Ἀργεάδαι ἀπὸ Τημένου. The Temenidae / Argeadae dichotomy revisited

Abstract

The earliest sources on the kingdom of Macedon refer to its royal house as the Temenidae. Through this name, the Macedonian kings allegedly claimed descent from the royal line of Argos, i.e., they claimed the right to be recognized as descendants of Temenus, and through him of Heracles himself. Other ancient authors, as well as later lexicographers, refer to the Macedonian royal house as the Argeadae. There were two different explanations for this name even in ancient times: some interpreted it as an indication of the origin of the royal house from Argos Orestikon, a place in Orestis; others thought it was a patronymic, i.e. that it pointed to a descent from a mythical ancestor, the hero Argaeus. A careful analysis of the sources, as well as the historical circumstances in which they mention the ruling house and its name, shows that these names and the corresponding myths were used erratically, with irregular frequency, within a specific narrative with a political goal, to the point that one might even dispute the Macedonian origin of some interpretations. Thus, it is possible that the Macedonian kings before Philip II did not perceive themselves as either Temenid or Arge-ad, and that Philip and Alexander only made masterful political use of the said names and interpretations. The new Hellenistic dynasties did their best to link with the old one in various ways: the Antigonidae highlighted their kinship with Argos, the Ptolemies opted for Argaeus, the Seleucids for Temenus. An examination of these examples shows that the term “Argeadae” had no exactness in historical reminiscence. In Hellenistic times – and that is precisely the time when it appears in common use – “Argeadae” was a general term that referred to the kings of Macedonia. Thus, it would be unwarranted to replace the term Temenidae with another, equally gratuitous, which ultimately lays claim to the same legendary origin, and was first attested a considerable time later; on the contrary, the Temenidae should remain an integral part of the narrative on the Macedonian ruling house.