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Perses ancestor of Persia

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:28 am
by Phoebus
Phalanx Pursos wrote:Very persuading.

But then again, I have given you evidence.
Not really; you've offered conjecture and personal theories, but you haven't backed them with anything. I'm not trying to be rude here; you seem to have a genuine interest in this subject, but you're basing your ideas on, more than anything else, the mythos of people versus the actual extant record, and the coincidence of word-use.
In ancient times tribes were named after the tribal leader or king; the Pelasgians were descendants of king Pelasgus, Danaans descendants of king Danaus, Egytpians descendants of king Aegyptus, Pelopides descendants of Pelops, Hellenes descendants of Hellen, Dorians descendants of Dorus, Ionians descendants of Ionas, Atreids descendants of Atreus, Perseids descendants of Perseus but Mycenae was actually named after a mushroom.
And herein lies your problem: all the names you mentioned above are part of the Hellenic mythological tradition, which didn't always correspond with reality where Hellenes themselves were concerned, and simply had nothing to do with the reality of non-Hellene peoples.

Again, I point you to the modern example: "Greeks" most certainly do not find their genesis in the tribe of the Graikoi (Γραικοι), whose name the Romans used to describe the entire ethnic group. Nor did the inhabitants of 1st century AD Deutchland call themselves "Germans", regardless of what name the Romans affixed to their "province" or what nickname Roman generals gave themselves.

Paralus,

Thanks--but sometimes I just go looking for it. :wink:

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 12:53 pm
by Paralus
Phoebus wrote:Paralus,

Thanks--but sometimes I just go looking for it.
Err....noted.

Re: Perses ancestor of Persia

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 1:13 am
by satishbhawra43
erses was the son of Andromeda & Perseus, Andromeda was heir to Phoenicia and Perseus heir to Argos.

Re: Perses ancestor of Persia

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 2:57 pm
by azara
Perhaps we should listen to what Herodotus says on the matter. Imagine Greece while Xerxes is preparing his monstruous expedition against Athens ( but the Spartans are one of his targets as well). The city of Argos (supposed homeland of Perseus and his genealogy), out of rivalry and sheer hatred against the Spartans, decides to stay neutral, a someway unpopular decision under the circumstances. Their excuse is an obscure oracle received from Delphi, and the Spartans' refusal to share with the Argives the general command of the allies' army. But in the same days another version of the matter starts to circulate in Greece: that the Argives have received a secret message from the Great King, which Herodotus reports like this:
This, citizens of Argos, is King Xerxes' message. We are persuaded that our ancestor Perses is the son of Perseus, Danae's son, and his mother was Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus. We are therefore your descendants, and it is neither correct for us to move against the people of our ancestors, nor for you to become our enemies to help others. So stay at home peacefully, and we'll bestow on you more honours than on anybody else. ( Her. VII, 150)
Some lines further, Herodotus writes:
But I cannot be sure that Xerxes has really sent to Argos a herald with that message .....
And I am bound to report everything I have been told, but absolutely not to believe it as well
, words wich deserve to be printed in gold on every history book.
Tom Holland, in Persian Fire, has it the other way round: the Argives send heralds to Sardis to tell a startled Xerxes that their tiny city and the Persians have a common ancestor, a Gorgon-slaying, princess-rescuing hero; but unfortunately Holland doesn't indicate the source.
It seems clear that ancient genealogies, like oracles, could easily be manipulated starting from attractive assonances to justify murky business.

Re: Perses ancestor of Persia

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 9:26 pm
by satishbhawra53
Perses was the son of Andromeda & Perseus, Andromeda was heir to Phoenicia and Perseus heir to Argos.

Re: Perses ancestor of Persia

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:11 pm
by marcus
satishbhawra53 wrote:Perses was the son of Andromeda & Perseus, Andromeda was heir to Phoenicia and Perseus heir to Argos.
Yes, you said this before!

ATB