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

86 AIIENOBARBUS.
commanded a fleet of fifty ships in the Ionian sea,
and completely defeated Domitius Calvinus on the
day of the first battle of Philippi, as the latter
attempted to sail out of Brundusium. He was
saluted Imperator in consequence, and a record of
this victory is preserved in the annexed coin, which
represents a trophy placed upon the prow of a
vessel. The head on the other side of the coin
has a beard, in reference to the reputed origin of
the family.
Ao %
After the battle of Philippi (42), Ahenobarbus
conducted the war independently of Sex. Pompeius,
and with a fleet of seventy ships and two legions
plundered the coasts of the Ionian sea.
In 40 Ahenobarbus became reconciled to Antony,
which gave great offence to Octavianus, and was
placed over Bithynia by Antony. In the peace
concluded with Sex. Pompeius in 39, Antony provided for the safety of Ahenobarbus, and obtained
for him the promise of the consulship for 32.
Ahenobarbus remained a considerable time in
Asia, and accompanied Antony in his unfortunate
campaign against the Parthians in 36. He became
consul, according to agreement, 2,in 32, in which
year the open rupture took place between Antony
and Augustus. Ahenobarbus fled from Rome to
Antony at Ephesus, where he found Cleopatra
with him, and endeavoured, in vain, to obtain her
removal from the army. Many of the soldiers,
disgusted with the conduct of Antony, offered the
command to him; but he preferred deserting the
party altogether, and accordingly went over to
Augustus shortly before the battle of Actium. He
was not, however, present at the battle, as he died
a few days after joining Augustus. Suetonius says
that he was the best of his family. (Cic. Phil. ii.
11, x. 6, Brut. 25, ad Famr. vi. 22; Appian, B. C.
v. 55, 63, 65; Plut. Anton. 70, 71; Dion Cass.
lib. xlvii.-1; Vellei. ii. 76, 84; Suet. Ner. 3;
Tac. Ann. iv. 44.)
9. L. DosITIUS CN. F. L. N. AHENOBARBUS,
son of the preceding, was betrothed in B. c. 36, at
the meeting of Octavianus and Antony at Tarentum, to Antonia, the daughter of the latter by
Octavia. He was aedile in B. c. 22, and consul in
B. c. 16. After his consulship, and probably as the
successor of Tiberius, he commanded the Roman
army in Germany, crossed the Elbe, and penetrated further into the country than any of his predecessors had done. IHe received in consequence the
insignia of a triumph. He died A. D. 25. Suetonius describes him as haughty, prodigal, and cruel,
and relates that in his aedileship he commanded
the censor L. Plancus to make way for him; and
that in his praetorship and consulship he brought
Roman knights and matrons on the stage. He
exhibited shows of wild beasts in every quarter of
the city, and his gladiatorial combats were conducted with so much bloodshed, that Augustus
was obliged to put some restraint upon them.
(Suet. Ner. 4; Tac. Ann. iv. 44; Dion Cass. liv.
59; Vellei. ii. 72.)

AJAX.
10. CN. DOMITIUS L. F. CN. N. AHENOBARBUSu
son of the preceding, and father of the emperor
Nero. He married Agrippina, the daughter of
Germanicus. He was consul A. D. 32, and afterwards proconsul in Sicily. He died at Pyrgi in
Etruria of dropsy. His life was stained with
crimes of every kind. He was accused as the accomplice of Albucilla of the crimes of adultery and
murder, and also of incest with his sister Domitia
Lepida, and only escaped execution by the death
of Tiberius. When congratulated on the birth of
his son, afterwards Nero, he replied that whatever
was sprung from him and Agrippina could only
bring ruin to the state. (Suet. Ner. 5, 6; Tac.
Ann. iv. 75, vi. 1, 47, xii. 64; Vellei. ii. 72;
Dion Cass. Iviii. 17.)
11. DoITIA, daughter of No. 9. [DOMITIA.]
12. DOMITIA LEPIDA, daughter of No. 9.
[DOMITIA LEPIDA.]
13. L. DomITIus AHENOBARBUS, son of No.
10, afterwards the emperor Nero. [NERO.]
14. CN. DOMITIUs AHENOBARBUs, praetor in
B. c. 54, presided at the second trial of M. Coelius.
(Cic. ad Qu. Fr. ii. 13.) He may have been the
son of No. 5.
15. L. DOMITIUS AHENOBARBUS, praetor B. C.
80, commanded the province of nearer Spain, with
the title of proconsul. In 79, he was summoned
into further Spain by Q. Metellus Pius, who was
in want of assistance against Sertorius, but he
was defeated and killed by Hirtuleius, quaestor of
Sertorius, near the Anas. (Plut. Sert. 12; Liv.
Epit. 90; Eutrop. vi. 1; Florus, iii. 22; Oros.
v. 23.)
AJAX ( Aias). 1. A son of Telamon, king ol
Salamis, by Periboca or Eriboea (Apollod. iii. 12,
~ 7; Paus. i. 42. ~ 4; Pind. Isth. vi. 65; Diod.
iv. 72), and a grandson of Aeacus. Homer calls
him Ajax the Telamonian, Ajax the Great, oj
simply Ajax (II. ii. 768, ix. 169, xiv. 410; comp
Pind. Isth. vi. 38), whereas the other Ajax, th<
son of OYleus, is always distinguished from thi
former by some epithet. According to Home:
Ajax joined the expedition of the Greeks agains
Troy, with his Salaminians, in twelve ships (Ii
ii. 557; comp. Strab. ix. p. 394), and was next t
Achilles the most distinguished and the braves
among the Greeks. (ii. 768, xvii. 279, &c.) H
is described as tall of stature, and his head an.
broad shoulders as rising above those of all th
Greeks (iii. 226, &c.); in beauty he was inferic
to none but Achilles. (Od. xi. 550, xxiv. 17
comp. Paus. i. 35. ~ 3.) When Hector challenge
the bravest of the Greeks to single combat, Aja
came forward among several others. The peop:
prayed that he might fight, and when the 1(
fell to Ajax (II. vii. 179, &c.), and he a]
proached, Hector himself began to tremble. (215
He wounded Hector and dashed him to the grour
by a huge stone. The combatants were separate
and upon parting they exchanged arms with oi
another as a token of mutual esteem. (305, &c
Ajax was also one of the ambassadors whom Ag
memnon sent to conciliate Achilles. (ix. 169.) I
fought several times besides with Hector, as in t
battle near the ships of the Greeks (xiv. 409, &c. N
415, xvi. 114), and in protecting the body of Pati
clus. (xvii. 128, 7 32.) In the games at the fune:
pile of Patroclus, Ajax fought with Odysseus, I
without gaining any decided advantage over h
(xxiii. 720, &c.), and in like manner with D