1. The House of Atreus
Amanda Hill

2. The Beginning Zeus & Plouto
Zeus is the King of the Gods and son of the Titans
Plouto is a nymph of Mount Sipylos in Lydia
Together they gave birth to Tantalus
Tantalus was given the region of Sipylus to rule
Mount Sipylos is known for the Manisa relief, a face carved into rock cliff near the mountain

3. Tantalus The Family of Tantalus The accounts of his wife differ
Either she was Euryanassa or Eurythemista, both daughters of river gods, or Clytie, daughter of Aphidamantess, or Dione, one of the Pleiades
Together they had three children
Broteas
Pelops
Niobe

4. The Famous Dinner The Crimes of Tantalus
Tantalus hosted a dinner in which he invited the Gods
Three versions of the crimes of Tantalus
He gossiped with mortals about the divine plans of the gods
Stole divine nectar and ambrosia to the mortals
To test the knowledge of the Gods he cut up and served his son Pelops in a stew

5. FOILED!
The Gods knew
The Gods immediately knew that Tantalus fed them Pelops
No one except Demeter ate the stew
She was distracted by the loss of her daughter, Persephone, to Hades
The Gods put Pelops back together
They needed to give him an ivory shoulder because Demeter ate his original one

6. The Punishment of Tantalus
The Underworld
Tantalus’ kingdom was cursed by the Gods and Tantalus was placed in the Underworld
His punishment was that he was forever hungry but could never reach the fruit from the tree above him and he was forever thirsty but could never drink from the pool he stood in
We see Tantalus during Odysseus’ journey to the Underworld in the Odyssey

7. Tantalus’ Children Broteas and Niobe Broteas Niobe
A great hunter, refused to honor Artemis so the Goddess drove him mad and he killed himself. It is said that he had a son named Tantalus.
Niobe
Married King Amphion of Thebes and had six sons and six daughters. She bragged about it to the Titan Leto whose two children, Artemis and Apollo, killed all of Niobe’s children in revenge.
She was eventually turned into a rock on Mount Sipylus called the Weeping Rock

8. Tantalus’ Children Pelops and the Curse Pelops
Married Hippodamia after defeating and killing her father in a chariot race and also Myrtilus
Pelops gained help from Poseidon
Had three sons: Atreus, Thyestes, and Chrysippus
Atreus and Thyestes killed Chrysippus and were banished
Hippodamia hanged herself
His bones were brought to Troy by the Greeks during the Trojan War because prophecy told them it would help them conquer the city

9. Atreus and Thyestes Brotherly Strife
Atreus becomes King of Mycenae and has two sons, Agamemnon and Menelaus, with his wife Aerope
He makes a vow to sacrifice his best lamb to Artemis, but he finds a golden lamb too good to give up and gives it to Aerope
Aerope and Thyestes were having an affair, and so Aerope gave the golden lamb to him which he used to claim the Mycenae throne
Thyestes agreed to give back the throne when the sun moved backwards
Zeus made it happen and Atreus reclaimed the throne and banished his brother

10. Atreus and Thyestes It Gets Worse
Atreus finds out about the affair and seeks revenge
Atreus invites Thyestes to a feast comprised of pieces of his dead sons, Tantalus and Pleisthenes
Thyestes and his daughter, Pelopia, were cast into exile
An oracle predicted that if Thyestes had a son with Pelopia the son would one day kill Atreus
Therefore, Thyestes rapes his daughter

11. Atreus and Thyestes Back in Mycenae
A famine plagues the city that can only end with the return of Thyestes
Atreus searches for Thyestes and finds Pelopia who he marries
Pelopia is pregnant with Thyestes son at this point
She lets Atreus believe it is his son, Aegisthus
Years pass and Agamemnon and Menelaus find Thyestes and bring him back to Mycenae for their father
Atreus throws Thyestes into a Dungeon in hopes of ending the famine

12. Atreus and Thyestes Back in Mycenae
Atreus demands that Aegisthus kill Thyestes
Pelopia recognizes Thyestes as her rapist and kills herself
Aegisthus kills Atreus
Thyestes ascends to power for a brief reign
Exiles Agamemnon and Menelaus to Sparta
King Tyndareus of Sparta help Agamemnon and Menelaus overthrow and exile Thyestes
Offers his daughters, Clytemnestra and Helen, to the brothers as a token of good will

13. Menelaus The Life of Menelaus
Helen is stolen from Menelaus and given to Paris as a prize for selecting Aphrodite at the Judgement of Paris
Menelaus and Agamemnon take the Greeks to war against the Trojans in the 10 year long Trojan War
The Greeks win and Menelaus recovers his lost wife
Menelaus and Helen have no male heir

14. Agamemnon The Life of Agamemnon
Agamemnon leaves Clytemnestra behind to go off and fight in the Trojan War
They have a son, Orestes
Aegisthus has an affair with Clytemnestra while Agamemnon is away
Together they have three children
Agamemnon returns from war only to be murdered by Aegisthus and Clytemnestra

15. Orestes The Life of Orestes
Years after the death of his father, Agamemnon, Orestes returns to Mycenae and kills both his mother and Aegisthus
The Gods decide to exonerate Orestes and this is the end of the curse on the house of Atreus
Orestes marries Hermione, the daughter of Menelaus and Helen
They have a son, Tisamenus, who takes over the kingdom of Orestes and later dies in battle
Eventually dies of a snakebite

16. The End of the Curse of the House of Atreus

17. Biblography
“Broteas.” Greek Mythology, Thyestes in
Cartwright , Mark. “Tantalus.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 28 Feb. 2017,
Greek Mythology.” Greek Legends and Myths,
Kamil, Miriam. “The Curse of the House of Atreus.” Ancient Origins, Ancient Origins, 7 Sept. 2014,
“PLOUTO.” PLUTO (Plouto) - Lydian Nymph of Greek Mythology,
Struck, Peter. Greek & Roman Mythology - Greek Tragedy,
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Orestes.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 12 Nov. 2010,
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Niobe.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 18 Apr. 2013,