Читать книгу The Herodotus Encyclopedia - Группа авторов - Страница 354

CHRISTOPHER BARON

University of Notre Dame

Mythical, a grandson of PERSEUS. Amphitryon married his cousin ALCMENE, but she refused to consummate the MARRIAGE until he avenged her brothers’ deaths at the hands of the TELEBOANS (Apollod. Bibl. 2.4.6–7). On the night before Amphitryon’s return from completing his mission, ZEUS appeared to Alcmene disguised as Amphitryon; she then gave birth to HERACLES (and, in some accounts, a fully mortal twin, Iphicles: Gantz, EGM 374–78). However, Herodotus refers to Heracles consistently as the son of Amphitryon, not Zeus (2.43.2, 44.4, 146.1; 6.53.2).

Herodotus employs the fact that Perseus was of Egyptian descent (2.91.5) in his argument that the Greeks took the name of Heracles from the Egyptians, rather than vice versa (2.43.2). He also quotes an INSCRIPTION in “Cadmeian letters” on a TRIPOD claiming to have been dedicated by Amphitryon in the temple of Ismenian APOLLO at Boeotian THEBES after his destruction of the Teleboans (5.59). Herodotus notes that this would be contemporary with LAÏUS (the father of OEDIPUS); other sources relate that Amphitryon sought purification from Creon (Laïus’ brother‐in‐law) at Thebes after he accidentally killed his uncle (and father‐in‐law) Electryon. A supposed tomb of Amphitryon at Thebes is mentioned by PINDAR (Nem. 4.19–22).

SEE ALSO: Chronology; Dedications; Myth; Proof; Writing