Editing Agenor (section)

==Mythology==
[[File:Rape of Eurpoa by Jacob Jordaens.jpg|thumb|''[[The Rape of Europa (Jordaens)|The Rape of Europa]]'',  a painting by [[Jacob Jordaens]] (1615 version)]]
[[Zeus]] saw Agenor's daughter [[Europa (consort of Zeus)|Europa]] gathering flowers and immediately fell in love with her. Zeus transformed himself into a white bull and carried Europa away to the island of [[Crete]]. He then revealed his true identity and Europa became the first queen of Crete. Agenor, meanwhile, sent Europa's brothers, Cadmus and Cilix in search of her, telling them not to return without her. In some versions of the tale, Agenor sends her other brothers as well: Phineus or Thasus (and of course Phoenix in the versions in which Cadmus's father is Agenor).

As Europa could not be found, none of the brothers returned.<ref>Apollodorus, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+3.1.1&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022:book=:chapter=&highlight=Agenor 3.1.1]; Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' [https://topostext.org/work/206#178 178]</ref> Cadmus consulted the [[oracle]] of [[Delphi]] and was advised to travel until encountering a [[cow]]. He was to follow this cow and to found a city where the cow would lie down; this city became [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]]. Cilix searched for her and settled down in [[Asia Minor]].  The land was called [[Cilicia]] after him.

According to the chronicler [[John Malalas|Malalas]], when Agenor was about to die, he ordered that all the land he had conquered be divided among his three sons. Phoenix took Tyre and its hinterland, and called the country Phoenicia after himself. Similarly, Syros call the country allotted to him Syria. Likewise, Cilix called the latitudes allotted to him Cilicia.<ref>Malalas, ''Chronographia'' [https://topostext.org/work/793#2.31 2.31]</ref>