Editing Archaic Greece (section)

== Very Important Persons of the Archaic Period ==

=== LEGENDS, GREATER THAN REALITY ===

* ''[[Orpheus]] - Mythical poet and musician, reputed to have had the ability to charm all living things with his music.''
* ''[[Kleobis and Biton]] - Sons of an Argive priestess of Hera, celebrated for their exemplary devotion in to their mother's care.''
* ''[[Atreus]] - king of Mycenae and father to Agamemnon and Menelaus, afflicted by a family curse.'' 
* ''Achilles and [[Iliad|the Iliad]] - depicts the most poignant, critical moments at the end of the <u>Trojan War</u>.''
* ''Odysseus and [[Odyssey|the Odyssey]] - depicts the turbulent and lengthy journey back home after the war.''
* ''[[Jason and the Argonauts]] - depicts the journey crown prince Jason undertakes to reclaim his throne.''
* ''[[Hercules]] - mythical hero imbued with supernatural strength whose supposed descendants returned centuries later to reclaim his god-promised land.''
* ''[[Theseus]] - an Athenian king and hero with a complicated story of heroism and bad behavior.''
* ''[[Cadmus]], and [[Amphion and Zethus]], have dueling myths about the foundation of Thebes.''
* ''The [[Seven Against Thebes]], the story of an ill-fated attempt to retake the city of Thebes by a band of heroes following [[Oedipus]]' deposed son.''
* ''The story of [[Oedipus]], who cursed his whole family by mistakenly marrying his mother and killing his father.'' 
* ''[[Daedalus]], the mythical artisan and inventor, his tragic son Icarus, and their interaction with the Minotaur and the Labyrinth.''
* ''[[Tantalus]], a favored demigod who was cursed to eternal torment for attempting to feed his son to the gods during a feast.'' 
* ''[[Tiresias]], a blind prophet who lived for seven generations... After having lived as both a man and a woman before Hera stole his sight.''
* ''[[Bellerophon]], tamer of the Pegasus and conqueror of the Chimera.''
* ''[[Deucalion]], the father of a new race of men who repopulated the world after a god-sent flood wiped out the old race.'' ''Greek Noah.'' 
* ''[[Melampus]], legendary seer and healer, and one of the first mortal prophets.'' 
* ''[[Oenopion]] the winemaking king of Chios, and his rivalry with Orion.'' 
* ''the two kings [[Pandion]] (I and II).''
* ''[[Procrustes]], a serial killer preying upon xenia to entrap victims until he was killed by Theseus.''  
* ''[[Sisyphus]], an iconoclast who was punished for deceiving the gods with eternal punishment.''
* ''[[Talos]], a powerful bronze automaton created to protect Crete.'' 
* ''The [[Eleusinian Mysteries]].''
* ''[[Asclepius]], god of medicine and a hero to whom healing practices are credited.''  
* ''[[Atalanta]], a renowned female hunter and athlete, who defies traditional Greek gender roles.'' 
* ''[[Pygmalion]], a sculptor who is so dissatisfied with women in his region that he sculpts a wife which Aphrodite brings to life for him.'' 
* ''[[Pirithous]], famed friend of Thesus, who accompanied him on many adventures and was imprisoned in the <u>Underworld</u>.''
* ''[[Dryas]] and Lycurgus of Thebes, legendary enemies of Dionysian religion who were punished for their opposition.'' 
* ''[[Caeneus]], a woman raped by Poseidon and then given the chance to live as a man in recompense.'' 
* ''[[Tros]], legendary king that led his people into the Troad around the city that would become Troy.'' 
* ''[[Ilus]], legendary king, son of Tros and founder of the city of Troy.'' 
* ''[[Laomedon]], legendary king, son of Ilus, and credited with building the walls of Troy.'' 
* ''[[Argos]] Panoptes, a legendary giant known for his many eyes.''
* [[Adrastus]] 

