Damasithymus (; el, Δαμασίθυμος; fl. early 5th century BC) was the king of Calyndos ( el, Κάλυνδος), a city in ancient Caria. His father was Candaules ( el, Κανδαύλης). Herodotus, in the seventh and eighth books of his ''

Histories Histories or, in Latin, Historiae may refer to: * the plural of history * ''Histories'' (Herodotus), by Herodotus * ''The Histories'', by Timaeus * ''The Histories'' (Polybius), by Polybius * ''Histories'' by Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust), ...

'' and Polyaenus, in the eighth book of his work 'Stratagems', mention him. Damasithymus was an ally of Xerxes I at the

Second Persian invasion of Greece The second Persian invasion of Greece (480–479 BC) occurred during the Greco-Persian Wars, as King Xerxes I of Persia sought to conquer all of Greece. The invasion was a direct, if delayed, response to the defeat of the first Persian invasion ...

. He fought at the naval Battle of Artemisium and the naval

Battle of Salamis The Battle of Salamis ( ) was a naval battle fought between an alliance of Greek city-states under Themistocles and the Persian Empire under King Xerxes in 480 BC. It resulted in a decisive victory for the outnumbered Greeks. The battle was ...

in 480 BC. He participated as commander of the only Calyndian ship in the Persian navy. He was killed during the Battle of Salamis. His ship, together with ships from Halicarnassus,

Cos Cos, COS, CoS, coS or Cos. may refer to: Mathematics, science and technology * Carbonyl sulfide * Class of service (CoS or COS), a network header field defined by the IEEE 802.1p task group * Class of service (COS), a parameter in telephone sys ...

and

Nisyros Nisyros also spelled Nisiros ( el, Νίσυρος, Nísiros) is a volcanic Greek island and municipality located in the Aegean Sea. It is part of the Dodecanese group of islands, situated between the islands of Kos and Tilos. Its shape is appro ...

, were under the command of

Artemisia Artemisia may refer to: People * Artemisia I of Caria (fl. 480 BC), queen of Halicarnassus under the First Persian Empire, naval commander during the second Persian invasion of Greece * Artemisia II of Caria (died 350 BC), queen of Caria under th ...

. Artemisia's fleet, including Damasithymus's ship, had the best reputation in the Persian fleet, next to the ships from Sidon. Herodotus mentions that Damasithymus was one of the most noted of the men commanding the Persian ships. He was killed at the Battle of Salamis when Artemisia rammed his ship, although they were allies, because it is said that she wanted to escape from an Athenian ship under the command of Ameinias who was pursuing her.Polyaenus: Stratagems- BOOK 8, 53.2
"...sank a ship of the Calyndian allies, which was commanded by Damasithymus." Damasithymus's ship sank and he and all his crew were lost. When Xerxes saw Artemisia sink Damasithymus's ship, he thought that she had sunk a Greek ship and, according to Herodotus, he said: "My men have become women, and my women men." But, according to Polyaenus, he said: "O Zeus, surely you have formed women out of man's materials, and men out of woman's." According to Herodotus, Artemisia had previously had a disagreement with Damasithymus while they were in the

Hellespont The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...

. "Now, even though it be true that she had had some strife with him before, while they were still about the Hellespont, yet I am not able to say whether she did this by intention, or whether the Calyndian ship happened by chance to fall in her way."Herodotus Book 8.87
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References

{{reflist People of the Greco-Persian Wars Battle of Salamis Battle of Artemisium Carian people Military leaders of the Achaemenid Empire Rulers in the Achaemenid Empire Monarchs killed in action Middle Eastern kings

See also

References