When Euripides premiered the Heracleidai, likely in 430 BC, the Peloponnesian invasion of Attica had already occurred. The Athenian audience had witnessed firsthand a Peloponnesian army follow the same path as Euripides’ Eurystheus, laying waste to the land of Attica. They had experienced the abandonment of their countryside and sought refuge in makeshift shelters, even in the temples and shrines dedicated to heroes (Thuc. 2.17.1). This context made Euripides particularly attuned to the plight of the fugitives he portrayed on stage. The tragedy tells the story of Heracles’ sons fleeing from Argos, becoming exiles to escape King Eurystheus’ relentless pursuit. After being driven from every city where they sought refuge due to the unyielding hostility of the Argives, they finally reached Marathon in search of asylum and safety.
However, granting asylum was a complex issue, and Euripides highlights the tensions that could arise from having to make such a decision. The tragedy begins with a violation of Athenian sovereignty by the Argives, who, through their herald, attempt to force Athens to hand over the supplicants. Following the herald’s speech (vv. 134-178), Iolaus responds (vv. 181-231), having accompanied the children on their journey. Both main characters in this conflict appeal to the concepts of freedom and the sovereignty of the city-state. The herald argues that the Argives have the right to exercise sovereignty over those who inhabit their city (οἰκοῦντες πόλιν, v. 142), invoking themes like the superior power of the Argives and the interests of the Athenians. Iolaus’ response is more nuanced. He first references the fairness of the Athenian judicial system, where the accused is allowed to speak after hearing the charges. Then, he challenges Argos’ right to claim Heracles’ children by arguing that they are exiles, and exile entails the loss of citizenship. Finally, he appeals to their common lineage (vv. 207 ff.; cf. Aesch. Supp. 325-326) and the moral obligation to grant asylum.
Two considerations arise regarding the extradition request. First, every extradition request hinges on the disputed status of the exiles. In the herald’s speech, the Heracleidae are described as Argives fleeing their homeland, condemned criminals akin to runaway slaves (τούσδε δραπέτας, v. 140). In contrast, Iolaus views the Heracleidae as exiles driven from their native land (vv. 186, 188, 190); they are no longer Mycenaeans (v. 187) but merely foreigners (ξένοι, v. 189). The crux of the jurisdictional issue is whether they are citizens of Argos or no longer hold that status. Second, Iolaus argues for the necessity of rejecting the extradition request by emphasising the Heracleidae’s status as exiles. He highlights the contrast between what he and the children are at that moment (φεύγομεν) and what they are no longer (ἐπεὶ γὰρ Ἄργους οὐ μέτεσθ᾽ ἡμῖν ἔτι). The loss of citizenship is expressed through the idea that “they are no longer part of Argos,” a phrase commonly found not only in tragedy (Soph. OT 630; Eur. Ion. 1297) but also in various sources (Isoc. 16.46; Dem. 57.1, 23, and 55). This condition means they ‘cannot be taken away as Mycenaeans’ indicating they cannot be subjected to the extradition request. Iolaus references this request twice within a few lines, using technical terms (ἄγοι, v. 187; ἤλαυνες, v. 196) and emphasising that Argos’ jurisdiction cannot extend over all of Greece. The fear of the Argives will not compel the Athenians to expel the exiles, because ‘Athens is not Trachis’ (cf. Hecat. FGrHist 1 F 30: the Heracleidae sought asylum from Ceyx, king of Trachis, who ordered them to leave the city for fear of Eurystheus’ reaction). Ultimately, Athens’ ability to resist the demands of a foreign power lies in its sovereignty (v. 198).
(Ἰόλ.) ἄναξ, ὑπάρχει γὰρ τόδ᾽ ἐν τῇ σῇ χθονί,
εἰπεῖν ἀκοῦσαί τ᾽ ἐν μέρει πάρεστί μοι,
κοὐδείς μ᾽ ἀπώσει πρόσθεν, ὥσπερ ἄλλοθεν.
