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 his ''P ...
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
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