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

792 CLEOMEDES.
"To'rarro s '4pwv KNeoei 3j7As 'AoVrrraXaievs,
"OV &Wvlaris TyUa60' cs jlcFiev?v7ravdy Edvra. [EE.E.]
CLEOME'DES (KAhouec ss), author of a Greek
treatise in two books on the Circular Theory of the
Heavenl? Bodies (KvKIutcNcs OEwpias Merewpwv
BiAha 6o). It is rather an exposition of the
system of the universe than of the geometrical
principles of astronomy. Indeed,' Cleomedes betrays considerable ignorance of geometry (see his
account, p. 28, of the position of the ecliptic), and
seems not to pretend to accuracy in numerical details. The first book treats of the universe in general, of the zones, of the motions of the stars and
planets, of day and night, and of the magnitude
and figure of the earth. Under the last head,
Cleomedes maintains the spherical shape of the
earth against the Epicureans, and gives the only
detailed account extant of the methods by which
Eratosthenes and Poseidonius attempted to measure an are of the meridian. The second book
contains a dissertation on the magnitudes of the
sun and moon, in which the absurd opinions of the
Epicureans are again ridiculed; and on the illumination of the moon, its phases and eclipses. The
most interesting points are, the opinion, that the
moon's revolution about its axis is performed in
the same time as its synaodical revolution about the
earth; an allusion to something like almanacs, in
which predicted eclipses were registered; and the
suggestion of atmospherical refraction as a possible
explanation of the fact (which Cleomedes however
professes not to believe), that the sun and moon
are sometimes seen above the horizon at once during a lunar eclipse. (He illustrates this by the
experiment in which a ring, just out of sight at
the bottom of an empty vessel, is made visible by
pouring in water.)
Of the history of Cleomedes nothing is known,
and the date of his work is uncertain. He professes (ad fin.), that it is compiled from various
sources, ancient and modern, but particularly from
Poseidonius (who was contemporary with Cicero);
and, as he mentions no author later than Poseidonius, it is inferred, that he must have lived before,
or at least not much after Ptolemy, of whose works
he could hardly have been ignorant if they had
been long extant. It seems, also, from the eagerness with which he defends the Stoical doctrines
against ihe Epicureans, that the controversy between these two sects was not obsolete when he
wrote. On the other hand, Delambre has shewn
that he had nothing more than a second-hand
knowledge of the works of Hipparchus, which
seems to lessen the improbability of his being ignorant of Ptolemy. And Letronne (Journal des
Savans, 1821, p. 712) argues, that it is unlikely
that Cleomedes should have known anything of
refraction before Ptolemy, who says nothing of it
in the Almagest (in which it must have appeared
if he had been acquainted with it), but introduces
the subject for the first time in his Optics. The
same writer also endeavours to shew, from the
longitude assigned by Cleomedes (p. 59) to the
star Aldebaran, that he could not have written
earlier than A. D. 186. Riccioli (Almag. Nov. vol,
i. pp. xxxii. and 307) supposes, that the Cleomedes
who wrote the Circular Theory lived a little after
Poseidonius, and that another Cleomedes lived
about A. D. 390.
A treatise on Arithmetic and another on the
Sptcre, attributed to a Cleomedes, are said to exist

CLEOMENES.
1 in NIS. Vossius (de Nat. Art. p. 180, b.) conjec,
tures that Cleomedes wrote the work on Harm~ii s
attributed to Cleonides or Euclid. [EvcLEIDEs.
The KuKAuchK O(Oepi was first printed in Latin
by Geo. Valla, Ven. 1498, fol.; in Greek by Conrad Neobarius, Paris, 1539; in Gr. and Lat. with
a commentary, by Rob. Balfour, Burdigal. 1605,
4to. The two latest editions are by Janus Bake,
with Balfour's commentary, &c., Lugd. Bat. 1820,
8vo., and C. C. T. Schmidt, Lips. 1832, 8vo. (a
reprint of Bake's text, with select notes).
(Delambre, HIist. de l'Astron. A-ncienne, vol. i.
chap. 12; Weidler, Hist. Astron. p. 152; Voss.
de Nat. Art. p. 117, a.; Fabric. Bibl. Grace. iY,
p. 41.) [W. F. D.]
CLEOME'NES I. (KAeoAJ'ns), 16th king of
Sparta in the Agid line, was born to Anaxandrides
by his second wife, previous to the birth by his
first of Dorieus, Leonidas, and Cleombrotus.
[ANAXANDRIDES.] He accordingly, on his father's death, succeeded, not later it would seem
than 519 B. c., and reigned for a period of 29
years. (Clinton, F. H. ii. p. 208.)
In B. c. 519 we are told it was to Cleomenes
that the Plataeans applied when Sparta, declining
to assist them, recommended alliance with Athens.
(Herod. vi. 108.) And not much later, the visit
of Maeandrius occurred, who had been left in
possession of Samos by the death of Polycrates,
but had afterwards been driven out by the Persians with Syloson. Maeandrius twice or thrice
in conversation with Cleomenes led the way to
his house, where he took care to have displayed
certain splendid goblets, and, on Cleomenes expressing his admiration, begged he would accept
them. Cleomenes refused; and at last, in fear
for his own or his citizens' weakness, went to the
ephors and got an order for the stranger's departure. (Herod. iii. 148.)
In 510 Cleomenes commanded the forces by
whose assistance Hippias was driven from Athens,
and not long after he took part in the struggle between Cleisthenes and the aristocratical party of
Isagoras by sending a herald with orders, pointed
against Cleisthenes, for the expulsion of all who
were stained with the pollution of Cylon. He followed this step by coming and driving out, in person,
700 households, substituting also for the new Council of 500 a body of 300 partisans of Isagoras. But
his force was small, and having occupied the acropolis with his friends, he was here besieged, and
at last forced to depart on conditions, leaving his
allies to their fate. In shame and anger he hurried to collect Spartan and allied forces, and set
forth for his revenge. At Eleusis, however, when
the Athenians were in sight, the Corinthians refused to proceed; their example was followed by
his brother-king Demaratus; and on this the other
allies also, and with them Cleomenes, withdrew.
When in the acropolis at Athens, he is related to
have attempted, as an Achaean, to enter the temple, from which Dorians were excluded, and to
have hence brought back with him to Sparta a
variety of oracles predictive of his country's future
relations with Athens; and their contents, says
Herodotus, induced the abortive attempt which
the Spartans made soon after to restore the tyranr.y
of Ilippias. (Herod. v. 64, 65, 69-76, 89-91.)
In 500, Sparta was visited by Aristagoras, a
"petitioner for aid to the revolted Ionians. His
brazen map and his accompanying representations