Galaxy/The codex of Damasichthon

In Greek legendary history, Damasichthon (Ancient Greek: Δαμασίχθων) was a king of Thebes, grandson of the Boeotian captain Peneleos through Opheltes. Pausanias makes him successor to Autesion and one of the last sole rulers before the Thebans divided the government among several magistrates.

Adapted from Wikipedia, "Damasichthon" · CC BY-SA 4.0

I.Peneleid king of Thebes

On Autesion's departure for the Dorians, the Thebans chose Damasichthon — son of Opheltes, son of Peneleos — as king. Peneleos had led the Boeotians to Troy in young Tisamenus' stead and fallen to Eurypylus son of Telephus; the Peneleid line thus supplied the Cadmeia with a late monarchical stem after the Epigon house.

Damasichthon had a son Ptolemy, who was the father of Xanthus. When Xanthus fought a duel with Andropompus and was killed by craft rather than in fair fight, the Thebans changed their constitution: hereafter they thought it better to entrust the government to several people rather than let everything depend on one man — the end, in Pausanias' telling, of single kingship at seven-gated Thebes.

II.Homonyms

This atlas entry (damasichthon-theban) is the Peneleid king, grandson of Peneleos. Distinct from Damasichthon the Niobid, son of Amphion and Niobe, slain by Apollo's arrows, and from Damasichthon son of Codrus, the Ionian founder-king associated with Colophon.

AT A GLANCE

Greek nameDamasichthōn (Δαμασίχθων)
Roman nameDamasichthon
Typemortal
DomainsTheban kingship · son of Opheltes · the Peneleid succession
ParentageOpheltes
READ MOREWikipedia