Cresphontes
Family: Dorians · Role: son of Aristomachus · First appears: Book 2 · Chapter 18
In Book 2, Chapter 18, Cresphontes returned to the Peloponnese with his brother Temenus and the other Heraclids, claiming Argos and its kingdom and expelling Tisamenus from Lacedæmon and Argos. He was a son of Aristomachus and among the Heraclids descended from Perseus.
In Book 4, Chapter 3, Cresphontes claimed Messenia, arguing that he was older than Aristodemus, who had recently died. At his request, Temenus settled the claim by lot, and Cresphontes gained possession of Messenia. He was married to Merope, daughter of Cypselus, and they had several children, including the youngest, Æpytus. An insurrection by the wealthy classes killed Cresphontes and all his sons except Æpytus.
Later, in Book 4, Chapter 30, Cresphontes assigned Abia several honours and renamed the town Ire after her. In Book 8, during the reign of Cypselus, Cypselus gave his daughter in marriage to Cresphontes, “and thus won him over to his interests.”
Relationship record
Life events
- The Heraclidæ returned, claimed Argos, and expelled Tisamenus from Lacedæmon and Argos.(Book 2 · Chapter 18 · 📍 Peloponnese)
- Cresphontes gains possession of Messenia after the lots favor him.(Book 4 · Chapter 3 · 📍 Messenia)
- With: Temenus Aristodemus (father of Procles)
- “so that Cresphontes (for his lot came out) got possession in this way of Messenia.”
- An insurrection kills Cresphontes and all his sons except Æpytus.(Book 4 · Chapter 3)
- With: Æpytus (son of Cresphontes)
- “the wealthy classes rose up in insurrection against him and killed him and all his sons except Æpytus”
- Cresphontes renamed Ire Abia and assigned Abia several honors.(Book 4 · Chapter 30 · 📍 Ire)
- With: Abia
- “Cresphontes afterwards assigned her several honours, and changed the name of the town to her name Abia.”
- Cypselus married his daughter to Cresphontes, winning him over to Arcadian interests.(Book 8 · Chapter 5)
- With: Cypselus
- “And Cypselus, hearing of their return, gave his daughter in marriage to Cresphontes, the only unmarried son of Aristomachus, and thus won him over to his interests”
- Cypselus married his daughter to Cresphontes, son of Aristomachus.(Book 8 · Chapter 29 · 📍 Basilis)
- With: Cypselus
- “who married his daughter to Cresphontes the son of Aristomachus.”
Book 2 · Chapter 18
- parent: Aristomachus “Temenus and Cresphontes the sons of Aristomachus”
- siblings with Temenus “Temenus and Cresphontes the sons of Aristomachus”
- rivals with Tisamenus “And they laid claim to Argos and its kingdom on it seems to me the justest grounds”
- with Perseus (interaction) “the Heraclidæ derived from Perseus”
Book 4 · Chapter 3
- married with Merope “the wife of Cresphontes was Merope the daughter of Cypselus”
- child: Æpytus (son of Cresphontes) “by whom he had several children and the name of the youngest was Æpytus”
- rivals with Aristodemus (father of Procles) “Cresphontes asked of them Messenia, on the ground that he was older than Aristodemus, who had just died”
- with Temenus (Cresphontes asked Temenus to decide the succession dispute.) “Cresphontes, for he was determined to have Messenia, begged of Temenus to decide the question by lots”
Book 4 · Chapter 5
- child: Æpytus (son of Cresphontes) “Æpytus the son of Cresphontes was restored by the sons of Aristodemus”
Book 4 · Chapter 16
- with Eumantis (Cresphontes introduced Eumantis's Iamid line into Messene.) “one of the Iamidæ whom Cresphontes had introduced into Messene”
Book 4 · Chapter 30
- with Abia (Cresphontes assigned honours to Abia and renamed the town after her.) “Cresphontes afterwards assigned her several honours, and changed the name of the town to her name Abia”
Book 5 · Chapter 3
- with Oxylus (Cresphontes conjectured that the oracle referred to Oxylus, and the Dorians invited Oxylus to lead them.) “the Dorians invited him to be their leader”
Book 8 · Chapter 5
- parent: Aristomachus “Cresphontes, the only unmarried son of Aristomachus”
- with Cypselus (Cypselus became Cresphontes's father-in-law through his unnamed daughter.) “Cypselus, hearing of their return, gave his daughter in marriage to Cresphontes, the only unmarried son of Aristomachus, and thus won him over to his interests.”
Book 8 · Chapter 29
- with Cypselus (Cypselus is Cresphontes' father-in-law through his daughter.) “whose founder was Cypselus, who married his daughter to Cresphontes the son of Aristomachus.”
- parent: Aristomachus (Aristomachus is the father of Cresphontes.) “Cresphontes the son of Aristomachus.”
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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.