In
Greek mythology,
Arcesius (or
Arkêsios; also spelled
Arceisius) was the son of
Cephalus, and king in
Ithaca. He was father of
Laertes and thus grandfather of
Odysseus. Arcesius's wife (and thus mother of Laertes) was Chalcomedusa, whose origins are not mentioned further, but whose very name,
chalcos ("copper") and
medousa ("guardian" or "protectress"), identifies her as the protector of
Bronze Age metal-working technology.
Of another Arcesius, an architect, Vitruvius (vii, introduction) notes: "Arcesius, on the Corinthian order proportions, and on the Ionic order temple of Aesculapius at Tralles, which it is said that he built with his own hands."
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