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

114

ALEXANDER.

books, and contains several interesting medical observations along with much that is frivolous and
trifling. It was first published in a Latin translation by George Valla, Venet. 1488, fol. The
Greek text is to be found in the Aldine edition of
Aristotle's works, Venet. fol. 1495, and in that by
Sylburgius, Francof. 1585, 8vo.; it was published
with a Latin translation by J. Davion, Paris. 1540,
1541, 16mo.; and it is inserted in the first volume
of Ideler's Physici et Medici Graeci Minores, Berol.
1841, 8vo.
The other work is a short treatise, lspi rIlvper^v,
De Febribus, which is addressed to a medical pupil
whom the author offers to instruct in any other
branch of medicine; it is also omitted in the
Arabic list of Alexander's works mentioned above.
For these reasons it does not seem likely to be the
work of Alexander Aphrodisiensis, while the whole
of the twelfth book of the great medical work of
Alexander Trallianus (to whom it has also been
attributed) is taken up with the subject of Fever,
and he would hardly have written two treatises on
the same disease without making in either the
slightest allusion to the other. It may possibly
belong to one of the other numerous physicians of
the name of Alexander. It was first published in
a Latin translation by George Valla, Venet. 1498,
fol., which was several times reprinted. The Greek
text first appeared in the Cambridge JMuiseum
Criiicsum, vol. ii. pp. 359-389, transcribed by Demnetrius Schinas from a manuscript at Florence; it
was published, torether with Valla's translation, by
Franz Passow, Vratislav. 1822, 4to., and also inl
Passow's Opuscula Academica, Lips. 1835, 8vo.,
p. 521. The Greek text alone is contained in the
first volume of Ideler's Phlysici t MTedici Graeci
Minores, Perol. 1841, 8vo. [W. A. G.]
ALEXANDER ('AAe^avSpos), the eldest son of
ARISTOBULUS II., king of Judaea, was taken prisoner, with his father and brother, by Pompey, oni
the capture of Jerusalem (B. c. 63), but made his
escape as they were being conveyed to Rome. In
B. c. 57, he appeared in Judaea, raised an army of
10,000 foot and 1500 horse, and fortified Alexandreion and other strong posts. -Hyrcanus applied
for aid to Gabinius, who brought a large army
against Alexander, and sent M. Antonius with a
body of troops in advance. In a battle fought
near Jerusalem, Alexander was defeated with great
loss, and took refuge in the fortress of Alexandreion, which was forthwith invested. Through
the mediation of his mother he was permitted to
depart, on condition of surrendering all the fortresses still in his power. In the following year,
during the,expedition of Gabinius into Egypt,
Alexander again excited the Jews to revolt, and
collected an army. He massacred all the Romans
who fell in his way, and besieged the rest, who had
taken refuge on Mount Gerizim. After rejecting
the terms of peace which were offered to him by
Gabinius, he was defeated near Mount Tabor with
the loss of 10,000 men. The spirit of his adherents, however, was not entirely crushed, for in
B. c. 53, on the death of Crassus, he again collected
some forces, but was compelled to come to terms by
Cassius. (a. c. 52.) In B. c. 49, on the breaking
out of the civil war, Caesar set Aristobulus at
liberty, and sent him to Judaea, to further his interests in that quarter. He was poisoned on the
journey, and Alexander, who was preparing to
support him, was seized at the command of Pompey,

ALEXANDER.
and beheaded at Antioch. (Joseph. Ant. Jiid.
xiv. 5--7; Bell. Joud. i. 8, 9.) [C. P. M.]
ALEXANDER, of ATHENS, a comic poet, the
son of Aristion, whose name occurs in an inscription given in Bdckh (Corp. Inscr. i. p. 765), who
refers it to the 145th Olympiad. (a. c. 200.) There
seems also to have been a poet of the same name
who was a writer of the middle comedy, quoted
by the Schol. on Homer (II. ix. 216), and Aristoph.
(Ran. 864), and Athen. (iv. p. 170, e. x. p. 496, c.;
Meineke, Fragmn. Com. vol. i. p. 487.) [C. P. M.]
ALEXANDER ('AA4eavapos), an ambassador
of king ATTALUS, sent to Rome in B. c. 198, to
negotiate peace with the Roman senate. (Polyb.
xvii. 10.) [L. S.]
ALEXANDER BALAS ('AAEavSpos Briasr),
a person of low origin, usurped the throne of
the Greek kingdom of Syria, in the year 150,
B. c., pretending that he was the son of Antiochus
Epiphanes. His claim was set up by Heracleides,
who had been the treasurer of the late king Antiochus Epiphanes, but had been banished to Rhodes
by the reigning king, Demetrius Soter; and he
was supported by Ptolemy Philometor, king of
Egypt, Ariarthes Philopator, king of Cappadocia,
and Attalus Philadelphus, king of Pergamus.
Heracleides also, having taken Alexander to Rome,
succeeded in obtaining a decree of the senate in
his favour. Furnished with forces by these allies,
Alexander entered Syria in 152, B. c., took possession of Ptolemais, and fought a batle with
Demetrius Soter, in which, however, he was defeated. In the year 150 B. c. Alexander again
met Demetrius in battle with better success. The
army of Demetrius was completely routed, and he
himself perished in the flight. No sooner had
Alexander thus obtained the kingdom than he
gave up the administration of affairs to his minister Ammonius, and himself to a life of pleasure.
Ammonius put to death all the members of the late
royal family who were in his power; but two sons
of Demetrius were safe in Crete. The elder of
them, who was named Demetrius, took the field in
Cilicia against the usurper. Alexander applied
for help to his father-in-law, Ptolemy Philometor,
who marched into Syria, and then declared himself in favour of Demetrius. Alexander now returned from Cilicia, whither he had gone to meet
Demetrius, and engaged in battle with Ptolemy at
the river Oenoparas. In this battle, though
Ptolemy fell, Alexander was completely defeated,
and he was afterwards murdered by an Arabian
emir with whom he had taken refuge. (a. c. 146.)
The meaning of his surname (Balas) is doubtful.
It is most probably a title signifying " lord" or

" king." On some of his coins he is called
" Epiphanes" and " Nicephorus" after his pretended father. On others " Energetes " and
" Theopator." (Polyb. xxxiii. 14, 16; Liv. Epit.
L liii.; Justin, xxv.; Appian, SrIviaca, c. 67; I