Myron of
Priene
Priene ( grc, Πριήνη, Priēnē; tr, Prien) was an ancient Greek city of Ionia (and member of the Ionian League) located at the base of an escarpment of Mycale, about north of what was then the course of the Maeander River (now called th ...
was the author of an historical account of the
First Messenian War, from the taking of
Ampheia to the death of
Aristodemus
In Greek mythology, Aristodemus (Ancient Greek: Ἀριστόδημος) was one of the Heracleidae, son of Aristomachus and brother of Cresphontes and Temenus. He was a great-great-grandson of Heracles and helped lead the fifth and final attac ...
. The dates of his work cannot be ascertained accurately, but it belongs in all probability to the Alexandrine period, not earlier than the 3rd century BC. According to
Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to:
*Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium''
*Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC
* Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...
, he was an author on whose accuracy very little reliance could be placed. For example, both
Diodorus
Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...
and Myron placed
Aristomenes in the first Messenian War, which is not universally accepted as accurate.
Most important to Myron seems to be Pausanias IV 6,1 - 6,4. Pausanias wished to reach a decision regarding the age of a certain Messenian War (IV 6,1). Myron narrated the capture of Ampheia and subsequent events down to the death of Aristodemus. At the opinion of Pausanias, Rhianus of Bene from Crete did not touch this first war at all (IV 6,2). To Rhianus in his epic Aristomenes is the hero and he is to him a great men as is the Achilles of the ''
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...
'' to Homer (IV 6,3). The Aristodemus of Myron is a bit earlier than the Aristomenes of Rhianus. Myrons history of the Messenian war is in prosa, Rhianus has made an epic. In order to date the Messenian war, Herodot VI, 52 and IV, 147 is helpful, IX 26 - 27 also.
Ancient sources:
* Pausanias IV 6, 1 - 4.
* Herodot VI, 52 ; IV, 147 ; IX, 26 - 27.
Messenian Wars
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