macedon in 393 BC, and again from 392 to 370 BC. He was also a paternal grandfather of Alexander the Great....
393 BCE - Argaeus IIArgaeus II of MacedonArgaeus II of Macedon , was a pretender to the Macedonian crown, who, with the assistance of the Illyrians, expelled King Amyntas III from his dominions in 393 BC and kept possession of the throne for about a year...
393-392 BCE - Amyntas IIIAmyntas III of MacedonAmyntas III son of Arrhidaeus and father of Philip II, was king of Macedon in 393 BC, and again from 392 to 370 BC. He was also a paternal grandfather of Alexander the Great....
(restored) 392-370 BCE - Alexander IIAlexander II of MacedonAlexander II was king of Macedon from 371 – 369 BC, following the death of his father Amyntas VI. He was the eldest of the three sons of Amyntas and Eurydice....
370-368 BCE - Ptolemy I 368-365 BCE
- Perdiccas IIIPerdiccas III of MacedonPerdiccas III was king of Macedonia from 368 to 359 BC, succeeding his brother Alexander II.Son of Amyntas III and Eurydice, he was underage when Alexander II was killed by Ptolemy of Aloros, who then ruled as regent. In 365, Perdiccas killed Ptolemy and assumed government.Of the reign of...
365-359 BCE - Amyntas IVAmyntas IV of MacedonAmyntas IV was a titular king of Macedonia in 359 BC and member of the Argead dynasty.- Biography :Amyntas was a son of King Perdiccas III of Macedon. He was born in about 365 BC. After his father's death in 359 BC he became king, but he was only an infant. Philip II of Macedon, Perdiccas'...
359-356 BCE - Philip IIPhilip II of MacedonPhilip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...
359-336 BCE - Alexander III (the Great) 336-323 BCE
- AntipaterAntipaterAntipater was a Macedonian general and a supporter of kings Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. In 320 BC, he became Regent of all of Alexander's Empire. Antipater was one of the sons of a Macedonian nobleman called Iollas or Iolaus and his family were distant collateral relatives to the...
, Regent of Macedonia 334-323 BCE
- Antipater
- Philip III ArrhidaeusPhilip III of MacedonPhilip III Arrhidaeus was the king of Macedonia from after June 11, 323 BC until his death. He was a son of King Philip II of Macedonia by Philinna of Larissa, allegedly a Thessalian dancer, and a half-brother of Alexander the Great...
323-317 BCE, only titular king - Alexander IVAlexander IV of MacedonAlexander IV Aegus was the son of Alexander the Great and Princess Roxana of Bactria.-Birth:...
323-310 BCE, only titular king- PerdiccasPerdiccasPerdiccas was one of Alexander the Great's generals. After Alexander's death in 323 BC he became regent of all Alexander's empire.Arrian tells us he was son of Orontes, a descendant of the independent princes of the Macedonian province of Orestis...
, Regent of Macedonia 323-321 BCE - AntipaterAntipaterAntipater was a Macedonian general and a supporter of kings Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. In 320 BC, he became Regent of all of Alexander's Empire. Antipater was one of the sons of a Macedonian nobleman called Iollas or Iolaus and his family were distant collateral relatives to the...
, Regent of Macedonia 321-319 BCE - PolyperchonPolyperchonPolyperchon , son of Simmias from Tymphaia in Epirus, was a Macedonian general who served under Philip II and Alexander the Great, accompanying Alexander throughout his long journeys. After the return to Babylon, Polyperchon was sent back to Macedon with Craterus, but had only reached Cilicia by...
, Regent of Macedonia 319-317 BCE - CassanderCassanderCassander , King of Macedonia , was a son of Antipater, and founder of the Antipatrid dynasty...
, Regent of Macedonia 317-306 BCE
- Perdiccas