Gli Egineti, gli Eacidi e le figlie di Asopo

Since their discovery the pedimental groups of the Aphaia temple in Aegina, the so-called Aeginetans, have been interpreted as representations of struggles between Greeks and Trojans. The scenes should refer to the first (eastern pediment) and to the second (western pediment) expedition against Troja, led by, respectively, Herakles and the Atreids against the Trojan kings Laomedon and Priam. The pediments celebrated the Aiakids, descendants of the first and unique king of the island, Aiakos and among the most important heroes of the Greek world: Telamon, Peleus, Ajax, Teukros, Achilles. The relevance of these heroes at Aegina is witnessed by many literary and historical sources. Other interpretations of the statuary groups must be rejected. In order to get closer to those heroes, numerous Hellenic centres tried to establish special links of kinship (syngheneia) with the island of the Saronic gulf through the genealogical tradition of the river Asopos and of his daughters, eponymous nymphs of corresponding Greek poleis. Among them, there was Aegina who begot with Zeus the ancestor of those heroes, Aiakos.