by Konstantinos Konstantinidis – Amphiktyon
Agamemnon, son of Atreus, was the mighty king of Mycenae. Some accounts tell a slightly different story: Atreus fathered a son, Plisthenes, who married the daughter of Catreus. Together they had two sons, Agamemnon and Menelaus, and, according to some, a daughter, Anaxibia. Because Plisthenes was weak and frail, he died young—or was accidentally killed by his father Atreus, who mistook him for Aegisthus. Atreus then raised the children as his own, and they became known as the Atreidae.
Agamemnon became close friends with Aegisthus, leaving him as regent while he led the expedition against Troy. Upon inheriting the throne, Agamemnon also conquered Sicyon, once ruled by Hippolytus. He married Clytemnestra, daughter of Tyndareus, and together they had many children.
After Helen was abducted, the Greek leaders gathered at Argos to plan the campaign and declared Agamemnon commander-in-chief. Some say he won their allegiance with gifts. He sailed with a fleet of one hundred ships to the assembly point at Aulis. There, during a hunt, he killed Artemis’ sacred deer. This angered the goddess, who unleashed storms that prevented the fleet from sailing to Troy.
The seer Calchas declared that Artemis would not be appeased unless Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia. The tale of her sacrifice is well known.
Agamemnon was a remarkable leader, both as king and warrior. He personally slew sixteen enemy officers. Yet, he quarreled with Achilles over Briseis, ultimately taking her, which caused a rift that halted the war for a decade. Later, he returned her, and Troy fell.
Following the conquest, Agamemnon argued with his brother Menelaus, who wished to sacrifice to Athena to atone for Ajax’s impiety. Menelaus, king of Sparta, however, urged immediate departure. Half of the Greeks remained with Agamemnon, while the others sailed to Tenedos, where another dispute erupted. Odysseus returned to Agamemnon, while Menelaus departed with Nestor and Diomedes.
Agamemnon eventually returned to Mycenae with Cassandra. Soon, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus murdered him. Clytemnestra struck with an axe; Aegisthus followed with a sword as he exited the bath. They also killed Cassandra, all her followers, and Agamemnon’s sons, Teledamus and Pelops, along with his charioteer, Eurymedon. Agamemnon’s tomb was at Amyclae; the others were buried at Mycenae. Despite this, he was greatly honored, and statues were erected across Greece.
Agamemnon was towering, handsome, fair-skinned, eloquent, broad-foreheaded, dark-haired, dignified, and godlike. Priam admired him from the tower of Troy. Aeschylus immortalized Agamemnon in tragedy, recounting his misfortunes. With Clytemnestra, he fathered Iphigenia, Chryseis, Laodice, Iphianassa, Electra, Halysus, and Orestes.
Initially, Agamemnon refused to surrender Iphigenia for sacrifice, even considering resigning from command. Odysseus and Diomedes convinced Clytemnestra that Agamemnon intended to marry Iphigenia to Achilles, persuading her to comply—possibly with a forged letter.
At the moment of sacrifice, Agamemnon withdrew in grief. Artemis then snatched Iphigenia from the altar, transforming her into a stag, deer, bull, or elderly woman. Thunder, lightning, darkness, and earthquakes followed. A voice from Artemis’ grove declared, “Artemis does not desire such a sacrifice.” Iphigenia vanished, later appearing in Tauris, riding on clouds. A deer was placed on the altar as a substitute. Some accounts say that with Iphigenia, Achilles fathered Pyrrhus.
Commentary:
- Cassandra, daughter of Priam and Hecuba, was a prophetess. Apollo desired her, but she refused, and he cursed her so that no one would believe her prophecies. She is one of Greek mythology’s most tragic figures, symbolizing women’s suffering.
- Cassandra was killed by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus at Mycenae.
- The Greeks had writing, disproving the false Phoenician claim that the Phoenicians invented the alphabet.
- Human sacrifice had ended in Greece, and a deer was substituted for Iphigenia.
- Division was ever-present in the Greek camp, even before and after sacrifices to Athena.
- The curse of the Atreidae began with Atreus, who killed Thyestes’ children. It continued with Agamemnon’s murder by Clytemnestra and Orestes’ revenge—a cycle of bloodshed.
- This curse seems to afflict some famous families (e.g., Onassis, Kennedy), doomed by misfortune (26/1/26).
Amphiktyon – Retired Lieutenant General Konstantinos Konstantinidis
Author, Member of the Society of Greek Writers
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