ARISTODEMUS (8th century B.c.), semi-legendary ruler of Messenia in the time of the first Messenian war. In the 13th year of the war, the Messenian king died childless, and Aristo demus was chosen as his successor. As a ruler he was mild and conciliatory. He was victorious in the pitched battle f ought at the foot of Ithome in the fifth year of his reign, when the Messe nians, reinforced by the entire Arcadian levy and picked contin gents from Argos and Sicyon, defeated the combined Spartan and Corinthian forces. Shortly afterwards, however, led by unfavour able omens to despair of final success, he killed himself. Aristo demus may fairly be regarded as a historical character. His reign is dated 731-724 B.C. by Pausanias, and this may be taken as approximately correct, though Duncker (History of Greece, Eng. trans., ii. p. 69) inclines to place it eight years later.
Paiisanias iv. is practically our only authority. He followed as his chief source the prose history of Myron of Priene, an untrust worthy writer, probably of the 2nd century B.c.; hence, a good deal of his story must be regarded as fanciful, though we cannot distinguish accurately between the true and the fictitious.