1 Introduction
In 1876, a person buried at the Mycenae site with “Agamemnon's Mask” was discovered by Heinrich Schliemann.
That person appears to be Messapus, the ninth Sicyon king.
At the time, Argos was called Phoroneus and Sicyon was called Aegialeia, but for ease of understanding, I will use their renamed names.
2 Lineage of the kings of Sicyon
2.1 Messapus, the ninth king of Sicyon
Pausanias, a travel writer from the 2nd century AD, and Castor, a chronicler from the 2nd century BC, provide the genealogy of the kings of Sicyon. [1]
Pausanias mostly refers to the genealogy of the kings of Sicyon written by Castor.
However, Pausanias writes the genealogy from the 7th king Thurimachus to the 10th king Peratus (or Eratus) while referring to other historical sources.
Pausanias writes that Leucippus, son of Thurimachus, had no sons, and was succeeded by Peratus, son of his daughter Calchinia. [2]
However, in Castor's list of the kings of Sicyon, Messapus is listed after Leucippus, and Eratus after Messapus. [3]
This suggests that Messapus was the husband of Leucippus' daughter Calchinia and the father of Peratus.
2.2 Daughter of Thurimachus, the 7th king of Sicyon
The 2nd century AD writer Apollodoros reports that Argus, son of Agenor, known as the All-seeing, married Ismene, daughter of the river god Asopus. [4]
At the time of their marriage, the king of Sicyon, where the river Asopus flows, was Thurimachus, son of Aegydrus (or Aegyrus). [5]
In other words, it is assumed that Ismene's father, the river god Asopus, was Thurimachus, and Ismene was Thurimachus's daughter. [6]
2.3 Father of Messapus
Messapus, the 9th king, succeeded his father-in-law as the husband of Calchinia, daughter of Leucippus, the 8th king.
However, it is assumed that Messapus himself was also related to the lineage of the kings of Sicyon.
Thus, Messapus was likely the son of Ismene, the daughter of Thurimachus, the 7th king.
Therefore, it is assumed that Messapus' father was Argus, the son of Agenor.
3 Sicyon and Argos
3.1 Usurpation
In 1750 BC, Phoroneus and Aegialeus, the sons of Inachus, founded Argos and Sicyon. [7]
The 5th century AD historian Orosius reports that Phoroneus, king of Argos, and the Parrhasians fought against the Telchines and the Caryatii. [8]
The Telchines are presumably a tribe whose ancestor was Telchin (or Telchis), the 3rd king of Sicyon, as described by Castor. [9]
Pausanias writes that Telchin was the son of Europs, the 2nd king of Sicyon, but if that were the case, the tribe would not have been called Telchines.
From the fact that among the sons of Phoroneus there is also a son named Europs, it is assumed following. [10]
When Aegialeus, the first king of Sicyon, died, there was no one to succeed him, so Aegialeus' brother Phoroneus appointed his son Europs as the 2nd king of Sicyon.
Telchin, a powerful man in Sicyon, rebelled against this and led the Telchines in battle, defeating Phoroneus, and becoming the 3rd king of Sicyon himself. [11]
3.2 Apis' Rule of Sicyon
In 1690 BC, Apis, who succeeded Phoroneus as king of Argos, attacked Sicyon and placed it under Argos's control. [12]
In Castor's list, Apis is listed as the 3rd king of Argos and the 4th king of Sicyon. [13]
Apis was the brother of Europs, the 2nd king of Sicyon.
After being ruled by Apis, son of Phoroneus, for 25 years, Sicyon was again ruled by the Telchines. [14]
3.3 Migration to Crete
After losing the battle between Apis and Telchine, Telchine's son Cres emigrated to Crete. [15]
The Telchines, led by Cres, were called Eteocretans in Crete, and Cres was their king. [16]
The Telchines discovered iron in Crete and were called the Idaean Dactyls. [17]
The Telchines were a race with knowledge of metalworking. [18]
Then the Telchines also spread to Rhodes. [19]
3.4 Trade activities in Sicyon
In 1665 BC, Sicyon became independent from the rule of Argos. [20]
After that, trade activities began between Sicyon and Crete and Rhodes.
Mycenae was located at a strategic location connecting the Gulf of Argolis with Sicyon.
It is assumed that Mycenae was founded when Argos and Sicyon were founded. [21]
4 Rise of Mycenae
4.1 Internal conflict in Argos
In 1600 BC, conflict arose among the descendants of Argus, son of Niobe, who lived in Argos. Phorbas, son of Criasus, son of Argus, usurped the throne from Triops, son of Peirasus, son of Argus. [22]
Argus, son of Agenor, son of Ecbasus, son of Argus, who sided with Triops, emigrated to Mycenae, where the city came to be called Argion. [23]
Argus, also called the Many-Eyed or the All-Seeing, was an excellent man with foresight. [24]
4.2 Relationship between Mycenae and Sicyon
Argus married Ismene, daughter of Thurimachus, the 7th king of Sicyon. [25]
Argus' son Messapus married Calchinia, daughter of Leucippus, the 8th king of Sicyon. [26]
After Leucippus died, Messapus became the 9th king of Sicyon and ruled Sicyon while living in Mycenae. [27]
4.3 Battle with Argos
In 1560 BC, Messapus, son of Argus, attacked Argos, and Telchines, who lived in Sicyon, joined the attack.
The Pelasgians who lived in Argos migrated to various places. [28]
After this battle, Mycenae came to control most of the people living in the Peloponnesus Peninsula, except for the Pelasgians who lived in Arcadia.
5 Agamemnon's Mask
5.1 Person buried wearing the mask
The Mycenae king Messapus was a great king who also ruled over Sicyon and Argos.
The person buried wearing the "Mask of Agamemnon" excavated from the ruins of Mycenae is presumed to be Messapus, son of Argus.
5.2 Mask's Maker
The mask was made by Telchines, an Idaean Dactyls who was a mining engineer and metalworker. [29]
Telchines was the tribe that gave its name to Telchinia, the ancient name of Rhodes, and was called the sons of the sea and was a tribe with excellent navigation skills. [30]
Telchines was among the immigrants of Cadmus who discovered gold on Mount Pangaeus. [31]
5.3 Mycenae's Gold
The gold of Mycenae in the time of Agamemnon came from the mines round Phrygia and Sipylus. [32]
But gold in the area was discovered in the time of Agamemnon's ancestor Tantalus, who lived 200 years after Messapus.
In Messapus' time, Telchines probably had not yet mined gold in Troad, Thracia, Paeonia, Macedonia, and Thasus.
If Telchines had mined gold, the most likely place to do so was Siphnos, where there were mines of gold and silver. [33]
When sailing in an easterly wind from Rhodes, called the island of Telchines, toward Cape Scyllaion in Argolis, we will pass by Siphnos. [34]
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