< Ancaeus, son of Acmon >
1 Origin
Ancaeus was born in Aptera, in the western part of Crete, in 1424 BC.
Ancaeus' father was Acmon, son of Socos. [See Acmon]
Ancaeus' mother was Astypalaea, daughter of Phoenix. [Hyginus.157, Paus.7.4.1]
2 Family
Ancaeus married Samia, daughter of the river god Maeander. [Paus.7.4.1]
Ancaeus and Samia had four sons, Perilaus, Enudus, Samus, and Alitherses. [Paus.7.4.1]
Ancaeus and Samia had a daughter, Parthenope. [Paus.7.4.1]
3 Others
3.1 Migration to Eleia
Ancaeus migrated from Aptera to Olympia in Eleia accompanied by his father. [See Acmon]
3.2 Migration to Cherronesus
Ancaeus migrated with his father from Olympia to Cherronesus, across from Rhodes. [See Acmon]
3.3 King of the Leleges
Ancaeus was king of the Leleges. [Paus.7.4.1]
The Leleges were a tribe that was formed when Ancaeus' father Acmon and his brothers founded the towns in Cherronesus, where the Carians lived, and lived together with the Carians. [Antiq.1.10.2, Paus.7.2.8]
At the time of the Trojan War, the Leleges's range extended to the Troad. [Strabo.7.7.2]
3.4 Migration near the Maeander River
Ancaeus migrated northwest from Cherronesus and settled near the Maeander River.
It is believed that Ancaeus married the daughter of a Carians chieftain living in the Maeander River basin and brought the region under his control.
The town that Ancaeus founded was called Lelegeis or Pityusa. [Pliny.5.31.1]
Two generations after Ancaeus, the town was called Anactoria, and four generations after, Miletus. [Paus.7.2.5, Pliny.5.31.1]
3.5 Battles with the Hittites
Ancaeus is presumed to be Attariya (or Attarsiya) mentioned in Hittite texts.
Attarsiya was the oldest Greek recorded in Hittite. [wiki: Attarsiya]
Attarisiya was active around 1400 BC, and at that time, Ancaeus was the leader of the Greeks and Leleges in Anatolia.
After losing a battle with the Hittites, Ancaeus is thought to have fled to an island in the Aegean Sea.
The descendants of Ancaeus migrated from the islands to the mainland when the power of the Hittites weakened, and fled to the islands when the power of the Hittites increased.
There were 90 towns on the islands of the Aegean Sea, with Miletus as their mother city. [Pliny.5.31.1]
