Phoroneus

File:Andrea e nino pisano, phoroneus ossia la legislazione, 1348-50, dal lato sud del campanile 03.JPG

Relief from Giotto's Campanile, depicting Phoroneus as the man who invented law.

In Greek mythology, Phoroneus (Template:IPAc-en; Ancient Greek: Φορωνεύς means 'bringer of a price'<ref name=":02">Template:Cite book</ref>) was a culture-hero of the Argolid, fire-bringer,<ref>Pausanias 2.19.5</ref> law giver,<ref>Clement of Alexandria, protrepticus p. 233</ref> and primordial king of Argos.

Family

Phoroneus was the son of the river god Inachus and either Melia, the Oceanid<ref>Apollodorus, 2.1.1; Scholia ad Euripides, Orestes 932; Tzetzes ad Lycophron, 177.</ref> or Argia,<ref>Hyginus, Fabulae 143</ref> the embodiment of the Argolid itself: "Inachus, son of Oceanus, begat Phoroneus<ref>The Argive myth was reported to Pausanias, 2.15.5</ref> by his sister Argia".

He was said to have been married to Cinna;<ref>Hyginus, Fabulae 145</ref> or Cerdo, a nymph;<ref>Pausanias, 2.21.1</ref> or Teledice,<ref>Apollodorus, 2.1.1; Tzetzes ad Lycophron, 177.</ref> also a nymph; or Perimede;<ref>Scholia ad Pindar, Olympian Ode 3.28a</ref> or Peitho,<ref>Scholia ad Euripides, Orestes 932</ref> and to have fathered a number of children including Apis, Car,<ref>Pausanias, 1.39.5–6; 1.40.6 & 1.44.6</ref> Chthonia, Clymenus,<ref>Pausanias, 2.35.4</ref> Sparton,<ref>Pausanias, 2.16.4</ref> Lyrcus<ref>Parthenius, 1 with sources— Lyrcus of Nicaenetus and the Caunus of Apollonius Rhodius</ref> and Europs, an illegitimate son.<ref>Pausanias, 2.34.4</ref> An unnamed daughter of his is said to have consorted with Hecaterus and thus became the mother of the five Hecaterides, nymphs of the rustic dance.<ref>Strabo, 10.3.19</ref>

In Argive culture, Niobe is associated with Phoroneus, sometimes as his mother, sometimes as his daughter, or as his consort (Kerenyi). According to Hellanicus of Lesbos, Phoroneus had at least three sons: Agenor, Jasus and Pelasgus. After the death of Phoroneus, the two elder brothers divided his dominions, Pelasgus received the country about the river Erasmus, and built Larissa, and Iasus the country about Elis. After the death of these two, Agenor, the youngest, invaded their dominions, and thus became king of Argos.<ref>Hellanicus of Lesbos, Fragm. p. 47, ed. Sturz.</ref><ref name="DGRBM">Template:Citation</ref>

The Clementine Recognitions mentions Phthia, a daughter of Phoroneus, who became the mother of Achaeus by Zeus.<ref>Pseudo-Clement, Recognitions 10.21</ref>

Comparative table of Phoroneus' family

Relation	Names	Sources
		Hellanicus	Σ ad Pindar	Σ ad Euripides	Parthenius	Strabo	Apollodorus	Pausanias	Hyginus	Clement	Tzetzes
Parents	Inachus							✓
	Inachus and Melia						✓
	Inachus and Argia								✓
Wife	Perimede		✓
	Peitho			✓
	Teledice						✓				✓
	Cerdo							✓
	Cinna								✓
Children	Agenor	✓
	Jasus	✓
	Pelasgus	✓
	Aegialeus			✓
	Apis			✓			✓		✓		✓
	Niobe or Nioba			✓			✓		✓		✓
	Lyrcus				✓
	wife of Hecaterus					✓
	Car							✓
	Europs			✓				✓
	Chthonia							✓
	Clymenus							✓
	Sparton							✓
	Phthia									✓

Reign

Hyginus' genealogy expresses the position of Phoroneus as one<ref>In the Argolid, of course, he displaced Prometheus as the primordial fire-giver and the originator of kingship (Yves Bonnefoy and Wendy Doniger, eds. Greek and Egyptian Mythologies, "Myths of Argos and Athens" [University of Chicago 1992:124]).</ref> of the primordial men, whose local identities differed in the various regions of Greece,<ref>See Karl Kerenyi, The Gods of the Greeks, 1951 (1980), p. 222, for other primordial men: Prometheus and Epimetheus, and, in Boeotia, Alkomeneus.</ref> and who had for a mother the essential spirit of the very earth of Argos herself, Argia. He was the primordial king in the Peloponnesus, authorized by Zeus: "Formerly Zeus himself had ruled over men, but Hermes created a confusion of human speech, which spoiled Zeus' pleasure in this Rule".<ref>Karl Kerenyi, The Gods of the Greeks 1951 (1980), p. 222.</ref> Phoroneus introduced both the worship of Hera and the use of fire and the forge.<ref>Hyginus, Fabulae 143. Compare Prometheus.</ref> Poseidon and Hera had vied for the Argive when the primeval waters had receded, Phoroneus "was the first to gather the people together into a community; for they had up to then been living as scattered and lonesome families". (Pausanias).

Phoroneus' successor was Argus, who was Niobe's son, either by Zeus or Phoroneus himself. He was also the father of Apis, who may have also ruled Argos (according to Tatiānus<ref>James Cowles Prichard : An Analysis of the Egyptian Mythology. 1819. p. 85</ref>). He was worshipped in Argos with an eternal fire that was shown to Pausanias in the 2nd century CE, and funeral sacrifices were offered to him at his tomb-sanctuary.<ref>Pausanias, 2.20.3</ref> He is also credited as the founder of law.<ref>Protrepticus</ref> Template:S-start Template:S-reg Template:Succession box Template:S-end

PHORONEUS' CHRONOLOGY OF REIGN ACCORDING TO VARIOUS SOURCES
Kings of Argos	Regnal Years		Castor	Regnal Years		Syncellus	Regnal Years	Apollodorus	Hyginus	Tatian	Pausanias
Precessor	1677	50 winters & summers	Inachus	1677.5	56 winters & summers	Inachus	1675	Inachus	-do-	-do-	-do-
Phoroneus	1652	60 winters & summers	Phoroneus	1649.5	60 winters & summers	Phoroneus	1650	Phoroneus	-do-	-do-	-do-
Successor	1622	35 winters & summers	Apis	1619.5	35 winters & summers	Apis	1625	Apis	-do-	-do-	-do-

References

• Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
• Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
• Parthenius, Love Romances translated by Sir Stephen Gaselee (1882-1943), S. Loeb Classical Library Volume 69. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. 1916. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
• Parthenius, Erotici Scriptores Graeci, Vol. 1. Rudolf Hercher. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1858. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
• Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. Template:ISBN. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
• Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
• Pseudo-Clement, Recognitions from Ante-Nicene Library Volume 8, translated by Smith, Rev. Thomas. T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh. 1867. Online version at theio.com
• Strabo, The Geography of Strabo. Edition by H.L. Jones. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
• Strabo, Geographica edited by A. Meineke. Leipzig: Teubner. 1877. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.

External links

• Mahanas, Dictionary of Greek Mythology; "Phoroneus"