Antigone is asteroid #129 and of the type M, probably composed of almost pure nickle-iron. Antigone’s orbit is characterized by a semi-major axis of 2.87 Astronomical Units, an eccentricity of 0.21, a period of revolution of 1 773 days, and an inclination of 12.2 degrees. Antigone was discovered by the German-American university teacher and astronomer Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters at the Litchfield Observatory of the Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, USA.

Antigone is named after the Theban princess Antigónē (Ἀντιγόνη) from Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Oedipus and perhaps also of Iokaste (Ἰοκάστη), after whom the asteroid Jokaste is named. Ismēnē (Ἰσμήνη) is the name of the sister of Antigónē (Ἀντιγόνη). They have two brothers. Their names are Polyneíkes (Πολυνείκης) and Eteokles (Ἐτεοκλῆς). Both of these brothers want to become king of Thebes. They agree to rule in turns. But when the term of Eteokles (Ἐτεοκλῆς) ended, he refused to hand over the power to Polyneíkes (Πολυνείκης). The latter went away, raised an army, and fought the battle of Seven versus Thebes. The movie The Seven Samurai is an adaptation of this tale, although placed into medieval Japan. The movie The Magnificent Seven is an adaptation of The Seven Samurai, although playing in the Wild West. The reason why it is known as a great and successful movie is the movie rooting in Greek mythology. Polyneíkes (Πολυνείκης) and Eteokles (Ἐτεοκλῆς) both fall in the epic battle. Antigónē (Ἀντιγόνη) had followed her old and meanwhile blind father into exile. Antigónē (Ἀντιγόνη) returned to Thebes, when she had heard that her brothers are going to battle each other. She wanted to prevent this. She arrived too late for preventing this. Her uncle Kreōn (Κρέων) ascended the throne of Thebes in the aftermath of the battle of Seven versus Thebes. Kreōn (Κρέων) decided that the body of Polyneíkes (Πολυνείκης) mustn’t be buried, but had, as a punishment of the treason, to rot on the battlefield. Antigónē (Ἀντιγόνη) ignored the king’s order and provisionally and rather symbolically buried her brother by spreading some earth over his body. Kreōn (Κρέων) got enraged by this and ordered to bury Antigónē (Ἀντιγόνη) alive. She rejected the help of her sister because Ismēnē (Ἰσμήνη) only would have been killed, too. Antigónē (Ἀντιγόνη) then either killed herself or escaped from the tomb, where she got buried alive, with the help of a lover.

When King Kreōn (Κρέων) judged over his niece, they held a court trial, where Antigónē (Ἀντιγόνη) was heard. She argued that the duty to bury a deceased relative is a duty made by the deities. The king had authority over her, but not authority above the deities’ authority. So following the religious duty can’t be wrong. Antigónē (Ἀντιγόνη) is famous for this idea. So the astrological force Antigone represents a godly girl. Antigone also represents a victim of the abuse of political or judicial power. Antigone furthermore indicates that the attempt to calm strife among family members fails.