=== ...BEFORE ~699 BCE ===

* [[Lycurgus|Lycurgus of Sparta]] (~800s BCE) - Legendary lawgiver of Sparta, attributed with the establishment of the military-oriented reformation of Spartan society.
* [[Temenos]] (~1100s BCE) - semi-legendary Dorian founder of Corinth, one of the [[Hercules|Heracleidae]].
* [[Homer]] (~750ish BCE) - Semi-legendary author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, foundational epic poems of Greek literature.
* [[Hesiod]] (~700ish BCE) - Early Greek poet who authored Works and Days and Theogony, offering insight into ancient Greek daily life and mythology.
* [[Terpander]] (~700ish BCE) - Musician and poet from Lesbos, credited with structuring the format of the ancient Greek ode and improving the Greek lyre.

=== ~600S BCE ===

* [[Zaleucus]] (~690-620 BCE) - the first lawmaker in Greek tradition, created legal codes for his city of Locri.
* [[Polydorus]] (~600s BCE) - King of Sparta, under whom Sparta gained significant military power.
* [[Cylon]] (~660-600 BCE) - Olympic winner and attempted tyrant over Athens.
* [[Draco]] - (~670-600 BCE) - Athenian lawmaker, known for his harsh legal code.
* [[Pheidon]] (~690-640 BCE) - King of Argos, traditionally considered a reformer of weights and measures and associated with military innovations.
* [[Alcman]] (~680-620 BCE) - Lyric poet from Sparta, known for his partheneia, which were choral hymns sung by young girls.
* [[Aristodemus]] (~670-620 BCE) - Hero of the First Messenian War against Sparta.
* [[Semonides]] (~660-620 BCE) - Lyric poet, known for his satirical and misogynistic poems.
* [[Aristeas]] (~600s BCE) - semi-legendary poet and culture hero, known for his epic journey narratives.
* [[Tyrtaeus]] (~670-620 BCE) - Spartan poet known for his war songs encouraging Spartan warriors.
* [[Theagenes]] (~650-600 BCE) - Tyrant of Megara who improved its fortifications and infrastructure.
* [[Callinus]] (~620-660 BCE) - One of the earliest known Greek elegiac poets, from Ephesus, known for martial and patriotic themes.
* [[Arion]] (~660-620 BCE) - A semi-legendary musician and poet, credited with inventing the dithyramb (choral hymn).

=== BORN BETWEEN ~699-650 BCE ===
* [[Archilochus]] (~680-645 BCE) - an islander poet celebrated for his versatile use of meter.
* [[Cypselus]] (~670-627 BCE) - Tyrant of Corinth, who overthrew the Bacchiadae aristocracy.
* [[Mimnermus]] (~660-600 BCE) - Lyric poet from Smyrna, known for his poems on love and lamentation.
* [[Cleobulus]] (~650-590 BCE) - One of the [[Seven Sages]], known for his enigmatic sayings and strength.

=== BORN BETWEEN ~649 - 601 BCE ===

* [[Periander]] (~635-585 BCE) - tyrant of '''Corinth''' and one of the [[Seven Sages]], known for his contributions to Corinth's prosperity.
* [[Alcaeus]] (~620-580 BCE) - Lyric poet from '''Mytilene''' in <u>Lesbos</u>, known for his political and personal poetry.
* [[Pittacus]] (~650-570 BCE) - One of the [[Seven Sages]], noted for his wise rule as a '''tyrant'''.
* [[Anacharsis]] (~620-570 BCE) - Scythian philosopher who traveled to '''Athens''', became a legendary figure for his wisdom and outsider's perspective on Greek customs.
* [[Sappho]] (~610-570 BCE) - One of the first known women poets, famous for her lyric poetry expressing personal emotions and feelings.
* [[Aesop]] (~620-564 BCE) - Legendary figure known for his fables, which were used to teach ethical lessons.
* [[Solon]] (~630-560 BCE) - Athenian statesman, lawmaker, and poet known for his reforms laying the foundations for Athenian democracy.
* [[Stesichorus]] (~630-555 BCE) - Lyric poet known for his innovative narrative style in choral poetry.
* [[Epimenides]] (~620-550 BCE) - Semi-mythical poet and prophet from <u>Crete</u>, considered one of the [[Seven Sages]] by some accounts.
* [[Anaximander]] (~610-546 BCE) - Pre-Socratic philosopher who made early contributions to cosmology, biology, and cartography.
* [[Thales of Miletus|Thales]] (~624-545 BCE) - Pre-Socratic philosopher of '''Miletus''' on <u>Asia Minor</u>, mathematician, and astronomer, considered the first philosopher in the Greek tradition.
* [[Bias]] (~610-530 BCE) - One of the [[Seven Sages]] of Greece, noted for his wisdom.

