Zethus
Family: Thebes · Role: king · First appears: Book 2 · Chapter 6
Near Eleutheræ, while being conducted to Thebes, Antiope gave birth to Zethus and Amphion. The account says she was pregnant by Zeus and Epopeus.
By Book 9, Zethus and Amphion invaded the country with a band of men and defeated Lycus, and they called the place Thebes in relation to Thebe. Another account names Neis as Zethus’s son. Zethus and Amphion were buried beneath a low mound at Thebes.
Relationship record
Life events
- Antiope gave birth to Zethus and Amphion near Eleutheræ.(Book 2 · Chapter 6 · 📍 Eleutheræ)
- With: Antiope Amphion
- “And she, as she was being conducted to Thebes, gave birth to a child on the road near Eleutheræ. And it is in reference to this event that Asius the son of Amphiptolemus has written the lines, ‘Antiope, the daughter of the deep-eddying river Asopus, bare Zethus and divine Amphion, being pregnant both by Zeus, and Epopeus shepherd of his people.’”
Book 2 · Chapter 6
- parent: Antiope “Antiope, the daughter of the deep-eddying river Asopus, bare Zethus and divine Amphion”
- parent: Zeus “Antiope, the daughter of the deep-eddying river Asopus, bare Zethus and divine Amphion, being pregnant both by Zeus, and Epopeus shepherd of his people.”
- parent: Epopeus “Antiope, the daughter of the deep-eddying river Asopus, bare Zethus and divine Amphion, being pregnant both by Zeus, and Epopeus shepherd of his people.”
Book 9 · Chapter 5
- siblings with Amphion (The chapter later refers to both as ruling together, implying the traditional sibling pair.) “Amphion and Zethus invaded the country with a band of men”
- parent: Antiope (Zethus is one of the sons of Antiope.) “Lycus was defeated in battle by the sons of Antiope”
- with Lycus (defeated in battle) “Lycus was defeated in battle by the sons of Antiope.”
- with Thebe (interaction) “and called it Thebes from their relationship to Thebe.”
Book 9 · Chapter 8
- siblings with Amphion “Another account is that Zethus the brother of Amphion had a son called Neis”
- child: Neis “Another account is that Zethus the brother of Amphion had a son called Neis”
Book 9 · Chapter 17
- with Amphion (They share a sepulchre.) “A mound of earth not very high is the sepulchre of Zethus and Amphion.”
- with Amphion (They share a sepulchre.) “A mound of earth not very high is the sepulchre of Zethus and Amphion.”
Book 10 · Chapter 32
- with Bacis (Bacis gave an oracle concerning Zethus's tomb.) “I also gave the oracle of Bacis both about this tomb and that of Zethus and Amphion at Thebes”
- with Amphion (They share a tomb at Thebes.) “that of Zethus and Amphion at Thebes”
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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.