Tectamus

Tectamus /ˈtɛktəməs/[1] (Ancient Greek: Τέκταμος "craftsman",[2] derived from tectainomai "to build", "plan", from tecton, "carpenter", "builder") was a king of Crete and hero of ancient Hellenic mythology. He was also called Tectaphus[3], Teutamus (Τεύταμος), Tectauus (Τεκταῦος) and Tectaeus (Τεκταῖος).

Name

Joseph Vendryes had suggested that the name Teutamus, after the legendary Pelasgian founder, may contain the Proto-Indo-European root *teutéh_a- ('tribe, people').[4] Later scholars proposed a relation of Pelasgian Teutamus with similar names that appear in Italy in later times.[5]

Mythology

Tectamus was the son of Dorus and grandson of Hellen. According to Diodorus Siculus, Tectamus invaded Crete together with a horde of Aeolian and Pelasgian settlers and became the island's king.[6] It was the third of the tribes that migrated to Crete. According to another version, Tectamus was a chief of Dorians and Achaeans.[7] He married Cretheus' (Cres’) daughter who gave birth to his son Asterion.

In later Greek historiography

Historian Ctesias wrote of a king of "Assyrian" provenance named Teutamus, and this historical personage appears in an epic tale involving Memnon, son of Eos.[8]

Notes

1. James Knowles (1845) A Pronouncing and Explanatory Dictionary of the English Language
2. Robert Graves. The Greek Myths (1960)
3. Stephanus of Byzantium, s.v. Dōrion
4. Vendryes, Joseph. "Teutomatos". In: Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 83^e année, N. 5, 1939. p. 478. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/crai.1939.77232] ; www.persee.fr/doc/crai_0065-0536_1939_num_83_5_77232
5. Briquel, Dominique. Les Pélasges en Italie. Recherches sur l'histoire de la légende (Monographie). Rome: Ecole française de Rome, 1984. p. XVIII. (Bibliothèque des Écoles françaises d'Athènes et de Rome, 252) [DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/befar.1984.1217] ; www.persee.fr/doc/befar_0257-4101_1984_mon_252_1
6. Diodorus Siculus, 4.60.2
7. Diodorus Siculus, 5.80.2
8. Petit, Thierry. "Amathousiens, Éthiopiens et Perses". In: Cahiers du Centre d'Études Chypriotes. Volume 28, 1998. p. 77. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/cchyp.1998.1340] ; www.persee.fr/doc/cchyp_0761-8271_1998_num_28_1_1340

References

• Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History translated by Charles Henry Oldfather. Twelve volumes. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989. Vol. 3. Books 4.59–8. Online version at Bill Thayer's Web Site
• Graves, Robert, The Greek Myths: The Complete and Definitive Edition. Penguin Books Limited. 2017. ISBN 978-0-241-98338-6, 024198338X