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

BAGAEUS.
8. M. BAEBus was put to death by Marius and
Cinna when they entered Rome in B. C. 87. Instead of being killed by any weapon, Baebius was
literally torn to pieces by the hands of his enemies.
(Appian, B. C. i. 72; Florus, iii. 21; Lucan, ii.
119.)
9. M. BAEBIUS, a brave man, slain by order of
L. Piso in Macedonia, B. c. 57. (Cic. in Pis. 36.)
10. A. BAEBIUS, a Roman eques of Asta in
Spain, deserted the Pompeian party in the Spanish
war, and went over to Caesar, B. c. 45. (Bell.
lIisp. 26.)
11. BAEBIUS, a Roman senator, served under
Vatinius in Illyria. On the murder of Caesar,
B. c. 44, the Illyrians rose against Vatinius, and
cut off Baebius and five cohorts which he commanded. (Appian, Illyr. 13.)
BAE'BIUS MACRI'NUS. [MACRINUS.]
BAE'BIUS MARCELLI'NUS. [MARCELLINUS.]
BAETON (Bacovw), was employed by Alexander the Great in measuring distances in his marches,
whence he is called 6 'AedvSpouv 38qaT-rTiJs.
He wrote a work upon the subject entitled oraxOpeol
rs 'AAeUdvSpov sroperas. (Athen. x. p. 422, b.;
Plin..N. vi. 17. s. 21, 19. s. 22, vii. 2; Solin.55.)
BAE'TYLUS (BcirvX0os), is in reality the name
of a peculiar kind of conical shaped stones, which
were erected as symbols of gods in remarkable
places, and were from time to time anointed with
oil, wine, or blood. The custom of setting up such
stones originated, in all probability, in meteors
being erected in the places where they had fallen
down. (Phot. Cod. 242.) Eusebius (Praep. Evang.
i. 10) says, that Baetyli were believed to be stones
endowed with souls and created by Uranus. Hence
Baetylus, when personified, is called a son of Uranus and Ge, and a brother of Ilus and Cronos.
Traces of the veneration paid to such stones are
found among the Hebrews and Phoenicians, no
less than among the Greeks. Photius (1. c.) says,
that Asclepiades ascended mount Libanon, in the
neighbourhood of Heliopolis in Syria, and saw
many Baetyli there, concerning which he related
the most wonderful tales. (Comp. Lucian, Alex. 30;
Theophrast. Charact. 16; Clem. Alex. Strom. vii.
p. 713.) In Grecian mythology, the stone which
was given to Uranus, to swallow instead of the infant Zeus, was called Baetylus (Hesych. s. v.); and
a little above the temple of Delphi, on the left,
there was a stone which was anointed with oil
every day, and on solemn occasions covered with
raw wool: tradition said, that this stone was the
same which Uranus had swallowed. (Paus. ix. 24.
~ 5; comp. vii. 22. ~ 3; Tac. Hist. ii. 3.) [L. S.]
BAEUS (Baeos), the helmsman of Odysseus,
who is said to have died during the stay of the
latter in Sicily. Mount Baea in the island of Cephallenia, and several islands and towns, but especially Baiae in Campania, in the bay of which he
was believed to have been buried, are supposed to
have derived their names from him. (Lycophr.
694, with Tzetz. note; Steph. Byz. s. v. Bala;
Eustath. ad Horn. p. 1967.) [L. S.]
BAGAEUS (Ba-ycos). 1. A Persian nobleman, to whom was allotted the dangerous office of
conveying the order of Dareius Hystaspis for the
execution of Oroetes, the powerful and rebellious
satrap of Lydia, about 520 B. c. On his arrival at
Sardis, Bagaeus first ascertained the disposition
of the satrap's guards by the delivery to them of

BAGOAS. 453
several minor firmans from the king; and, when
he saw that they received these with much reverence, he gave the order for the death of Oroetes,
which was unhesitatingly obeyed. (Herod. iii.
128.)
2. Or Bancaeus (BayKa^cs), a half-brother of
the satrap Pharnabazus, is mentioned by Xenophon as one of the commanders of a body of Persian cavalry, which, in a skirmish near Dascylium,
defeated the cavalry of Agesilaus, in the first year
of his invasion of Asia, B. c. 396. (Xen. Hell. iii.
4. ~ 13; Plut. Agesil. 9.) [E. E.]
BAGI'STANES (Ba-ytucrIS), a distinguished
Babylonian, deserted Bessus and the conspirators,
when Alexander was in pursuit of them and Dareius, B. c. 330, and informed Alexander of the
danger of the Persian king. (Arrian, iii. 21;
Curt. v. 13.)
BAGO'AS(Baycks). 1. Aneunuch, highlytrusted
and favoured by Artaxerxes III. (Ochus), is said
to have been by birth an Egyptian, and seems to
have fully merited the character assigned him by
Diodorus, of a bold, bad man (TroAp.p cal srapavolpiAl
8taepIpcv). In the successful expedition of Ochus
against Egypt, B. c. 350,* Bagoas was associated by
the king with Mentor, the Rhodian, in the command of a third part of the Greek mercenaries.
(Diod. xvi. 47.) Being sent to take possession of
Pelusium, which had surrendered to the Theban
Lacrates, he incurred the censure of Ochus by permitting his soldiers to plunder the Greek garrison
of the town, in defiance of the terms of capitulation.
(Diod. xvi. 49.) In the same war, the Egyptian
part of the garrison at Bubastus having made terms
with Bagoas for themselves, and admitted him
within the gates, the Greek garrison, privately instigated by his colleague Mentor, attacked and
slaughtered his men and took him prisoner. Mentor accordingly had the credit of releasing him and
receiving the submission of Bubastus; and henceforth an alliance was formed between them for
their mutual interest, which was ever strictly preserved, and conduced to the power of both,Mentor enjoying the satrapy of the western provinces, while Bagoas directed affairs at his pleasure
in the centre of the empire,-and the king was reduced to a cipher. (Diod. xvi. 50.) The cruelties
of Ochus having excited general detestation, Bagoas at length removed him by poison, B. c. 338,
fearing perhaps lest the effects of the odium in
which he was held might extend to himself, and
certainly not from the motive absurdly assigned by
Aelian, viz. the desire of avenging the insult offered
by Ochus, so many years before, to the religion of
Egypt. To the murder of the king he joined that
of all his sons except Arses, the youngest, whom
he placed upon the throne; but, seeing reason to
apprehend danger from him, he put him also to
death in the third year of his reign, B. c. 336. He
next conferred the crown on Codomannus (a greatgrandson of Dareius II.), who having discovered,
soon after his accession, a plot of Bagoas to poison
him, obliged the traitor to drink the potion himself.
(Diod. xvii. 5; Ael. V. 11. vi. 8; Strab. xv. p. 736;
Arr. Anab. ii. p. 41, e.; Curt. vi. 3. ~ 12.) [E. E.]
2. A favourite eunuch of Alexander the Great
who first belonged to Dareius and afterwards fell
into the hands of Alexander. He was a youth of
* This date is from Diodorus; but see Thirlwvall's Greece, vol. vi. p. 142, note 2,