The river-god, Inachus (Ἴναχος), was the son of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. Inachus was the first inhabitant of Argolis. The Inachus River flow the valley of Argolis to the Gulf of Argolis. Inachus married a nymph named Melia, and became the father of two sons, Phoroneus (Φορωνεύς) and Aegialeus (Αἰγιάλεος), and of possibly two daughters, Io and Mycene.

Poseidon and Hera sought to be the patron deity of Argos or Argolis. They asked the Inachus and two other river-gods to act as judges. They awarded the land or city to Hera. Enrage over losing to his sister, Poseidon caused the rivers to dry up. Sometimes, Poseidon would flood the valley of Argolis.

Some says that Io was Inachus' daughter, while there are couple of other possibilities. Io was said to be the daughter of Iasus, or of Peiras (Hesiod called him, Peiren).

His daughter, Io, who was seduced by Zeus and persecuted by the god's jealous wife, Hera, fled Argolis in a form of a cow. Io suffered many hardships, until she finally reached Egypt. Zeus changed her back to her form. There she bore a son, named Epaphus (Ἔπαφος), to Zeus.

Io then married the king of Egypt, Telegonus. Her descendants would later return to Greece and found two powerful kingdoms in Thebes and in Argos (two other kingdoms would be found in Argolis, Tiryns and Mycenae). See Danaans.

For the full story of the hardship of Io, go to Heroines.

For now, we'll turn our attention to Inachus' descendants from the Phoroneus' line.

Inachus, as I had said before, was the first inhabitant of Argolis. He was the son of Oceanus and Tethys, and he the river-god of the Inachus River. Most authors say that Inachus was the father of Io, though she was also known to be daughter of Iasus or that of Peiras, by other authors. Because of her involvement with Zeus, she later lived in Egypt, until her descendants returned back to Greece. See the genealogy, on the Early Houses of Argos.

Either Argos was founded either by Inachus or by his son, Phoroneus, which the city was first named as Phoronea.

Phoroneus had married a nymph, who was named Teledice or Cinna, and became the father of Apis and Niobe (Νιόβη). Phoroneus also married Cerdo, and he was the father of Car. Car had migrated to Megara, where he founded the citadel, Caria.

Inachus also had a son named Aegialeus, but he died childless. The whole region of Argolis, including Sicyonia, Achaea and the Isthmus was named Aegialeia. He had also founded the city of Aegialeia, which was later changed to Sicyon.

Phoroneus' son, Apis, who had named the whole Peloponnesian peninsula to Apia, died childless. His death was the result of the plot Telchis and Thelxion, because his rule was brutal. Apis was so cruel and brutal, people referred to him as a tyrant.

So Argus (Ἄργος) succeeded his uncle (Apis). Argus was a son of Zeus and Niobe, who was Apis' sister, became the new king of Phoronea, and he renamed the city after himself, Argos.

Niobe may have also being the mother of Pelasgus (Pelasgos, Πελασγός). Pelasgus became the king of Argos, and during his reign, he had daughter named Larissa, which he would later name the citadel of Argos after her. The people of Pelasgus settled in other part of the Peloponnese and they were known as the Pelasgians (Πελασγοί). Others, such as Hesiod, say that Pelasgus was born from the earth. Pelasgus was the first ruler of southern Peloponnese, especially in Arcadia and Messenia, where there is a strong myth about the Pelasgians.

After Argus, the next few generations is confusing, because of the number of different and conflicting sources. It remained confusing, until the descendants of Io, Danaüs and Aegyptus, returned to Argos, and took over the kingdom.

First I will follow the lineage of Argus, by Apollodorus, the author of the Library.

Argus had married a nymph named Evadne (Εἰάδνη), daughter of Strymon and Neaira. Argus had four sons: Ecabasus (Ecabasos), Peiras, Epidaurus and Criassus. According to Apollodorus, each of his sons ruled after the other.

