Prœtus
Role: king · First appears: Book 2 · Chapter 4
Prœtus, son of Abas, is said to have built a temple of Hera. He and his brother Acrisius divided the kingdom: Acrisius remained at Argos, while Prœtus ruled Heræum, Midea, Tiryns, and the maritime parts of Argolis. They later fought for supremacy, but neither could conquer the other, and they made peace.
Prœtus was the father of Megapenthes and is also named as the father of Mæra. Another account calls Mæra the daughter of Prœtus, the son of Thersander and grandson of Sisyphus. His descendants are identified as Capaneus and Eteoclus.
Relationship record
Life events
- Prœtus builds a temple of Hera.(Book 2 · Chapter 12)
- “They say Prœtus the son of Abas built it.”
- Acrisius and Prœtus divided the kingdom, ruling separate territories.(Book 2 · Chapter 16)
- With: Acrisius
- “And his grandsons, the sons of Abas, divided the kingdom, Acrisius remained at Argos, and Prœtus had Heræum and Midea and Tiryns and all the maritime parts of Argolis:”
- Prœtus and Acrisius fought for supremacy, then made peace after neither could conquer the other.(Book 2 · Chapter 25)
- With: Acrisius
- “Here Prœtus fought with Acrisius for the supremacy, and their contest was they say drawn, and they had a peace afterwards, as neither of them could conquer the other.”
Book 2 · Chapter 4
- with Bellerophon (Prœtus limited Bellerophon's power.) “That Bellerophon was not absolute king at Corinth, but limited in his power by Prœtus and the Argives I am positive, as every one will be who has read Homer carefully.”
Book 2 · Chapter 12
- parent: Abas (son of Lynceus) “They say Prœtus the son of Abas built it.”
- with Hera (Prœtus built the temple of Hera.) “They say Prœtus the son of Abas built it.”
Book 2 · Chapter 16
- parent: Abas (son of Lynceus) “And his grandsons, the sons of Abas, divided the kingdom, Acrisius remained at Argos, and Prœtus had Heræum and Midea and Tiryns and all the maritime parts of Argolis”
- siblings with Acrisius “And his grandsons, the sons of Abas, divided the kingdom, Acrisius remained at Argos, and Prœtus had Heræum and Midea and Tiryns and all the maritime parts of Argolis”
- child: Megapenthes “he persuaded Megapenthes the son of Prœtus to exchange kingdoms with him”
Book 2 · Chapter 25
- rivals with Acrisius (They fought over supremacy.) “Here Prœtus fought with Acrisius for the supremacy, and their contest was they say drawn, and they had a peace afterwards, as neither of them could conquer the other.”
Book 10 · Chapter 10
- with Capaneus (ancestor-descendant) “the descendants of Prœtus, (Capaneus the son of Hipponous, and Eteoclus the son of Iphis)”
- with Eteoclus (ancestor-descendant) “the descendants of Prœtus, (Capaneus the son of Hipponous, and Eteoclus the son of Iphis)”
Book 10 · Chapter 30
- child: Mæra “in The Return from Ilium she is said to have died a virgin, and to have been the daughter of Prœtus”
- parent: Thersander (son of Sisyphus) “the daughter of Prœtus, the son of Thersander and grandson of Sisyphus”
- with Sisyphus (interaction) “the son of Thersander and grandson of Sisyphus”
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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.