Archelaus (play)
Encyclopedia
Archelaus is a drama
written and performed in Macedonia by Euripides
honouring Archelaus I of Macedon
on a par with king Karanus. Felix Jacoby
thinks it possible that Euripides called Karanus Archelaus which actually means leader of people, in order to please Archelaus. In the play, Archelaos son of Temenus
was exiled from Argos
by his brothers and went to Thrace
, to king Cisseus
who happened to be at war with neighbouring people and promised Archelaos his kingdom and daughter if he could protect him against the enemies. Archelaos did it and went to ask the king for his promised reward. The king however broke his promise and decided to kill Archelaos by treachery. He therefore gave orders to prepare a pitfall to trap him. But a slave of the king told Archelaos about the plot and the hero asked for a secret interview with the king: when alone he threw him inside the pitfall. He then fled to Macedonia, led by a goat, according to some command of Apollo, and founded the city of Aigai
after the goat.
From the main play only fragments have been saved. The works Alcmene
, Temenus
, Temenidai and Archelaus were part of the Macedonian tetralogy of Euripides.
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
written and performed in Macedonia by Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
honouring Archelaus I of Macedon
Archelaus I of Macedon
Archelaus I was a king of Macedon from 413 to 399 BC. He was a capable and beneficent ruler, known for the sweeping changes he made in state administration, the military, and commerce. By the time that he died, Archelaus had succeeded in converting Macedon into a significantly stronger power...
on a par with king Karanus. Felix Jacoby
Felix Jacoby
Felix Jacoby was a German classicist and philologist. He is best known among classicists for his highly important work Fragmente der griechischen Historiker, a collection of text fragments of ancient Greek historians...
thinks it possible that Euripides called Karanus Archelaus which actually means leader of people, in order to please Archelaus. In the play, Archelaos son of Temenus
Temenus
In Greek mythology, Temenus was a son of Aristomachus and brother of Cresphontes and Aristodemus. He was a great-great-grandson of Heracles and helped lead the fifth and final attack on Mycenae in the Peloponnese. He became King of Argos. He was the father of Ceisus, Káranos, Phalces, Agraeus,...
was exiled from Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
by his brothers and went to Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
, to king Cisseus
Cisseus
In Greek mythology, Cisseus was a Thracian king and father of Theano, the wife of Antenor, as related in Homer's Iliad. His wife was Telecleia, a daughter of King Ilus of Troy....
who happened to be at war with neighbouring people and promised Archelaos his kingdom and daughter if he could protect him against the enemies. Archelaos did it and went to ask the king for his promised reward. The king however broke his promise and decided to kill Archelaos by treachery. He therefore gave orders to prepare a pitfall to trap him. But a slave of the king told Archelaos about the plot and the hero asked for a secret interview with the king: when alone he threw him inside the pitfall. He then fled to Macedonia, led by a goat, according to some command of Apollo, and founded the city of Aigai
Vergina
Vergina is a small town in northern Greece, located in the peripheral unit of Imathia, Central Macedonia. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Veroia, of which it is a municipal unit...
after the goat.
From the main play only fragments have been saved. The works Alcmene
Alcmene
In Greek mythology, Alcmene or Alcmena was the mother of Heracles.-Background:Alcmene was born to Electryon, the son of Perseus and Andromeda, and king of Tiryns and Mycenae or Medea in Argolis. Her mother was Anaxo, daughter of Alcaeus and Astydamia, daughter of Pelops and Hippodameia...
, Temenus
Temenus
In Greek mythology, Temenus was a son of Aristomachus and brother of Cresphontes and Aristodemus. He was a great-great-grandson of Heracles and helped lead the fifth and final attack on Mycenae in the Peloponnese. He became King of Argos. He was the father of Ceisus, Káranos, Phalces, Agraeus,...
, Temenidai and Archelaus were part of the Macedonian tetralogy of Euripides.