ἡμῖν δὲ καὶ τῷδ᾽ οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐν μέρει·
185 ἐπεὶ γὰρ Ἄργους οὐ μέτεσθ᾽ ἡμῖν ἔτι,
ψήφῳ δοκῆσαν, ἀλλὰ φεύγομεν πάτραν,
πῶς ἂν δικαίως ὡς Μυκηναίους ἄγοι
ὅδ᾽ ὄντας ἡμᾶς, οὓς ἀπήλασαν χθονός;
ξένοι γάρ ἐσμεν. ἢ τὸν Ἑλλήνων ὅρον
190 φεύγειν δικαιοῦθ᾽ ὅστις ἂν τἄργος φύγῃ;
οὔκουν Ἀθήνας γ᾽· οὐ γὰρ Ἀργείων φόβῳ
τοὺς Ἡρακλείους παῖδας ἐξελῶσι γῆς.
οὐ γάρ τι Τραχίς ἐστιν οὐδ᾽ Ἀχαιικὸν
πόλισμ᾽, ὅθεν σὺ τούσδε, τῇ δίκῃ μὲν οὔ,
195 τὸ δ᾽ Ἄργος ὀγκῶν, οἷάπερ καὶ νῦν λέγεις,
ἤλαυνες ἱκέτας βωμίους καθημένους.
εἰ γὰρ τόδ᾽ ἔσται καὶ λόγους κρινοῦσι σούς,
οὐκ οἶδ᾽ Ἀθήνας τάσδ᾽ ἐλευθέρας ἔτι.
ἀλλ᾽ οἶδ᾽ ἐγὼ τὸ τῶνδε λῆμα καὶ φύσιν·
200 θνῄσκειν θελήσουσ᾽· ἡ γὰρ αἰσχύνη <πάρος>
τοῦ ζῆν παρ᾽ ἐσθλοῖς ἀνδράσιν νομίζεται.
(IOLAUS) My lord, since this is allowed in your land, I can speak and listen in turn, and no one will push me away without being heard, as they have elsewhere. Between us and this man there is nothing in common. Since we no longer have a share in Argos, as was decided by vote, but are fugitives from our native land, how could this man justly lead us off as Mycenaeans, when they have driven us out of the country? For we are foreigners. [Turning to the HeraId] Or do you claim that whoever is a fugitive from Argos should be a fugitive from the whole of Greece? [190] Well certainly not from Athens! They will not drive the children of Heracles from their land for fear of Argives! For this is not Trachis or some Achaean town from where, with no regard for justice, but extolling Argos with such words as you speak right now, you sought to drive these children away as they were seated as suppliants at the altar. If this happens and they decide in favour of your arguments, I do not recognize Athens here as any longer free. But I know the spirit and the character of these people: they will be willing to die. For a sense of honour counts for more than life in the judgement of noble men (translation by W. Allan).
- W. Allan (ed.), Euripides. The Children of Heracles, Warminster 2001
- M. Barbato, The Ideology of Democratic Athens: Institutions, Orators and the Mythical Past, Edinburgh 2020
- E. Isayev, Hosts and Higher Powers: Asylum Requests and Sovereignty, in C. Smith (ed.), Sovereignty: A Global Perspective, Proceedings of the British Academy 253, 2022, 282–306
- L. Loddo, Rules for the Reception of Exiles in the Treaty Between Sinope and Heraclea Pontica (I. Sinope 1), CQ 73.1, 2023, 90-100
- R. Lonis, Extradition et prise de corps des refugiés en Grèce, in R. Lonis (ed.) L’Étranger dans le monde grec, Nancy 1988, 69-88
- D. Mendelsohn, Gender and the City in Euripides’ Political Plays, Oxford – New York 2002
- A. Tzanetou, City of Suppliants: Tragedy and the Athenian Empire, Austin 2012
- F. Yoon, Euripides: Children of Heracles, London – New York 2020
- J. Wilkins (ed.), Euripides. Heraclidae, Oxford 1993