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

ASTRATEIA.
quently returned to the Christian faith, and joined
the Arian party, but on account of his apostasy
was excluded from the dignity of bishop to which
he aspired. He was the author of several theological works. There was also an Asterius of Scythopolis, whom St. Jerome (Epist. 83, ad Magnum
Orat.) mentions as one of the most celebrated ecclesiastical writers. [C. P. M.]
ASTE'RIUS, TURCIUS RUFUS APRONIA'NUS, was consul A. D. 494, devoted himself to
literary pursuits, and emended a MS. of Sedulius,
and one of Virgil, on which he wrote an epigram.
(Anth. Lat. No. 281, ed. Meyer.) [C. P. M.]
ASTERODIA. [ENDYMION.]
ASTEROPAEUS ('Arreporraios), a son of Pelegon, and grandson of the river-god Axius, was
the commander of the Paeonians in the Trojan
war, and an ally of the Trojans. He was the
tallest among all the men, and fought with Achilles,
whom he at first wounded, but was afterwards
killed by him. (Horn. 11. xxi. 139, &c.; Philostr.
Heroic. xix. 7.) [L. S.]
ASTE/ROPE ('Aoe-epo&r,), two mythical personages: see ACRAGAs and AESACUS. [L. S.]
ASTEROPEIA ('AU'repOI7reta), two mythical
personages, one a daughter of Pelias, who in conjunction with her sisters murdered her father
(Paus. viii. 1. ~ 2); and the second a daughter of
Deion and Diomede. (Apollod. i. 9. ~ 4.) [L. S.]
ASTRA'BACUS ('Ao-rpdGatcos), a son of Irbus
and brother of Alopecus, was a Laconian hero of
the royal house of Agis. He and his brother found
the statue of Artemis Orthia in a bush, and became mad at the sight of it. He is said to have
been the father of Damaratus by the wife of Ariston. He had a sanctuary at Sparta, and was
worshipped there as a hero. (Herod. vi. 69; Paus.
iii. 16. ~ 5, &c.) [L. S.]
ASTRAEA ('Aorpaia), a daughter of Zeus and
Themis, or according to others, of Astraeus by Eos.
During the golden age, this star-bright maiden
lived on earth and among men, whom she blessed;
but when that age had passed away, Astraea, who
tarried longest among men, withdrew, and was
placed among the stars. (Hygin. Poet. Astr. ii. 25;
Eratost. Catast. 9; Ov. Met. i. 149.) [L. S.]
ASTRAEUS ('Aa-rpaeos), a Titan and son of
Crius and Eurybia. By Eos he became the father
of the winds Zephyrus, Boreas, and Notus, Eosphorus (the morning star), and all the stars of
heaven. (Hesiod. Theog. 376, &c.) Ovid (Met.
xiv. 545) calls the winds fratres Astraei, which
does not mean that they were brothers of Astraeus,
but brothers through Astraeus, their common father. [L. S.]
ASTRAMPSY'CHUS, a name borne by some
of the ancient Persian Magians. (Diog. Ladrt.
prooem. 2; Suidas, s. v. Mdiyot.) There is still
extant under this name a Greek poem, consisting
of 101 iambic verses, on the interpretation of
dreams ('OveipocpIrKndV), printed in Rigault's
edition of Artemidorus, in the collections of Obsopoeus and Servais Galle, and in J. C. Bulenger,
de Ration. Divinat. v. 5. The poem is a comparatively modern composition (not earlier than the
fourth century after Christ), and the name of the
author is perhaps an assumed one. Suidas (s. v.)
also ascribes to the same author a treatise on the
diseases of asses, and their cure. (Fabric. Bibl.
Graec. iv. p. 152, v. p. 265, xi. p. 583.) [C.P.M.]
ASTRATEIA ('Ao'rpaTeia), a surname of Arte

ASTYAGES. 389
mis, under which she had a temple near Pyrrhichus
in Laconia, because she was believed to have stopped
there the progress of the Amazons. (Paus. iii. 25.
~ 2.) [L. S.]
ASTY'AGES ('Ao-rva'7s), king of Media,
(called by Ctesias 'A-arviy's, and by Diodorus
'Aorrda&as), was the son and successor of Cyaxares.
The accounts of this king given by Herodotus,
Ctesias, and Xenophon, differ in several important
particulars. We learn from Herodotus (i. 74), that
in the compact made between Cyaxares and Alyattes in B. c. 610, it was agreed that Astyages
should marry Aryenis, the daughter of Alyattes.
According to the chronology of Herodotus, he succeeded his father in B. c. 595, and reigned 35
years. (i. 130.) His government was harsh. (i.
123.) Alarmed by a dream, he gave his daughter
Mandane in marriage to Cambyses, a Persian of
good family. (i. 107.) Another dream induced
him to send Harpagus to destroy the offspring of
this marriage. The child, the future conqueror of
the Medes, was given to a herdsman to expose,
but he brought it up as his own. Years afterwards, circumstances occurred which brought the
young Cyrus under the notice of Astyages, who,
on inquiry, discovered his parentage. He inflicted
a cruel punishment on Harpagus, who waited his
time for revenge. When Cyrus had grown up to
man's estate, Harpagus induced him to instigate
the Persians to revolt, and, having been appointed
general of the Median forces, he deserted with the
greater part of them to Cyrus. Astyages was
taken prisoner, and Cyrus mounted the throne.
He treated the captive monarch with mildness,
but kept him in confinement till his death.
Ctesias agrees with Herodotus in making Astyages the last king of the Medes, but says, that
Cyrus was in no way related to him till he married
his daughter Amytis. When Astyages was attacked by Cyrus, he fled to Ecbatana, and was
concealed in the palace by Amytis and her husband
Spitamas, but discovered himself to his pursuers,
to prevent his daughter and her husband and children from being put to the torture to induce them to
reveal where he was hidden. He was loaded with
chains by Oebaras, but soon afterwards was liberated
by Cyrus, who treated him with great respect, and
made him governor of the Barcanii, a Parthian
people on the borders of Hyrcania. Spitamas
was subsequently put to death by the orders of
Cyrus, who married Amytis. Some time after,
Amytis and Cyrus being desirous of seeing Astyages, a eunuch named Petisaces was sent to escort
him from his satrapy, but, at the instigation of
Oebaras, left him to perish in a desert region.
The crime was revealed by means of a dream, and
Amytis took a cruel revenge on Petisaces. The
body of Astyages was found, and buried with all
due honours. We are told that, in the course of
his reign, Astyages had waged war with the Bactrians with doubtful success. (Ctes. ap. Phot. Cod.
72. p. 36, ed. Bekker.)
Xenophon, like Herodotus, makes Cyrus the
grandson of Astyages, but says, that Astyages was
succeeded by his son Cyaxares II., on whose death
Cyrus succeeded to the vacant throne. (Cyrop. i.
5. ~ 2.) This account seems to tally better with
the notices contained in the book of Daniel. (v. 31,
"vi. 1, ix. 1.) Dareius the Mede, mentioned there
and by Josephus (x. 11. ~ 4), is apparently the same
with Cyaxares II. (Compare the account in the