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Tisamĕnus

Τισαμενός).


1.

A son of Orestes and Hermioné. He was king of Argos, but was deprived of his kingdom when the Heraclidae invaded the Peloponnesus. He was slain in a battle against them, and his tomb was afterwards shown at Helicé, from which place his remains were subsequently removed to Sparta by command of an oracle (Paus. ii.18.5; vii. 1, 3; Apollod. ii.8.2).


2.

An Elean soothsayer, of the family of the Clytiadae. He was assured by the Delphic Oracle that he would be successful in five great conflicts. Supposing this to be a promise of distinction as an athlete, he devoted himself to gymnastic exercises; but the Spartans, understanding the oracle to refer, not to gymnastic, but to military victories, made great offers to Tisamenus to induce him to take with their kings the joint command of their armies. This he refused to do on any terms short of receiving the full franchise of their city, which the Spartans eventually granted. He was present with the Spartans at the battle of Plataea, B.C. 379, which was the first of the five conflicts referred to by the oracle. The second was with the Argives and Tegeans at Tegea; the third, with the Arcadians at Dipaea; the fourth was the Third Messenian War (465-455); and the last was the battle of Tanagra, with the Athenians and their allies, in 457 (Herod.ix. 33-36).

hide References (4 total)
  • Cross-references from this page (4):
    • Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library, 2.8.2
    • Herodotus, Histories, 9.33
    • Pausanias, Description of Greece, 2.18.5
    • Pausanias, Description of Greece, 7.1.3
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