< Pelops, son of Tantalus >
1 Origin
Pelops was born in 1340 BC in the Berecyntian lands of the Troad.
Pelops' father was Tantalus. [Diod.4.74.3, Hyginus.124, Paus.5.25.10, Strabo.7.7.1]
Pelops' mother was Eurythemiste. [See Tantalus]
2 Family
Pelops married Danais (or Axioche) and had a son, Chrysippus. [Hyginus.85, Plut.Mor.313e, Euri.Scho.Or.5.1, Tzetzes.1.410]
Pelops married Hippodamia (or Hippodameia), daughter of Oenomaus. [Diod.4.73.6, Hyginus.86]
Pelops and Hippodamia had six sons. [Pind.Ol.1.89]
Pelops had a son Troezen. [Strabo.8.6.14]
Pelops had a son Pittheus. [Apo.3.15.7, Strabo.8.6.14]
Pelops had a son Alcathous. [Paus.1.41.3]
Pelops had a son Copreus. [Apo.2.5.1]
Pelops had a son Dias. [Euri.Scho.Or.5.1]
Pelops had a son Letreus. [Paus.6.22.8]
Pelops had a son Thyestes. [Apo.E.2.10, Hyginus.124]
Pelops had a son Atreus. [Apo.E.2.10, Hyginus.124, Paus.9.40.11]
Pelops had a son Epidaurus. [Paus.2.26.2]
Pelops had a son Cleonymus (or Cleones). [FGrH.2.3, Paus.2.15.1]
Pelops had a son Argeius. [Euri.Scho.Or.5.1, FGrH.333.132]
Pelops had a son Hippalcimus (or Hippalcus). [Hyginus.14, 84]
Pelops had three sons, Heleius, Hippasus, and Cynosourus. [Euri.Scho.Or.5.1]
Pelops had a son Corinthus (or Corintus). [Euri.Scho.Or.5.1]
Pelops had a daughter, Astydamia. [Apo.2.4.5]
Pelops had a daughter, Eurydice (or Lysidice). [Diod.4.9.1, Plut.These.7]
Pelops had a daughter, Lysidice. [Apo.2.4.5]
Pelops had a daughter, Nicippe (or Archippe, Amphibia). [Apo.2.4.5, FGrH.333.68]
2.1 Pelops' wives
Pelops had a wife and sons before he migrated to Greece.
Pelops' wife and sons were captured by Hittite troops in Asia Minor.
Pelops appears in Hittite texts under the name Tapalazunauli.
Pelops married Danais before he migrated to Greece and had a son, Chrysippus.
After he migrated to Greece, Pelops married Hippodamia.
Pelops later married Autochthe, daughter of Perseus. [See Atreus]
It is also assumed that Pelops had other wife.
3 Others
3.1 Relationship with Perseus
During Pelops' childhood, Perseus, son of Danae, lived near Pelops.
In 1335 BC, Perseus married Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus, and lived in Ethiopia. [Apo.2.4.3]
Ethiopia was a part of Tantalus' territory, near the mouth of the Aesepus River. [Estimated from Strabo.13.1.11]
It is believed that there was interaction between the families of Pelops and Perseus.
This is evidenced by the marriages between Pelops' daughters and Perseus' sons. [Apo.2.4.5, Diod.4.9.1]
3.2 Migration to Lydia
In 1325 BC, the Pelops family, driven by Ilus, son of Tros, emigrated to Lydia near Mt. Sipylus. [Diod.4.74.4]
The Pelops family acquired great wealth by mining gold from the deposits around Mt. Sipylus. [Strabo.14.5.28]
3.3 Seizing control of Arzawa
At that time, Lydia was part of Arzawa, and was ruled by Maskhuiluwa, son of Tarhuntaradu, who succeeded Anzapahhadu.
Tantalus, with his wealth and the support of the Maeonians, whose leaders were descendants of Manes, whose common ancestor was Inachus of Argos, expelled Maskhuiluwa and became king of Arzawa.
Tantalus appears in Hittite texts under the name Uhha-Ziti.
3.4 Battle with the Hittites
The inhabitants of Hittite vassals fled to Arzawa, where Tantalus lived.
