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(Ἡρακλείδης; Hērakleídēs). Famous persons: the politician and writer H. [19] Lembus, the philosopher H. [16] Ponticus the Younger, the doctor H. [27] of Tarentum. I. Political figures [German version] [1] Spokesman on behalf of Athens at the Persian court, end of 5th cent. BC H. of Clazomenae (cf. Pl. Ion 541d) was in the service of the Persians and probably called basileús for that reason. Thus, he was able to perform valuable services for Athens at the Persian court in 423 BC for which he received Attic citizenship soon after moving there (after 400, Syll.3 118). To move the Athenians …

(Λεπτίνης; Leptínēs). [German version] [1] Athenian politician, 4th cent. BC Athenian politician, suggested an alliance with Sparta in 369 BC. In 356, L. carried through a law according to which all exemptions from liturgies which had been granted were to be lifted, and no more were to be granted in the future (Dem. Or. 20 hypoth. 2,2; 20,18). Bathippus brought an action against it on the grounds of illegality, but died shortly thereafter (Dem. Or. 20,144f.). In 355, a new action was brought against the …

[German version] (Νηρηίς/ Nērēís). Daughter of the Molossian king Pyrrhus II. In 233/2 BC, for dynastic reasons, Hiero [2] II married her to his son Gelo [2]; she bore three sons, including Hieronymus [3], and one daughter. The name of the queen is inscribed in the theatre of Syracuse (Syll.3 429). N. also had statues of her family erected at Delphi and Olympia (Syll.3 453; Pol. 7,4,5; Liv. 24,6,8; Paus. 6,12,3). Meister, Klaus (Berlin) Bibliography 1 J. Seibert, Historische Beiträge zu den dynastischen Verbindungen in hellenistischer Zeit, 1967, 110f. 2 G. de Sensi Sestito, Gerone I…

(Λάνασσα; Lánassa). [German version] [1] Ancestress of the Molossian dynasty Daughter of Cleodaeus, granddaughter of Hyllus, great-granddaughter of Hercules [1], ancestress of the Molossian dynasty of Epirus (Plut. Pyrrhus 1,2; Lysimachus, FGrH 382 F 10). Neoptolemus abducts her from the Zeus temple of Dodona, marries her and has eight children with her, among them Pyrrhus (Iust. 17,3,4). Harder, Ruth Elisabeth (Zürich) Bibliography P. Levêque, Pyrrhos, 1957, 643 M. Schmidt, s.v. L., RE 12, 617. [German version] [2] Wife of Pyrrhus and Demetrius Poliorcetes, 3rd cent. BC Daughter…

[German version] (Θήρων/ Thḗrōn). Tyrant of Acragas from the line of the Emmenids; he lived c. 540/530-472 BC. His children from his first marriage were Thrasydaeus and Demarete, the consort of Gelo [1]; from c. 485 BC T. was married a second time to a daughter of Polyzalus (Timaeus FGrH 566 F 93; scholium Pind. Ol. 2,29b-d; see stemma in Deinomenids). T. gained control of Acragas in 488 BC (Diod. Sic. 11,53,1) and in 483 BC took the town of Himera by driving out Terillus (Hdt. 7,165); he entrusted the town to his son Thrasydaeus. The cry for help fro…

(Φερεκύδης; Pherekýdēs). [German version] [1] P. of Syrus Mythographer and cosmologist, 6th cent. BC Greek mythographer and cosmologist, 6th cent. BC; according to an older tradition, he was a contemporary of Alyattes ( c. 605-560 BC; Pherecydes 7 A 2 DK; Acusilaus 9 A 1 DK), whilst according to another tradition, the acme of his career as a writer was in the 59th Olympiad (544-541 BC, so he would have been a contemporary of Cyrus [2]; Diog. Laert. 1,118 and 121; cf. Pherecydes 7 A 1 DK). According to Diog. Laert. 1,116, his book was still extant in the 3rd cent. AD; its title was probably Heptámych…

