Alcmenes or Alcamenes, Alkamenos, was the king of Sparta, of the Agiad dynasty, from c. 740 to c. 700 BC.

According to Pausanias

Pausanias (geographer)

Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...

, he was a commander in the night-expedition against Ampheia, which began the First Messenian War

First Messenian War

The First Messenian War was a war between Messenia and Sparta. It began in 743 BC and ended in 724 BC, according the dates given by Pausanias. They are considered solid....

, but died before its 4th year. In his reign Helos was taken, a place near the mouth of the Eurotas

Eurotas

In Greek mythology, Eurotas was a son of Myles and grandson of Lelex, eponymous ancestor of the Leleges, the pre-Greek people residing, in the myth, in the Eurotas Valley. He had no male heir, but he did have a daughter, Sparta. Eurotas bequeathed the kingdom to her husband, Lacedaemon, the son of...

, the last independent hold most likely of the old Achaea

Achaea

Achaea is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Greece. It is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The capital is Patras. The population exceeds 300,000 since 2001.-Geography:...

n population, and the supposed origin of the term "helot

Helots

The helots: / Heílôtes) were an unfree population group that formed the main population of Laconia and the whole of Messenia . Their exact status was already disputed in antiquity: according to Critias, they were "especially slaves" whereas to Pollux, they occupied a status "between free men and...

".

He succeeded his father Teleclus

Teleclus

Teleclus or Teleklos was a king of Sparta during the eighth century BC. He was the son of King Archelaus and grandson of King Agesilaus I....

 and was succeeded by his son Polydorus

Polydorus

In Greek mythology, Polydorus referred to several different people.*An Argive, son of Hippomedon...

.