A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

SILANUS. SILANUS. 819
Mhithridates, the son of Rhodobatus, set up in the belonged to the Junia gens, but was adopted
Academy. (Diog. Laiirt. iii. 2.) into the Caecilia gens. It has been further supAmong the actual portraits of Silanion, the most posed that he is the same person as the consul of
celebrated appears to have been that of the statuary A. D. 9 (Dion Cass. lv. 30). [METELLUS, No. 29 ]
Apollodorus, who was so habitually dissatisfied In that case his full name would have been
with his own works, that he frequently broke them Q. Caecilius Metellus Creticus Silanus.
in pieces. The vexation of the disappointed artist SILAtNUS, JU'NIUS. 1. M. JUNIUS SILAwas so vividly expressed in Silanion's statue, that NUS, took the command of Neapolis, at the wish
Pliny says "nec hos7minaem ex aere fecit, sed iracun- of the inhabitants, in the second Punic war, B. c.
diam" (I.c. ~ 21). Plinyalso mentions his statue 216, in order to defend it against Hannibal. In
of a superintendent of the palaestra exercising the B. c. 212 he was praetor, and obtained Etruria as
athletes. He made also three statues of Olympic his province, where he was chiefly employed in
victors; namely Satyrus of Elis, and Telestes and purchasing corn. In B. C. 210 he accompanied
Demaratus of Messene. (Paus. vi. 4. ~ 3, 14. ~~ P. Scipio to Spain, and served under him with
1, 3.) great distinction during the whole of the war in
Probably this Silanion was the same as the one that country. His most brilliant exploit was the
whom Vitruvius (vii. praef. ~ 14) mentions among defeat of Hanno and Mago in Celtiberia in B. C.
those who wrote praecepta symmetriarunm; for, 207. When Scipio quitted Spain in the following
although that phrase no doubt refers especially to year, he left Silanus in command of the army till
the proportions of the architectural orders, yet it the arrival of his successor. In B. c. 196 Silanus
must also be understood as including the wider fell in battle against the Boii, where he fought
subject of proportion in art generally, as is evident under the consul M. Marcellus. (Liv. xxiii. 1 5,
both from the mention of Euphranor in the list, and xxv. 2, 3, xxvi. 1, 19, xxviii. 1, 2; Polyb. x. 6,
also from the manner in which Vitruvius discusses xi, 20, 23, 26, 33; Appian, Hisp. 28, 32).
the subject of architectural proportions in connection 2. D. JuNIUS SILANUS, was commissioned by
with the laws of proportion derived from the human the senate about B. c. 146, in consequence of his
figure (i. 2, iii. 1). [P. S.] knowledge of the Punic language, to translate into
SILA'NUS (:iXauo0s', an Ambracian sooth- Latin the twenty-eight books of Mago on Agriculsayer, who accompanied Cyrus the Younger in his ture. (Plin. H. _N. xviii. 3. s. 5.)
expedition against his brother Artaxerxes, in B. C. 3. D. JUNIUS SILANUS MANLIANUS, a son of
401. For a successful prediction Cyrus rewarded the jurist T. Manlius Torquatus, consul B. c. 165,
him with 3000 darics, or 10 talents. This money but adopted by a D. Junius Silanus. He was praetor
Silanus carefully preserved throughout the cam- B. c. 142, and obtained Macedonia as his province,
paign and subsequent retreat, and was very anxious where he was guilty of so many acts of robbery
to return with it to his country. Accordingly, and oppression, that the inhabitants accused him
when Xenophon consulted him at Cotyora, on the before the senate on his return to Rome in B. C.
plan which he had formed of founding a Greek 140. The senate referred the investigation of the
colony on the coast of the Euxine, he revealed the charges to his own father Torquatuls at the request
project to the Cyreans, and did all in his power to of the latter. Torquatus condemned his son, and
thwart it. On this Xenophon publicly professed banished him from his presence; and when Silato have abandoned the design, and proposed that nus hanged himself in grief, his father would not
no one should be permitted to remain behind the attend his funeral. (Cic. de Fin. i. 7; Liv. Epit.
rest of the army, or to sail away before it. The 54; Val. Max. v. 8. ~ 3.)
latter part of this proposition was most disagreeable 4. M. JUNIUS SILANUS, consul B. C. 109, with
to Silanus, who loudly remonstrated against it, M. Caecilius Metellus, fought in this year against
but to no purpose, the soldiers threatening to the Cimbri in Transalpine Gaul, and was defeated.
punish him, should they catch him in any at- He was accused in B. c. 104, by the tribune Cn.
tempt to depart by himself. Not long after, Domitius Ahenobarbus, out of revenge, because he
however, he contrived to make his escape in a ship had injured an hereditary friend of Ahenobarbus.
which he hired at Heracleia. (Xen. Anab. i. 7. The latter charged him with having fought with~ 18, v. 6. ~~ 16, 18, 29, 34, vi. 4. ~ 13.) [E. E.] out any commission from the people (i2jussu
SILA'NUS, the namfe of several Roman fami- populi), and with having thus been the principal
lies, appears to be merely a lengthened form of cause of the calamities which the Romals had exSilus, which occurs as a cognomen in the Sergia perienced in this war; but he was acquitted almost
and Terentia gentes [SLuvs], and is not con- unanimously, as only two tribes out of the thirtynected with the Greek name Silanus. Instead of five voted for his condemnation. Cicero (Brut. 35)
the Roman name Silanus we frequently find in praises his oratorical powers. (Liv. Ep. 65; Sall.
manuscripts Syllanus and Sillanus. Jlg. 43; Eutrop. iv. 11. s. 27; Flor. iii. 3. ~ 4;
SILA'NUS, A'PPIUS. [SILANUS, JUNIUS, Cic. Div. in C'aecil. 20, TVerr. ii. 47; Ascon. in
No. l 1.] Cornel. pp. 68, 80, ed. Orelli.)
SILA'NUS, CA'SSIUS, the avunculus of Ger- 5. D. JUNIvs SILANUS, probably a younger
malnicus Caesar (Plin. HI. N. xxxiv. 7. s. 18). son of No. 4, was the step-father of M. Brutus, the
SILA'NUS, CRE'TICUS, as he is called by murderer of Caesar, having married his mother
Tacitus, is mentioned as governor of Syria in A. D. Servilia. He was aedile about B. C. 70, when he
16, but was removed from'the government by exhibited very magnificent games, and notwithTiberius in the following year on account of the standing was unsuccessful in his application for
connection of his family with Germanicus, inas- the consulship for the year B. C. 64. He
much as a daughter of Silanus had been betrothed was elected consul in the comitia held in the
to Nero, the eldest of the children of Germanicus summer of B. C. 63, and in consequence of his
(Tac. Ann. ii. 4, 43). From his names Creticus being consul designatus was first asked for his opiSilanus it has been conjectured that he originally inion by Cicero in the debate in the senate on the
3G 2