[German version] (Ξενομήδης/ Xenomḗdēs) of Ceos. Logographer of the 5th cent. BC (Dion. Hal. de Thucydide 5). Author of a history of his home island (title unknown!), from which Callimachus [3] (Aetia 3, fr. 75 Pfeiffer) took the famous story of Acontius and Cydippe [1]. Other themes treated by X. are mentioned by Callimachus (fr. 75,54-77, also [1]). X. may also have been used by Aristotle [6] for his Keíōn politeía (fr. 511 Rose, cf. also 611,26-29). Logographos Meister, Klaus (Berlin) Bibliography 1 G. Huxley, Xenomedes of Keos, in: GRBS 6, 1965, 235-245. FGrH 442 with comm.

(Δοῦρις; Doûris) [German version] [1] Poet of epigrams Epigrammatic poet from Elea (in Aeolis); author of a remarkable poem on the flood that destroyed Ephesus c. 300 BC (Anth. Pal. 9,424, cf. Steph. Byz. 289,3-16), in all probability from the ‘Garland’ of Meleager. The city was rebuilt shortly afterwards by Lysimachos, who renamed it Arsinoeia after his wife: this happened before 289/8 (cf. Syll.3 368, 24), after the epigram had been written. Degani, Enzo (Bologna) Bibliography GA I,1, 97; 2, 2…

[German version] (Σωσύλος; Sōsýlus). Greek historian, from Laconia, like Silenus [1] in Hannibal's retinue, "as long as fate allowed"; he was also Hannibal's Greek teacher (Nep. Hann. 13,3 = FGrH 176 T 1). Author of an 'official' history of Hannibal in 7 books (Diod. 26,4 = FGrH 176 T 2): S. is sharply criticised by Polybius (3,20,5 = FGrH 176 T 3) for factual errors, but his description, preserved in one of the Würzburg papyri (PGraec. 1), of a complex nautical manoeuvre from a sea battle gives a far more favourable view of his historical writing. Meister, Klaus (Berlin) Bibliography FGrH 176…

[German version] (Δίνων; Dínōn) of Colophon, the 4th cent. BC, father of Cleitarchus, a historian of Alexander (FGrH 690 T 2), and the author of the Persiká in at least three parts ( syntáxeis) with several books each (F 3) from Semiramis (at least) to the reconquest of Egypt by Artaxerxes [3] III (343/2). The often novel-like and sensationalist representation (cf. F 10; 17; 22) was influenced by Ctesias and was used, e.g., by Pompeius Trogus and Plutarch (Artaxerxes). FGrH 690. Meister, Klaus (Berlin) Bibliography O. Lendle, Einführung in die griech. Geschichtsschreibung, 1992, 271 H. …

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(Κλεομένης; Kleoménēs). [German version] [1] Athenian, rejected the Spartan terms of peace in 404 BC Athenian who rejected the Spartan terms of peace in the popular assembly in 404 BC (Plut. Lysandros 14). …

(Θεόκριτος/ Theókritos). [German version] [1] Greek sophist and politician, 4th cent. BC T. of Chios, Greek sophist and politician, born before 365 BC, a pupil of the Isocratean (Isocrates) Metrodorus (Str. 14,645; Ps.-Plut. Mor. 11ab; Ath. 12,540 A; Suda s. v. Th.). T. was a convinced opponent of the Macedonian kings and their followers. He directed fierce attacks against Aristoteles [6] (Plut. Mor. 603c; Diog. Laert. 5,11) and Anaximenes [2] of Lampsacus (Hermippus in Ath. 1,21c). Following the conquest o…

[German version] (Φιλίστις/ Philístis, in Hesychius s.v. Φιλιστίδ(ε)ιον/ Philistíd(e)ion). Consort of Hieron [2] II of Syracuse from c. 270 BC. As is evidenced by her name - which derives from Philistus - and that of her father Leptines [5], P. belonged to the descendants of the family of the elder Dionysius [1]. She does not appear in literary sources [1], but in one epigraphical document (Syll.3 429) and on several silver coins minted after 241 bearing her image on the obverse and her name, royal title and a carriage and pair (or four) on the reverse [2]. …

