Eumelus
Family: Bacchidae · Role: poet and historian · First appears: Book 2 · Chapter 1
Eumelus was the son of Amphilytus and belonged to the Bacchidae. In the time of Phintas, a hymn by Eumelus was used for the Messenians’ procession to Apollo at Delos; Pausanias calls its surviving lines the only genuine ones of his. His poems also described the tombs of Sisyphus and Neleus, though they could not be located from that account.
When Triptolemus came from Attica, Eumelus received corn and instruction from him, then built Aroe. The two also built Anthea, named for Eumelus’s son Antheas. After Triptolemus slept, Antheas yoked his dragons to the chariot and tried to sow corn himself, but died falling from it.
Relationship record
Life events
- Messenians first sent sacrifices and a men’s choir to Apollo at Delos.(Book 4 · Chapter 4 · 📍 Delos)
- Eumelus built Aroe after receiving corn and agricultural instructions from Triptolemus.(Book 7 · Chapter 18 · 📍 Aroe)
- With: Triptolemus
- “And when Triptolemus came from Attica Eumelus received from him corn to sow, and under his instructions built a town called Aroe”
- Eumelus and Triptolemus built Anthea and named it after Antheas.(Book 7 · Chapter 18 · 📍 Anthea)
- With: Triptolemus Antheas
- “And Triptolemus and Eumelus built in common the town Anthea, which they called after him.”
Book 2 · Chapter 1
- parent: Amphilytus “Eumelus the son of Amphilytus of the race called Bacchidæ”
Book 2 · Chapter 2
- with Sisyphus (Eumelus's poems contain an account concerning Sisyphus's tomb.) “But the tombs of Sisyphus and Neleus, (for they say that Neleus came to Corinth, and died there of some disease, and was buried near the Isthmus), no one could find from the account in the poems of Eumelus.”
- with Neleus (Eumelus's poems contain an account concerning Neleus's tomb.) “But the tombs of Sisyphus and Neleus, (for they say that Neleus came to Corinth, and died there of some disease, and was buried near the Isthmus), no one could find from the account in the poems of Eumelus.”
Book 4 · Chapter 4
- with Apollo (Eumelus composed a processional hymn to Apollo.) “And their processional Hymn to the god was composed by Eumelus, and these are considered the only genuine lines of Eumelus.”
Book 7 · Chapter 18
- with Triptolemus (Triptolemus gave Eumelus corn and instructed him.) “And when Triptolemus came from Attica Eumelus received from him corn to sow, and under his instructions built a town called Aroe, which he so called from tilling the soil.”
- child: Antheas (Eumelus is Antheas's father.) “And when Triptolemus had gone to sleep they say Antheas, the son of Eumelus, yoked the dragons to the chariot of Triptolemus, and tried himself to sow corn: but he died by falling out of the chariot.”
- with Triptolemus (They jointly built Anthea.) “And Triptolemus and Eumelus built in common the town Anthea, which they called after him.”
- mentor: Triptolemus (Triptolemus instructed Eumelus.) “And when Triptolemus came from Attica Eumelus received from him corn to sow, and under his instructions built a town called Aroe, which he so called from tilling the soil.”
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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.