Codrus

Family: Athens · Role: king · First appears: Book 1 · Chapter 19

Codrus, king of Athens and son of Melanthus, was slain by the Peloponnesians. Book 7 recounts that, after the oracle at Delphi assigned the Athenian kingdom to his eldest son Medon, Nileus and Codrus’s other sons were sent to found a colony.

In the reign of Codrus, he devoted himself according to the oracle, and the Peloponnesian army retreated after hearing of his death. His sons are also named as leaders and colonists among the Ionians: Androclus was appointed king at Ephesus, Cyaretus colonized Myus, and Damasichthon and Promethus usurped the Ionian kingdom. Andræmon, Damasus, Naoclus, and Cleopus are likewise named in accounts of Ionian settlement and rule. The descendants of Codrus included Deœtes, Periclus, and Abartus, accepted as kings by Ionian cities.

Relationship record

Life events

• Codrus was slain by the Peloponnesians.(Book 1 · Chapter 19)
  • “The place is also shewn where the Peloponnesians slew Codrus, the son of Melanthus, the king of Athens.”
• The oracle assigned Athens’ kingdom to Medon, sending Nileus and Codrus’s other sons to found a colony.(Book 7 · Chapter 2 · 📍 Delphi)
  • With: Medon (son of Codrus) Nileus
  • “But as they decided to submit the matter to the oracle at Delphi, the Pythian Priestess assigned the kingdom to Medon. So Nileus and the other sons of Codrus were sent on a colony”
• Codrus died after devoting himself according to the oracle, causing the Peloponnesian army to retreat.(Book 7 · Chapter 25 · 📍 Athens)
  • “All the rest of the Peloponnesian army retired from Attica, when they heard of the death of Codrus and the circumstances attending it. For they did not any longer expect victory, as Codrus had devoted himself in accordance with the oracle at Delphi.”

Book 1 · Chapter 19

• parent: Melanthus “The place is also shewn where the Peloponnesians slew Codrus, the son of Melanthus, the king of Athens.”

Book 7 · Chapter 2

• child: Medon (son of Codrus) “And not many years afterwards Medon and Nileus, the eldest sons of Codrus, quarrelled as to who should be king over the Athenians”
• child: Nileus “And not many years afterwards Medon and Nileus, the eldest sons of Codrus, quarrelled as to who should be king over the Athenians”
• child: Androclus “And Androclus the son of Codrus, who was appointed king of the Ionians that sailed to Ephesus”
• child: Cyaretus “Cyaretus the son of Codrus colonized Myus”

Book 7 · Chapter 3

• child: Damasichthon “The kingdom over the Ionians was usurped by their leaders Damasichthon and Promethus the sons of Codrus.”
• child: Promethus “The kingdom over the Ionians was usurped by their leaders Damasichthon and Promethus the sons of Codrus.”
• child: Andræmon “Originally it was inhabited by the Carians, till Andræmon, the son of Codrus, and the Ionians drove them out.”
• child: Damasus “the former under Damasus and Naoclus the sons of Codrus”
• child: Naoclus “the former under Damasus and Naoclus the sons of Codrus”
• child: Cleopus “Cleopus the son of Codrus gathered together from all the towns in Ionia various people”
• younger kin: Deœtes (Deœtes is included among the kings received as descendants of Codrus.) “And as the Ionians would not receive them into the Pan-Ionic confederacy unless they received kings from the descendants of Codrus, they accepted from Erythræ and Teos Deœtes and Periclus and Abartus.”
• younger kin: Periclus (Periclus is included among the kings received as descendants of Codrus.) “And as the Ionians would not receive them into the Pan-Ionic confederacy unless they received kings from the descendants of Codrus, they accepted from Erythræ and Teos Deœtes and Periclus and Abartus.”
• younger kin: Abartus (Abartus is included among the kings received as descendants of Codrus.) “And as the Ionians would not receive them into the Pan-Ionic confederacy unless they received kings from the descendants of Codrus, they accepted from Erythræ and Teos Deœtes and Periclus and Abartus.”

Book 7 · Chapter 25

• parent: Melanthus “This the Greeks remembered when the Peloponnesians came to Athens, in the reign of Codrus the son of Melanthus.”

Book 8 · Chapter 52

• parent: Melanthus “Codrus the son of Melanthus”

Book 10 · Chapter 10

• parent: Melanthus “Codrus the son of Melanthus”

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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.