< Orestes, son of Agamemnon >

1 Origin

Orestes was born in Mycenae, Argolis, in 1202 BC.

Orestes' father was Agamemnon, son of Pleisthenes. [Apo.E.2.15, Hyginus.124, Paus.10.16.4]

Orestes' mother was Clytaemnestra, daughter of Tyndareus. [Apo.E.2.15]

2 Family

Orestes married Hermione, daughter of Menelaus. [Dictys.6.4, Paus.10.16.4]

Orestes and Hermione had a son, Tisamenus. [Hyginus.124, Paus.2.18.6]

Orestes married Erigone, daughter of Aegisthus. [Paus.2.18.6]

Orestes and Erigone had a son, Penthilus. [Paus.2.18.6, Strabo.13.1.3, TzeAdLyco.1374]

3 Others

3.1 Invasion of the Dorians

In 1173 BC, the Dorians, led by Cleodaeus, son of Hyllus, invaded Peloponnesus and attacked Mycenae, Tiryns, and Midea, destroying the towns. [estimated from Paus.3.15.10, Paus.4.30.1]

Orestes fled to Tegea in Arcadia.

Orestes chose Tegea as his refuge because Mycenae and Tegea had long been friendly to each other. Sthenelus, son of Perseus of Mycenae, and Eurystheus, son of Sthenelus, had married women from Tegea for two generations. [FGrH.333.68]

The Tegeans also assisted the Mycenaeans in their war against the Heracleidae. [Diod.4.58.2]

The Tegeans were led by Echemus, husband of Timandra, sister of Orestes' mother Clytaemnestra. [Diod.4.58.4, Herod.9.26]

3.2 Recapture of Mycenae

Orestes gathered his forces, attacked the Dorians, and drove Cleodaeus out of Peloponnesus.

Orestes left the destroyed Mycenae in the care of Aegisthus, who had joined the attack on the Dorians from the island of Cythera, and Orestes himself returned to Tegea. [Euseb.Chron.179, Tzetzes.1.460]

3.3 Colonization

In 1170 BC, Orestes led the people who lived in the area destroyed by the Dorians and started colonization. Orestes colonized the island of Tenedos with Peisander of Amyclae. [FGrH.Nr4.F32, Pind.Ne.11, Strabo.13.1.3]

Around the time Orestes started colonization, Ilium was recaptured by the sons of Hector. [Estimated from JeromeChro.1154]

It is assumed that Orestes led the former inhabitants of Tenedos, who his father Agamemnon had placed in Tenea in Argolis, in an expedition to Troy in support of the sons of Hector.

It is believed that he then colonized the island, bringing with him people who wished to move to Tenedos.

3.4 Annexation of Argos

In 1165 BC, Cylarabes, son of Sthenelus of Argos, died. [Paus.2.18.5]

Cylarabes was the last king of the Anaxagoridae, and the royal line of Argos, which had continued from Phoroneus, the son of Inachus, was broken. Orestes annexed Argos and left it to Tisamenus, the son of Orestes. [Paus.2.18.5]

3.5 Death of Orestes

Orestes died in Orestia. [Apo.E.6.28, TzeAdLyco.1374]

Oresteia was probably in Tegea, not Oresthasium in southern Arcadia. His tomb was inside the city gate of Tegea. [Paus.8.54.4]

Orestes died at the age of 70. [FGrH.Nr12.F25]