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AGAMEMNON (Ἀγαμέμνων, ὁ)

VASILIKI ZALI

University of Liverpool

In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the king of ARGOS or MYCENAE, son of ATREUS (or of his son Pleisthenes) and Aerope, brother of MENELAUS, husband of Clytemnestra and father of ORESTES (1.67.2), IPHIGENEIA (4.103.2, or Iphianassa), Electra (Laodice), and Chrysothemis. In Homeric EPIC he is the leader of the Greek forces in the TROJAN WAR and contributes the greatest fleet (Il. 2.569–80). He was murdered by Aegisthus, Clytemnestra’s lover, upon his return from TROY, and his death was avenged by his son Orestes (Od. 3.248–312). Agamemnon’s MYTH was very popular especially with the Athenian tragedians, who added their own variations to the story. In historical times, Agamemnon was held to be the king of SPARTA and had his own cult. His tomb was allegedly located in Spartan Amyclae (Paus. 3.19.6). Already from the sixth century BCE Sparta forged bonds with Agamemnon in an attempt to justify leadership of the PELOPONNESE and Greece. Herodotus (7.159) testifies to this tendency when he has SYAGRUS, the Spartan envoy sent to GELON of SYRACUSE to ask for help against PERSIA in 480, use Agamemnon as an argument to claim Spartan leadership of the Greek forces.