Temenus was one of the most significant figures in Greek legendary history. Although no one can say with certainty whether he truly existed, the actions attributed to him dramatically reshaped the course of Ancient Greece. He led his fellow descendants of Heracles in a successful invasion of the Peloponnese. How did these events unfold, and what else can we learn about Temenus?
The ancestry of Temenus
Temenus belonged to a group known as the Heracleidae, or Heraclids, the descendants of the renowned Heracles, celebrated for his twelve labors. His lineage was distinguished: Temenus was the son of Aristomachus who was the son of Cleodaeus. He, in turn, was the son of Hyllus, who was the son of Heracles.
After the death of Heracles, a powerful king and relative named Eurysthenes expelled Heracles’ children from the Peloponnese. They settled for a time in Doris in Northern Greece, where the Dorians received them. There, Hyllus, the eldest son of Heracles, rose to become an influential ruler.
The Heracleidae launched several attempts to invade and reclaim the Peloponnese, but each campaign ended in failure. As a result, Temenus was raised as a prince in Doris, among the Dorians. The tradition that the Heracleidae had already migrated as far south as Athens before Temenus was born appears to reflect a later development of the legend.
Leading the return of the Heracleidae
When Temenus reached adulthood, he became associated with one of the most consequential episodes in Greek legendary history. According to traditional accounts, he directed the final—and ultimately successful—invasion of the Peloponnese by the descendants of Heracles. This dramatic event permanently reshaped the political landscape of the region, but how did it unfold?
In the most widely preserved version of the story, Temenus consulted the Oracle of Delphi. She had previously told Hyllus that the Heracleidae would return to the Peloponnese after “the third harvest.” Hyllus interpreted this to mean the third year, yet his campaigns ended in failure.
Temenus later realized that the phrase “third harvest” referred not to years but to generations. In other words, the prophecy pointed to the third generation as the one destined to succeed. As a third-generation descendant, Temenus understood that he was meant to lead the Heracleidae back to the Peloponnese in triumph. Joined by the Dorians, they assembled a fleet and launched an attack against the realm of Tisamenus, the grandson of Agamemnon and king of Argos, Mycenae, and Sparta.
Under the leadership of Temenus, the Heracleidae prevailed. Temenus himself assumed the kingship of Argos. His brother Cresphontes was granted Messenia, while their nephews, Eurysthenes and Procles, received Sparta.
The Argive kings descended from Temenus
By securing the successful return of the Heracleidae, Temenus fundamentally reshaped the political order of the Peloponnese. In the generations that followed, much of the region fell under the authority of his descendants or those of his immediate family.
One of the most significant branches of the Temenus line ruled in Argos. According to Diodorus Siculus, the kingship passed from Temenus to his son Cissius, then to Thestius, followed by Merops and Aristodamus, and eventually to Pheidon.
Pheidon became an infamous tyrant of Argos who established a small empire across the Peloponnese in the early sixth century BC. His reign represented a particularly powerful phase in the history of Temenus’ descendants. Pheidon had a son named Lacedas, who was among the suitors of Agariste of Sicyon in the mid-sixth century BC. Lacedas’ son, Metlas, was the last king of Argos to descend from Temenus, thus bringing this branch of the dynasty to its conclusion.
How Temenus led to the kings of Macedon
Although Metlas marked the end of Temenus’ dynasty at Argos, the lineage of Temenus did not disappear. Instead, his descendants continued to rule elsewhere. According to ancient tradition, Temenus became the ancestor of the kings of ancient Macedon. Herodotus, the earliest surviving source to record this account, states that Temenus was the father of three brothers.
Their names were Gauanes, Aeropos, and Perdiccas. While later writers describe them as more distant descendants of Temenus, Herodotus explicitly identifies them as his sons. He relates that the brothers fled the Peloponnese and eventually arrived in the region of Macedon, where Perdiccas rose to become its first king.
This Macedonian royal line endured for many centuries, far outlasting the dynasty established by Temenus at Argos. Its most famous representative was Alexander the Great. Although Temenus himself is generally regarded by modern historians as a highly legendary figure, most scholars accept Perdiccas I as a historical ruler of the late eighth or early seventh century BC.
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