Epidaurus (Epidauros) founded the city of Epidaurus. While Peiras (Peiren) was said to be the father of Io, according to Hesiod, in the fragmented poem, titled Aegimius.

Argus had another son Iasus (Ἴασος, Iasos), by a different nymph named Ismene, daughter of the river-god Asopus (Asopos, Ἀσωπός). And this Iasus was said to be the father of Io. Apollodorus seemed to prefer this father of Io.

Ecbasus was the father of Agenor, and Agenor was the father of Argus Panoptes. Argus Panoptes had hundred eyes and immense physical strength. Argus Panoptes was both a hero and a villain. As a hero, he slew the monster Echidna. As a villain, Hera had set him to guard Io to keep the girl away from Zeus. Hermes had killed Argus Panoptes.

Here you will find several family trees of the early kings of Argos.

According to the Greek geographer, Pausanias, he wrote in the Description of Greece, there is another variation to line of Argus. Argus was the father of Phorbas (Φόρβας), Peiras and Tiryns (Τίρυνς). Phorbas was the father of Triopas (Triops, Τριόπας). Triopas was the father of Pelasgus, Agenor, Iasus and Messene. Iasus was the father of Io, while Agenor was the father of Krotopos.

Krotopos was the father of Sthenelus and Psamathe. Apollo had raped Psamathe, who became the mother of Linus (Linos, ). While Sthenelus was father of Gelanor (Γελάνωρ). It was during Gelanor's reign that Danaüs arrived with his daughters.

You will find another two family trees that followed Pausanias' House of Argos.

Danaüs (Danaus or Danaos) was the son of Belus (Belos, Βἣλος), king of Egypt, and Anchinoë (Anchinous), daughter of the river-god Nile. He had a twin brother named Aegyptus (Aigyptos, Αἴγυπτος); they were descendants of Io.

Danaüs had fifty daughters, while Aegyptus had fifty sons. Their father gave Libya to Danaüs while Aegyptus had Arabia. After Belus' death, his brother became king and named the land after himself, Egypt. When his brother wanted him to marry his fifty daughters to Aegyptus' fifty sons, Danaüs suspected treachery from his brother, so he fled to Argos with his daughters.

Somehow, Danaüs managed to replace the current king of Argos, Gelanor (or Pelasgus according to Aeschylus), claiming to be descendant of Io. After Danaüs' long reign in Argos, the Argives became also known as the Danaäns.

But Danaüs' nephews followed him to Argos and he was to force to allow the marriage to take place. During their wedding night, Danaüs gave a dagger to each daughter with instructions to murder their new husbands in their sleep. Only one daughter, Hypermnestra, disobeyed her father's order. Hypermnestra helped her new husband, Lynceus, to escape. Later, the young couple was reconciled with Danaüs, and Lynceus succeeded his father-in-law (and uncle) to the throne.

The Danaäns were the people of Argos, who were descendants of their king, Danaüs. Homer frequently used the name Danaäns to mean not only who come from Argos, but a name to the Greeks in general.

Lynceus' son, Abas, succeeded Lynceus. It was written that Abas was a mighty warrior, but there is no mythology of his own to tell us what heroic deeds Abas have done. His wife Aglaea, daughter of Mantineus, bore him twins, Acrisius (Acrisios or Ἀκρίσιοσ) and Proëtus (Proetus, Proitos or Προιτος), who even fought one another even in her womb.

The rivalry between the two brothers was so great that when Acrisius became king, his brother Proëtus wanted the throne too. The brothers with their followers fought a battle for the Argive throne. Acrisius won and drove his brother out of Argolis.

Proëtus went to Lycia, where he was entertained by the Lycian king, Iobates. According to Homer, Proëtus married Iobates' daughter, Anteia, but other writers say that her name was Stheneboia. In any case, Iobates provided Proëtus with an army.