=== BORN BETWEEN ~600-551 BCE ===
[[Category:Archaic Greece]]

* [[Phalaris]] (~600-554 BCE) - tyrant of '''Acragas''' (Agrigento) in <u>Sicily</u>, known for his cruelty and for the legendary '''brazen bull''' torture device.
* [[Acusilaus]] (~600-550 BCE) - Logographer and mythographer from '''Argos''', known for his genealogical works.
* [[Peisistratus]] (~600-527 BCE) - tyrant of '''Athens''' who oversaw significant cultural and economic growth and contributed to the city's infrastructure.
* [[Croesus]] (~595-546 BCE) - king of Lydia, renowned for his wealth and subsequent dramatic turn of fortune. 
* [[Lasos]] (~580-520 BCE) - a poet and musician remembered for contributions to music and choral lyric poetry.
* [[Chilon]] (~570-520 BCE) - one of the [[Seven Sages]], and a Spartan magistrate known for his aphorisms.
* [[Cleisthenes]] (~570-508 BCE) - an Athenian noble credited as the 'father of democracy.'
* [[Pythagoras]] (~570-495 BCE) - pre-Socratic philosopher and mathematician known for his contributions to both mathematics and religion. 
* [[Thespis]] (~560-500 BCE) - thought to be the first actor in Greek drama, founding the theatrical arts in Greece.
* [[Pherecydes]] (~600-550 BCE) - Pre-Socratic philosopher and mythographer, one of the first Greek thinkers to write in prose.
* [[Xenophanes]] (~570-475 BCE) - Pre-Socratic philosopher, poet, and social/religious critic. 

=== BORN BETWEEN 550 - 501 BCE ===

* [[Onomacritus]] (~550-500 BCE) - Compiler and editor of oracles, whose work was significant in the religious and cultural spheres.
* [[Musaeus]] (~540-500 BCE) - Semi-legendary figure, often considered a poet and prophet, contributing to the early mythology and hymnography of Greece.
* [[Parmenides]] (~515-460 BCE), a pre-Socratic philosopher who suggested that the true state of reality is static and unchanging, and that our perceptions otherwise are illusory. 
* [[Heraclitus]] (~535-475 BCE), a pre-Socratic philosopher known for his cryptic philosophy, arguing that the essence of the universe is change itself. 

=== BORN BETWEEN 500 - 479 BCE ===

* [[Alcmaeon]] (~500-450 BCE) - a pre-Socratic philosopher and early medical theorist.
* [[Anaxagoras]] (~500-428 BCE) - a pre-Socratic philosopher who introduced the concept of '''Nous''' (mind or intellect) as a cosmic force.
* [[Myron]] (~490-440 BCE) - early sculptor and bronze-worker, known for his works before 500 BCE.
* [[Melissus]] (500-440 BCE) - philosopher, although closely associated with the early 5th century, his work reflects the culmination of pre-Socratic thought.
* [[Zeno]] (490-430 BCE) - pre-Socratic philosopher known for his paradoxes challenging traditional notions of motion and multiplicity.
* [[Empedocles]] (~494-434 BCE) - philosopher, poet, and healer from Sicily responsible for the theory of four elements (earth, air, fire, and water). 
* [[Gorgias]] (~485-380 BCE) - a sophist and rhetorician with a skeptical outlook and a tendency toward nihilism.


See Also: [[Classical Greece]]