- Tisamenus
Tisamenus in
Greek mythology , was a son of Orestes and Hermione. He succeeded his father to the thrones ofArgos ,Mycenae andSparta and was later killed in the final battle with theHeracleidae . The latter were led byAristodemus ,Cresphontes ,Oxylus ,Temenus and sought to retake thePeloponnese as their ancestral land. Following his death the victors divided his lands among them. Cresphontes became King ofMessene ,Oxylus ofElis and Temenus of Argos. Aristodemus was killed during the final battle but his twin sonsEurysthenes andProcles jointly received the throne of Sparta. The historicalKings of Sparta belonged to the co-ruling houses of Agidae and Eyripontae and claimed their respective descent from the brothers.A second Tisamenus, the son of
Antiochus , is mentioned in book 9 of "The History" byHerodotus . This Tisamenus was a soothsayer for the Greek army during the Persian War. ADelphic oracle had foretold that he would win five great battles, and so the Spartans wished to hire him. Although he was fromElea , he and his brother were made citizens ofSparta as part of the deal. They were the only foreign men this privilege had ever been bestowed upon.Tisamenus is also the name of a king of Thebes, son of
Thersander andDemonassa , the daughter ofAmphiaraus . When Thersander died onMysia in theTrojan War ,Peneleus acted as regent for Tisamenus until he came of age. Little is known about his rule. He was succeeded by his sonAutesion . [Pausanius. "Description of Greece", 9.5.15.]References
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