Tantalus refused Hittite demands to hand them over, and a battle ensued.
Tantalus made Apasas (Ephesus) his base, and waited for the Hittite army led by Mursili II.
However, Tantalus fell ill before the Hittite army reached Apasas, and fled to a nearby island.
In 1318 BC, Tantalus' illness worsened and he died.
Pelops crossed from the island to the mainland and fought against Mursili II's army, but was defeated and besieged. Pelops escaped safely from the siege, but his wife and sons were taken prisoner.
Pelops' brother Broteas crossed from the island to the mainland and negotiated with Mursili II, but was sent to Hattusa.
Broteas appears in Hittite texts under the name Piyama-Kurunta.
3.5 Before the Migration to Greece
When Pelops migrated to Greece, he brought his son Chrysippus with him. [Hyginus.85, Plut.Mor.313e]
Pelops had been in Asia Minor for about three years after the battle with the Hittites, and Chrysippus was his son, born before Pelops crossed over to Peloponnesus.
Near Thebe, southeast of Mount Ida, there was a large tomb of Pelops' charioteer Cillus.
Cillus was the ruler of the region. [Strabo.13.1.63]
It seems that Pelops's range of activities extended to that region.
3.6 Migration to Greece
In 1315 BC, Pelops traveled from Asia Minor to Peloponnesus. [Paus.2.22.3]
It is assumed that Pelops landed in Peloponnesus in Laconia for the following reasons:
1) In Acriae, near the mouth of the Eurotas River, there was the oldest statue of the Mother of the Gods in the Peloponnesus peninsula. The oldest statue of the Mother of the Gods was in Lydia and was made by Pelops' brother Broteas. [Paus.3.22.4]
2) Acrias, the founder of Acriae, is the only one of the 12 people who are said to have been killed by Oenomaus who is believed to have actually existed at the time. It is assumed that Acrias accompanied Pelops to Olympia. [Apo.E.2.5, Paus.6.21.10]
3) Cynortas, son of Amyclas, who lived in Sparta, is also assumed to have accompanied Pelops to Olympia. Oebalus, son of Cynortas, had a wife named Batia. [Apo.3.10.4]
Batia is thought to have been the daughter of a prominent Phrygian who migrated to Greece with Pelops.
The tombs of the Phrygians who migrated to Greece with Pelops were found in various parts of the Peloponnesus, but a particularly large one was in Sparta. [Athen.625f]
3.7 Marriage with Hippodamia
Pelops first met Perseus, king of Mycenae, and it is assumed that Perseus accompanied Pelops to Olympia.
Pelops, on his way to Olympia along the river Alpheius, met Hippodamia at Pisa, whose father Oenomaus was Perseus' uncle-in-law, and Hippodamia was Perseus' cousin.
3.8 Succession of Pisa
Euripides, in "Iphigenia in Tauris," reports that "Pelops killed Oenomaus with a spear." [Eur. IT.826]
However, it is assumed that Pelops did not kill Oenomaus and take possession of Pisa, but rather inherited Pisa as Oenomaus's son-in-law. [See Oenomaus]
Pelops held the Olympic Games after Oenomaus. [Euseb.Chron.191, Paus.5.8.2]
3.9 Migration of Hippodamia to Midea
Pelops expelled Hippodamia from Pisa, and Hippodamia migrated to Midea. [Paus.6.20.7]
Hippodamia's daughter Eurydice (or Lysidice) was the wife of Electryon, king of Midea. [Diod.4.9.1, Paus.2.25.9]
Tradition tells us that the reason for Hippodamia's migration is related to her son-in-law Chrysippus. [Euri.Scho.Or.5.1, FGrH.4.157, Hyginus.85, 243, Plut.Mor.313e]
Around the time Hippodamia migrated to Midea, Pelops' sons also left Pisa.
It may be that Pelops forced his wife and sons to leave Pisa.
3.10 Pelops' successors
The name of the person who succeeded Pelops after his death is unknown.
Hippalcimus, son of Pelops, is the only participant from Pisa mentioned in the story of the Argonauts' expedition.