Later they decided to settle this by single combat, but they fought to a draw. They decided to divide Argolis into two, Acrisius ruling Argos, while Proëtus ruled Tiryns, a kingdom east of Argos. It is said during Proëtus' reign in Tiryns, the Cyclops came and built the fortified walls for him.

Acrisius learned from the oracle that any son of his daughter Danaë (Δανάη) was destined to kill him. To prevent this destiny from coming past, he had tried to confine his daughter in the bronze chamber, so that no man could seduce his daughter. This precaution couldn't stop a determined god. Zeus appeared in the form of a shower of gold, where he landed on her lap. (In one version, Zeus was not the seducer of Danaë; Proëtus was the real father of Danaë's child.) When the King discovered Danaë have given birth to a son, he could not bring himself to murder his daughter and grandson, so he put Danae and her son in a chest and threw them into the sea. Zeus sends Poseidon to bring the child to safety, where the son of Danaë grew up on the island of Seriphus.

Acrisius' grandson, the hero Perseus, had won fame because he had slain the monster Gorgon. When Perseus accidentally killed his grandfather at the funeral games, the hero succeeded Acrisius, but he swapped kingdom with his great uncle Proëtus or with Proëtus' son, Megapenthes, so that Perseus and his descendants ruled Tiryns, while his great-uncle (or uncle) ruled in Argos. Perseus became the ancestor of Greece's greatest hero, Heracles. See Perseïds about the descendants of Acrisius and Perseus.

At first, Proëtus ruled in Tiryns. His court had famous guests, such as the hero Bellerophon and the seer Melampus. When he gave Tiryns to Perseus, while he received his late brother's kingdom, his descendants would become involved in the greatest war before the Trojan War, which was known as the Seven Against Thebes. See Proëtus and his Descendants.

Acrisius (Acrisios, Ἀκρίσιοσ) consulted the oracle from Delphi, about having a son; instead the oracle warned him that his grandson would kill him one day.

Acrisius tried to avoid the fulfilment of the oracle, by first imprisoning his daughter Danaë (Danae, Δανάη) in a tower. This may have kept mortal men away from his daughter, but Acrisius never took account that a god may be involved. Zeus lay with her in a form of golden rain falling from heaven. (A different version says that it was Acrisius' brother, Proëtus (Proitos), who seduced Danaë, therefore Perseus (Περσεύς) would be the son of Proëtus, Acrisius' main rival.)

Later, finding Danaë had given birth to a son, the king locked Danaë and his grandson, Perseus in a chest, and threw chest into the sea.

When Acrisius' grandson, Perseus, grew to manhood and return to Argos with his mother and wife, Acrisius fled to Thessaly. During a funeral game held by King Teutamides of Larisa for his father, Acrisius was accidentally killed by a discus thrown by Perseus, who had participated in the funeral games.

Feeling ashamed for killing his grandfather, Perseus decided to trade his throne in Argos for Tiryns with either his great uncle, Proëtus (Proetus) or with Proëtus' son, Megapenthes.

See Perseus for the full story of his adventure.

Later, Perseus founded a new city in Argolis and called it Mycenae. According to Pausanias, Perseus was terribly thirsty, seeking water on the hill. On the hill, he pulled a mushroom called mykes out of the ground, where water miraculously gushed from the ground.

However, Pausanias had also recalled a different tradition that was found also in the Great Eoiae, where the city was named after Mycene, daughter of the river god Inachus and wife of Arestor. Apollodorus didn't say that Perseus founding the city, but he did fortified Mycenae with walls.

Mycenae seemed to have grown even more powerful than Tiryns, even surpassing Argos. It was rather confusing about the two kingdoms, since Argos was frequently used interchangeably with Mycenae. The three great Athenian tragedians often wrote that, Agamemnon was as king of Argos, instead of Mycenae.

