Atys (King of the Maeonians)
Encyclopedia
Atys was the second king of Maeonia (later known as Lydia
) and father of Lydus
, sons of Manes. He was the second king of the Atyad dynasty according to Herodotus
.
Herodotus later (1.94) relates that Maeonia (Lydia) was beset with famine during Atys' reign, on which account the games of dice
, huckle-bones and ball were developed, and the Maeonians spent every other day fasting and playing these games for 18 years. Not finding relief from hunger, Atys then sent half the population of Maeonia with his son Tursenos
away on ships, and these settled in Umbria
, calling themselves Tyrrhenians
.
The native Lydian historian Xanthus
, who wrote slightly after Herodotus, though his work survives only in fragments, also affirmed that King Atys was father to two sons, Lydus and Torubus, who he says parted company, splitting the Maeonian nation into two, Lydians and "Torubians".
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
) and father of Lydus
Lydus
Lydus was the third king of Maeonia in succession to his father Atys. He was the third and last king of the Atyad dynasty. According to Herodotus, Maeonia became known as Lydia after Lydus's reign.-See also:*List of Kings of Lydia...
, sons of Manes. He was the second king of the Atyad dynasty according to Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
.
Herodotus later (1.94) relates that Maeonia (Lydia) was beset with famine during Atys' reign, on which account the games of dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
, huckle-bones and ball were developed, and the Maeonians spent every other day fasting and playing these games for 18 years. Not finding relief from hunger, Atys then sent half the population of Maeonia with his son Tursenos
Tyrrhenus
In Etruscan mythology, Tyrrhenus was one of the founders of the Etruscan Federation of twelve cities, along with his brother Tarchon. Herodotus describes him as the saver of Etruscans, because he led them from Lydia to Etruria. His name was given to the Etruscan people by the Greek. The Romans...
away on ships, and these settled in Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, calling themselves Tyrrhenians
Tyrrhenians
The Tyrrhenians or Tyrsenians is an exonym used by Greek authors to refer to a non-Greek people.- Earliest references :...
.
The native Lydian historian Xanthus
Xanthus
Xanthus may refer to:In Greek mythology:*Divine**Xanthus, the gods' name for Scamander, the great river of Troy and its patron god**Xanthus, one of the twelve sons of Pan who were allied with Dionysus*Human...
, who wrote slightly after Herodotus, though his work survives only in fragments, also affirmed that King Atys was father to two sons, Lydus and Torubus, who he says parted company, splitting the Maeonian nation into two, Lydians and "Torubians".