Argead dynasty
The Argead dynasty (Greek: Ἀργεάδαι, romanized: Argeádai), also known as the Temenid dynasty (Greek: Τημενίδαι, Tēmenídai) was an ancient Macedonian royal house of Dorian Greek provenance. They were the founders and the ruling dynasty of the kingdom of Macedon from about 700 to 310 BC.
| Argeads Ἀργεάδαι | |
|---|---|
| Royal house | |
Vergina Sun | |
| Parent house | Temenids (Heracleidae) |
| Country | Macedonia (Ancient Greece) |
| Founded | 7th century BC |
| Final ruler | Alexander IV of Macedon |
| Titles | Basileus of Macedonia, King of Persia, King of Asia, Pharaoh of Egypt (Thirty-second Dynasty of Egypt), Hegemon of the Hellenic League, Strategos Autokrator of Greece |
| Estate(s) | Macedonia |
| Dissolution | 310 BC |
| Cadet branches | Ptolemaic dynasty (?) |
| Periods and dynasties of Babylon |
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All years are BC |
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See also: List of kings by Period and Dynasty |
Their tradition, as described in ancient Greek historiography, traced their origins to Argos, of Peloponnese in Southern Greece, hence the name Argeads or Argives. Initially rulers of the tribe of the same name, by the time of Philip II they had expanded their reign further, to include under the rule of Macedonia all Upper Macedonian states. The family's most celebrated members were Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great, under whose leadership the kingdom of Macedonia gradually gained predominance throughout Greece, defeated the Achaemenid Empire and expanded as far as Egypt and India. The mythical founder of the Argead dynasty is King Caranus. The Argeads claimed descent from Heracles through his great-great-grandson Temenus, also king of Argos.