Perseus' son, Electryon, ruled Mycenae, until he was probably killed accidentally by his nephew and son-in-law, Amphitryon. Sthenelus took the throne that should have belonged to Amphitryon. When the god Zeus was expecting the birth of his son, Heracles, by Alcmene, wife of Amphitryon, the god expected his son to rule both Mycenae and Tiryns. Zeus boasted that the descendant of Perseus to be born that day would rule Argolis. The goddess, Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, delayed Heracles birth, while she hurried Sthenelus' son, Eurystheus (Εὐρυσθεύς), to be delivered first. Therefore, Eurystheus succeeded his father to the throne rather than the god's own son.

Eurystheus was married to Antimache and was the father of Admeta or Admete, and of four sons – Alexander, Eurybius, Iphimedon, Mentor and Perimedes.

Eurystheus was born a weakling, because Hera had hurried his birth, so that he becomes the future king, instead of his cousin Heracles. Eurystheus was born two months premature. Because he was weak, Eurystheus became a notorious coward. He was an exact opposite of his heroic cousin, Heracles, who would win glories and later immortality.

Eurystheus ruled Mycenae and Tiryns, to whom Heracles had to perform the Twelve Labours for Eurystheus, to atone for his murder of his own sons. When Heracles brought the Erymanthian Boar alive, Eurystheus had hid in the bronze vase. Eurystheus had also ordered that Heracles should display all future successful task (with dangerous animals), outside of the city's walls. See fourth labour of Heracles.

Eurystheus never felt secure in his throne, even when Heracles was serving him in the Twelve Labours. Later, Eurystheus banished Heracles from Tiryns, fearing that the hero may want the throne for himself.

Even with his cousin's death, he still didn't feel secure in his kingdom, so Eurystheus persecuted Heracles' other surviving children. Heracles children couldn't stay in Trachis, because Ceyx was too weak to defend them. Iolaus, nephew of Heracles, was their only protector, guided them to Athens as suppliants.

According to Euripides' tragedy, Demophon, son of the Athenian hero Theseus, was king of Athens. Demophon agreed to aid the Heraclids who were actually his cousins, agreed to aid them with his army. They confronted and defeated Eurystheus' army at Marathon. A miracle was witnessed that day as Iolaus regained his youth for a day, during this battle; a gift from Hebe, Heracles' new wife. It was Iolaus who captured Eurystheus and brought the defeated king to his grandmother, Alcmene, mother of Heracles. It was Alcmene, who gouged out Eurystheus' eyes. (See Heraclids for a fuller tale about the children of Heracles and later descendants.)

Eurystheus' cousins, Atreus and Thyestes, the sons of Pelops, king of Pisa, succeeded to the throne of Mycenae. See House of Atreus.

At first, Proëtus (Προιτος) ruled in his kingdom at Tiryns, when his twin brother was still ruling in the city of Argos. Proëtus and Acrisius were bitter rivals, both seeking power in Argos.

Proëtus had only received Argos from his great-nephew, Perseus, when the hero had accidentally killed his grandfather. Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danaë, daughter of Acrisius.

Proëtus received several guests and suppliants in his court. One of his guests was the hero Bellerophon from Corinth. His wife Stheneboea (Anteia) had tried to seduce the young guest. His rejection of Stheneboea had caused her to conspire against him - to have her husband's suppliant killed. The Queen lied to her husband saying that Bellerophon had tried to ravish her. Since Zeus frowned upon host killing guest, Proëtus decided to send Bellerophon to his father-in-law, Iobates, father of Stheneboea and king of Lycia. This plan failed, because Bellerophon became a great hero, when he killed the monster Chimerea, and defeated the Solymi and the Amazons in battles. Iobates admired Bellerophon so much that he married his other daughter, Philinoë, to the young hero. This marriage caused the jealous Stheneboea to commit suicide. (See Bellerophon in Heroes II.)

As king of Argos, Proëtus' three daughters by his wife Stheneboea (Anteia) were struck with madness, for their refusal to accept the rites of Dionysus.

