Cleinias ( grc, Κλεινίας), father of Alcibiades, brother of Axiochus, and member of the

Alcmaeonidae The Alcmaeonidae or Alcmaeonids ( grc-gre, Ἀλκμαιωνίδαι ; Attic: ) were a wealthy and powerful noble family of ancient Athens, a branch of the Neleides who claimed descent from the mythological Alcmaeon, the great-grandson of Nes ...

family, was an

Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

who married Deinomache, the daughter of

Megacles Megacles or Megakles ( grc, Μεγακλῆς) was the name of several notable men of ancient Athens, as well as an officer of Pyrrhus of Epirus. First archon The first Megacles was possibly a legendary archon of Athens from 922 BC to 892 BC. A ...

, and became the father of the famous Alcibiades.

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for hi ...

tells us that he traced his family line back to

Eurysaces Eurysaces (Ancient Greek: Εὐρυσάκης) in Greek mythology was the son of the Ajax and the former-princess captive-slave girl Tecmessa. He was venerated in Athens. Eurysaces was named after his father's famous shield. In Sophocles' traged ...

, the son of

Telamonian Ajax Ajax () or Aias (; grc, Αἴας, Aíās , ''Aíantos''; archaic ) is a Greek mythological hero, the son of King Telamon and Periboea, and the half-brother of Teucer. He plays an important role, and is portrayed as a towering figure an ...

. Cleinias died at the Battle of Coronea in 447 BC. He is also credited with the Cleinias Decree, which involved the tightening up of the process of tribute collection in the

Athenian Empire The Delian League, founded in 478 BC, was an association of Greek city-states, numbering between 150 and 330, under the leadership of Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Persian Empire after the Greek victory in the Battle of Plat ...

. Attributing this inscription to this particular Cleinias, the father of Alcibiades, places the decree in the early 440s, usually given as 447, as Cleinias died at the Battle of Coronea in 447 BC. Although more recently, scholars have argued the Cleinias Decree was made in the 420s following Athens running low on money. Thus we cannot be certain this is the same Cleinias.Terry Buckley, Aspects of Greek History 750–323BC: A Source-Based Approach, 2010

References

447 BC deaths 5th-century BC Athenians Ancient Greek rulers Ancient Greeks killed in battle Alcmaeonidae Year of birth unknown {{AncientGreece-bio-stub