Aristodemos

Family: Spartan · Role: father of Eurysthenes and Procles · First appears: Book 4 · §143–150

In Book 6, Aristodemos was the son of Aristomachos and husband of Argeia. After “no long time,” she gave birth to their twin sons, Eurysthenes and Procles; Aristodemos lived to see them, then died of sickness.

In Book 7, after returning to Lacedemon, Aristodemos was dishonoured by the Spartans, who would neither give him fire nor speak with him, and called him a coward. He repaired the guilt charged against him in the battle at Plataia. In Book 9, he was not honoured because he was believed to have desired death on account of that charge.

Relationship record

Life events

• Argeia gave birth to twin sons, Eurysthenes and Procles.(Book 6 · §50–57)
  • With: Argeia Eurysthenes Procles
  • “Then after no long time the wife of Aristodemos, whose name was Argeia,--she was the daughter, they say, of Autesion, the son of Tisamenes, the son of Thersander, the son of Polyneikes,--she, it is said, brought forth twins;”
• Aristodemos died of sickness after living to see his children.(Book 6 · §50–57)
  • “and Aristodemos lived but to see his children and then ended his life by sickness.”
• Aristodemos returned home and was dishonored by the Spartans.(Book 7 · §225–234 · 📍 Lacedemon)
  • “When Aristodemos, I say, had returned home to Lacedemon, he had reproach and dishonour; and that which he suffered by way of dishonour was this,--no one of the Spartans would either give him light for a fire or speak with him, and he had reproach in that he was called Aristodemos the coward.”
• Aristodemos repaired the guilt charged against him in battle.(Book 7 · §225–234 · 📍 Plataia)
  • “He however in the battle at Plataia repaired all the guilt that was charged against him”
• Aristodemos was not honoured because he was believed to have sought death.(Book 9 · §71–78)
  • “but Aristodemos, since he desired to be slain on account of the before-mentioned charge, was not honoured.”

Book 4 · §143–150

• child: Eurysthenes “the sons of Aristodemos, Eurysthenes and Procles”
• child: Procles “the sons of Aristodemos, Eurysthenes and Procles”

Book 6 · §50–57

• parent: Aristomachos “Aristodemos the son of Aristomachos, the son of Cleodaios,”
• married with Argeia “the wife of Aristodemos, whose name was Argeia,--she was the daughter, they say, of Autesion,”
• child: Eurysthenes “while the other was called Procles. These, when they had grown up, both themselves were at variance, they say, with one another, though they were brothers,”
• child: Procles “while the other was called Procles. These, when they had grown up, both themselves were at variance, they say, with one another, though they were brothers,”

Book 7 · §197–206

• parent: Aristomachos “the Lacedemonian Leonidas son of Anaxandrides, son of Leon, son of Eurycratides, son of Anaxander, son of Eurycrates, son of Polydoros, son of Alcamenes, son of Teleclos, son of Archelaos, son of Hegesilaos, son of Doryssos, son of Leobotes, son of Echestratos, son of Agis, son of Eurysthenes, son of Aristodemos, son of Aristomachos, son of Cleodaios, son of Hyllos, son of Heracles”

Book 7 · §225–234

• with Leonidas (Leonidas dismissed him from the camp.) “who, if they had made agreement with one another, might either have come safe home to Sparta together (seeing that they had been dismissed from the camp by Leonidas and were lying at Alpenoi with disease of the eyes, suffering extremely)”

Book 8 · §130–136

• with Leotychides (son of Anaxilaos) (Aristodemos is Leotychides's ancestor.) “the son of Procles, the son of Aristodemos”
• child: Procles “the son of Procles, the son of Aristodemos”
• parent: Aristomachos “the son of Aristodemos, the son of Aristomachos”

Book 9 · §71–78

• with Poseidonios (Aristodemos was ranked ahead of Poseidonios.) “After him the best were Poseidonios and Philokyon and Amompharetos the Spartan.”

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Extracted from the original text of The Histories. Made with Rho MD.