{{Short description, Mythological founder of Syracuse, Sicily
Archias, son of Anaxidotos ( grc, Ἀρχίας Ἀναξιδότου Πελλαῖος) was a quasi-mythological
Corinth
Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...
ian citizen and founder (
oekist
The ''oikistes'' ( gr, οἰκιστής), often anglicized as oekist or oecist, was the individual chosen by an ancient Greek polis
''Polis'' (, ; grc-gre, πόλις, ), plural ''poleis'' (, , ), literally means "city" in Greek. In Ancien ...
) of the colony of
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
Archias fell in love with the son of Melissus, named Actaeon (distinct from
Actaeon
Actaeon (; grc, Ἀκταίων ''Aktaion''), in Greek mythology, son of the priestly herdsman Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeotia, was a famous Theban hero. Like Achilles in a later generation, he was trained by the centaur Chiron.
He fell to ...
, son of Aristaeus) – the most handsome and modest youth of his age in the city – and proceeded to court him. Finding that "no fair means or persuasion" prevailed upon the youth, Archias made plans to kidnap him. Under the guise of inviting himself to Melissus' house in order to take part in a feast, Archias and his accomplices laid hands on the boy and attempted to spirit him away. The family resisted, and in the ensuing tug of war Actaeon was torn apart.
Melissus demanded justice of the Corinthians, but was ignored by them. In return he climbed to the top of
Poseidon
Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...
's temple, invoked the god's wrath as vengeance for his son's murder and threw himself onto the rocks. A great drought and famine resulted, and the oracle, upon being consulted, announced that the death of Actaeon had to be avenged. Archias went into voluntary exile, and led a group of Corinthians into Sicily where they established the colony of Syracuse.
After establishing the town and fathering two daughters, Archias was "treacherously" slain by Telephus, whom he had taken advantage of when Telephus was still a boy.