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Who You Need to Know Part I: The Argives

~ TheNaomiRuth ~ 5 Comments

…also known as The Achaeans and The Dananns, because this is “Greece-Land” where everyone has at least five names because too many people have the same names and so they need nicknames in order to lessen confusion.

The Argives are from many different Greek areas, including some of the Aegean islands. More on geography later.

Main Characters

IANRArAchilles Achilles, son of Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. Momma’s boy. He cries a lot. Leader of the Myrmidons. “Best Friends” with Patroclus.

IANRArAgamemnonAgamemnon, a.k.a. Atrides, King of Mycenae, leader of the Achaean army, brother to Menlaus. Kind of a dick.

IANRArMenelausMenelaus, brother to Agamemnon, cuckold husband to Helen, King of Sparta, definitely not one of the mightiest Achaean warriors, sorry pal. There’s a reason your wife left you.

Odysseus, he cries and he lies, has his own story “The Odyssey” which is long and fairly pointless, he comes off less whiney and pathetic in The Illiad, where he has a best bro, Diomedes, goes off on night spy missions, steals things, and helps mediate between the aggressive, hot-headed, ill-tempered, Achilles and Agamemnon.

Diomedes, a.k.a. Tydides, youngest Achaean commander, friend of Odysseus, a bit impetuous, fears no man nor god, loved by Athena, but Ares and Aphrodite? Not so much. He also goes on night spy missions. I love him.

Supporting Cast

IANRArPatroclus Patroclus, lover “best friend” to Achilles.

IANR.AjaxAeantesThe Great Ajax, also spelled Aias, a.k.a. Telamonian Ajax, Achaean commander, huge and strong, bff is Little Ajax, together they are known as the “Aeantes.”

Little Ajax, also spelled Aias, a.k.a. Locrian Ajax, a.k.a. The Lesser Ajax, Achaean commander, son of Oileus, small and swift, bff is Great Ajax, together they are known as the “Aeantes.” [And yes, his stick figure self looks… unusual. Oh well.] [ALSO: If you want to know more about the two Ajax/Aias characters check out Classical Wisdom Weekly’s post about them.]

IANRArNestorNestor, a.k.a. Nestor the Wise, King of Pylos, oldest Achaean commander, acts as advisor to Agamemnon, a bit long-winded.

IANRArMachaonMachaon, a healer, not very important, shows up in Book XI. [He’s just chillin’, looking at the stars, waiting patiently]

IANRArCalchasCalchas, a soothsayer, mildly important, at least in Book I.

IANRArPhoenixPhoenix, a kind old warrior, helped raise Achilles, but we can’t blame him for how Achilles turned out.

IANRArIdeomeneusIdomeneus, King of Crete, not very important.

There you have it! All of your Argive/Achaen/Danaans all in a row. Next time you will meet their adversaries, the Trojans. Huzzah!

To Meet the Trojans Click HERE.

How Macedonian Became Wealthy

~ TheNaomiRuth ~ Leave a comment

macphil-3

NOTE: The 20 year old son being Alexander the Great, of course. 😉

Macedonian is North of Greece and West of Thrace. They may or may not have been considered Greek themselves, but based on what I know about the Greek world, Macedonians were probably considered barbarians or at the very least country-hicks. They would have spoken with a slightly different accent or dialect, and possibly had their own language as well (I don’t know a lot about Macedonian history, so I’m not sure about these things). They did, indeed, grow rich during the Pelopponesian War. This war was between Athens and Sparta, and I’m sure there will be more about that in the future. [Be Prepared: there is a LOT of speechifying in Thucydides.]

Philip II was able to gain control of most of Greece (except Sparta) and married a woman, Olympias, who was much more Greek than he was. Plutarch says it’s because he saw her and fell madly in love. This may be, but it also made sure that the heir to the throne would be familially aligned to both Macedonia and Greece.

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ALSO: If anyone wishes to read more about Alexander the Great there are some FREE online sources:

Plutarch: random dude who wrote about Greek and Roman lives. Find the Loeb Classical Library translation HERE.

Diodorus Sicilus: I actually don’t know much about this guy, but you can find out more and his history books, also the Loeb Classical eidition, HERE.

Arrian: My favourite (I own the Landmark version) is The Anabasis of Alexander.  There is a free online version HERE, but be warned, it’s pretty crappy. Like. Nothing spelled right, really old translation, thee’s and thou’s crappy.

A not free book I found useful is In the Footsteps of Alexander by Miles Doleac. There are a plethora of pictures and everything. You can find more information about it at Goodreads. You can find it for sale HERE. [If the link doesn’t work and you’re looking for a used copy I personally recommend betterworldbooks because they donate books and do happy things. If they don’t have it I go to bigwords to find the cheapest copy I can. I have some personal issues with both Amazon and Barnes & Noble and that’s why I’m not re-directing you there.]