(Δαίμαχος; Daímachos). [German version] [1] Historian from Plataeae, 4th cent. BC from Plataeae, Greek historian in the 4th cent. BC. He was the author of a contemporary history and was regarded by Jacoby, who can hardly have been correct in this regard, as the author of the Hellenica of Oxyrhynchus. FGrH 65 (with comm.). Meister, Klaus (Berlin) Bibliography F. Jacoby, The Autorship of the Hellenica of Oxyrhynchus, in: CQ 44, 1950, 1-11 S. Hornblower, in: Proc. of the Second Internat. Congr. of Boiotian Studies (1995; defends Jacoby) K. Meister, Die griech. Geschichtsschreibung,…

(Σκύθης). [German version] [1] Son of Heracles Third son of Heracles [1] (or Zeus: Diod. 2,43,3) and Echidna, brother of Agathyrsus and Gelonus [1]. Is the only son able to accomplish the task, set by his father, of drawing his bow and putting on his belt, and so becomes the king of Hylaea and the eponym of the Scythae (Hdt. 4,8-10; Steph. Byz. s. v. Σκύθαι; IG 1293 A 95 f.; cf. Sen. Herc. f. 533; Sen. Herc. Oetaeus 157). Antoni, Silke (Kiel) Bibliography 1 A. Nercessian, s. v. S. (1), LIMC 7.1, 794. [German version] [2] Tyrant of Cos, c. 500 BC Tyrant of  Cos c. 500 BC; in 494/3 he handed his…

(Στράτων; Strátōn). [German version] [1] Attic comedy writer, 4th cent. BC Attic comedy writer of the 4th cent. BC, according to the Suda belonging to the Middle Comedy [1. test. 1], but on the basis of fr. 1,43 (mentioning Philitas [1] of Cos) certainly to the New Comedy [2.62 f.]. At the Dionysia of 302, S. attained the fourth place [1. test. 2]. Of the comedy Phoinikídes (fr. 1 PCG) a rhesis survives on papyrus (fr. 1,4-8; 11; 13-15; 17-21; 23-25; 34-50; cf. [3]) and in a divergent version in Athenaeus (fr. 1,1-47; cf. [1.621 f.]); the spe…

(Μύρων; Mýrōn). [German version] [1] Name of several persons from Sicyon Several persons from Sicyon named M. are mentioned in literature: a) Hdt. 6,126,1: Sicyonian nobleman (7th century BC), son of Andreas, father of Aristonymus, grandfather of the ‘tyrant’ Cleisthenes [1]. b) Paus. 6,19,1f.: the ‘tyrant’ M., victor in the chariot race at Olympia (648 BC), founder of the Sicyonian treasure house (thesauros) at Olympia. c) Nicolas of Damascus, FGrH 90 F 61: one of the three tyrant brothers descended from Orthagoras (evil M., good Isodemus, cunning Cleisthenes) from the ‘ Orthagorides…

[German version] (Ἄθανις; Áthanis). A. from Syracuse, name form Áthanis in Ath. 3,98d and Plut. Timol. 23,6; Athánas in Diod. Sic. 15,94,4; Áthenis in Theopomp. FGrH 115 F 194. He took part in the expedition of  Dion to Sicily and was together with  Heraclides and Archelaus of Dyme prostátēs tês póleōs…

(Μέτων; Métōn). [German version] [1] Son of Empedokles, who won a victory at Olympia in 496BC Meton came from Acragas, he was the son of one Empedocles who won a victory at Olympia in 496BC, and father of the famous philosopher Empedocles [1]. After the overthrow of the tyrant Thrasydaeus in 472/1 Meton was a highly regarded figure in Akragas (Diog. Laert. 8,51-53; 8,72 = Diels/Kranz 31 A 1; Suda s.v. Empedokles = Diels/Kranz 31 A 2). Meister, Klaus (Berlin) [German version] [2] From Athens, Astronomer und Geometrist end of. 4th cent.BC Astronomer and geometrist from Athens, son of Pau…