The Temenidae, Who Came Out of Argos. Literary Sources and Numismatic Evidence on the Macedonian Dynastic Traditions / Temenidzi, którzy przybyli z Argos. Macedońskie tradycje dynastyczne w źródłach literackich i świadectwach numizmatycznych

Abstract

The prevailing opinion is that, at least from Alexander I onwards, Macedonian rulers attached a lot of importance to the tradition of their Argive origin. There are also suggestions that various images placed on royal coins refer to the mythical founder of the dynasty and his foreign origin. But a review of these images does not provide convincing arguments to justify the above-mentioned opinion. The preserved fragments of poetry dedicated to Alexander I seem to speak rather in favor of his interest in the Trojan myth. If the Argive origin of the royal family is so strongly emphasized by Herodotus, Thucydides, and Euripides, then perhaps the “establishment” of the genealogical ties of the Macedonian kings with Temenidae of Argos took place in Athens. The Greek authors presented the Macedonian rulers with versions of the mythical past of their family linked to Greek tradition. But there is not much to indicate that the predecessors of Alexander the Great attached particular importance to them.