Damasithymos

Damasithymos (Δαμασίθυμος) (fl. 480 BC) was the king of Calyndos (Κάλυνδος).

Herodotus, in the eighth book of Histories entitled Urania, and Polyaenus, in the eighth book of his work Stratagems, mention him.

Damasithymos was an ally of Xerxes I at the Second Persian invasion of Greece. He fought at the naval Battle of Artemisium and the naval Battle of Salamis at 480 BC. He participated with one ship at the Persian navy and he was the commander of that Calyndian ship. He killed during the Battle of Salamis.

His ship together with ships from Halicarnassus, Cos and Nisyros were under the command of Artemisia. The ships of Artemisia, including Damasithymos ship, had the best reputation in the whole Persian fleet, next to the ones from Sidon.

He killed at the Battle of Salamis when Artemisia rammed his ship, although they were allies, because she wanted to escape from an Athenian ship, which had as commander the Ameinias, and it was pursued her. Damasithymos ship sank and he and all his crew killed. When Xerxes saw Artemisia sank Damasithymos ship, he thought that she sank a Greek ship and he said: "My men have become women, and my women men.".

According to Herodotus, Artemisia had a strife with Damasithymos at the past about the Hellespont.