Bias (Βίας) and the famous seer Melampus (Μελάμπους), the sons of the Aeolid Amythaon, arrived in Argos from Messenia. Melampus offered to cure the women, only if Proëtus gave his brother a third of his kingdom, as fees for his services. Proëtus refused. Later, when more Argive women were also inflicted by the madness, Melampus wanted another third for himself. Leaving the king with no choice, Proëtus consented to the demand.

Having cured the Argive women, Melampus married Lysippe, while his brother married Iphianassa. Proëtus and his descendants had to share the rule of his kingdom with his two son-in-laws and their descendants. (See Melampus.)

From his own line, Megapenthes (Μεγαπένθης) succeeded him. Strangely enough, the geographer Pausanias wrote that after Acrisius' death, Perseus had exchanged kingdom with Megapenthe, Proëtus' daughter, not his son Megapenthes. This is most likely an error.

The descendants of Megapenthes (son of Proëtus), Bias and Melampus, participated the famous but unsuccessful war against Thebes (see Seven Against Thebes).

Adrastus (Ἄδραστου) was the son of Talaüs (Talaus, Ταλαός) and grandson of Bias. Adrastus was king of Argos at the time of the war. Adrastus married his niece, Amphithea, daughter of Pronax. Adrastus was also the father of Aegialeus, Argeia and Deïpyle (Deipyle). Some say that he was the father of Cyanippus and Aegialeia, though most say they were his grandchildren.

Adrastus has a sister, named Eriphyle, who was married to the Argive seer, Amphiaraüs (Amphiaraus, Ἀμφιάραος), who was descendant of Melampus; Adrastus and Amphiaraüs were cousins. At one time, Amphiaraüs rebelled against Adrastus and became king of Argos for a short period of time. They had Eriphyle to settle the dispute between Adrastus and Amphiaraüs, and she favoured her brother because of the bribe she gave him. Eriphyle would accept bribe again, from her new brother-in-law, Polyneices, to favour war in Thebes, which Amphiaraüs objected to.

When two exiled princes came to his court: Tydeus of Calydon and Polyneices of Thebes, Adrastus married his two daughters to the leaders and promised each of them to restore them to power. Adrastus raised an army, led by him and six other Argive leaders to Thebes. The Thebans defeated the Argive army, and the six leaders, as well as Polyneices and Tydeus, were killed. Adrastus was the only leader to survive the war.

See Seven Against Thebes, for the story about the war between Argos and Thebes.

Ten years later, the sons of the seven champions known as Epigoni, led by Alcmeon, son of Amphiaraüs (Amphiaraus), to avenge their fathers' death. When Adrastus' own son, Aegialeus, was killed, the aged king of Argos and the only survivor of the seven champions of the previous war, died of grief. Adrastus' young grandson, Cyanippus, became the new king of Argos.

Diomedes, a son of Tydeus, was captain of the Argives forces at Troy and brought eighty ships with him from Argos, Tiryns, Epidaurus and Troezen. His lieutenants Sthenelus, son of Capaneus, and Euryalus, son of Mecisteus, accompanied him. All three leaders had previously marched with the Epigoni against Thebes and all three were suitors of Helen. Diomedes was one of the more prominent warriors in the war in Troy. Next to Achilles, Diomedes was the strongest warrior on the Greek side.

Not long after Diomedes' return with the Argive army, the young king Cyanippus, grandson of Adrastus, died. Cylarabes, son of Sthenelus, became the king of Argos. Although Diomedes was the son-in-law of Adrastus, Cylarabes being the descendant of Proëtus had better claim to the throne than the great hero did.

Diomedes was later forced into exile, when his wife took Cometes, the son of Sthenelus, as her lover. Diomedes migrated to Argyripa, a city in southern Italy. According to Vergil in the Aeneid, Diomedes refused to aid Turnus and fight a war against the Trojan hero Aeneas.

Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, later seized the throne from Cylarabes. Orestes' son, Tisamenus, succeeded him, but he was killed fighting the return of the Heraclids.