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

962 DEMETRIUS.
king of Bactria. Mionnet (Suppl. vol. viii. p. 473)
has suggested that there were two Demetrii, one
the son of Euthydemus, the other a king of northern
India; but it does not seem necessary to have
recourse to this hypothesis. The most probable
view of the matter is, that Eucratides revolted
from Demetrius, while the latter was engaged in
his wars in India, and established his power in
Bactria proper, or the provinces north of the Hindoo
Koosh, while Demetrius retained the countries south
of that barrier. Both princes may thus have ruled
contemporaneously for a considerable space of time.
(Comp. Wilson's Ariana, pp. 228-231; Lassen,
Gesch. der Bactr. Konige, p. 230; Raoul Rochette,
Journ. des Savans, for 1835, p. 521.) It is probably to this Demetrius that we are to ascribe the
foundation of the city of Demetrias in Arachosia,
mentioned by Isidore of Charax (p. 8, ed. Hudson;
see Lassen, p. 232). The chronology of his reign,
like that of all the Bactrian kings, is extremely uncertain: his accession is placed by M. R. Rochette
in B. c. 190 (Journ. des Savans, Oct. 1835, p. 594),
by Lassen in 185 (Gesch. der Bactr. Konise, p. 282),
and it seems probable that he reigned about 20 or
25 years. (Wilson's Ariana, p. 231.) [E. H. B.]
DEME'TRIUS (A-nArpios) I., king of MACEDONIA, surnamed POLIORCETES (loXIopIcTnsjs),
or the Besieger, was the son of Antigonus, king of
Asia, and Stratonice, the daughter of Corrhaeus.
He was distinguished when a young man for his
affectionate attachment to his parents, and he and
Antigonus continued, throughout the life of the
latter, to present a rare example of unanimity.
While yet very young, he was married to Phila,
the daughter of Antipater and widow of Craterus,
a woman of the noblest character, but considerably
older than himself, in consequence of which it was
not without difficulty that he was persuaded by
Antigonus to consent to the match. (Plut. Demnetr.
14.) He accompanied his father in his campaigns
against Eumenes, and commanded the select body
of cavalry called erapol at the battle in Gabiene
(B. c. 317), at which time he was about twenty
years old. (Diod. xix. 29.) The following year
he commanded the whole right wing of the army
of Antigonus in the second battle of Gabiene (Id.
xix. 40); and it must be mentioned to his credit,
that after the capture of Eumenes, he interceded
earnestly with his father to spare his life. (Plut.
Eum. 18.) Two years afterwards, he was left by
Antigonus in the chief command of Syria, while
the latter proceeded to carry on the war in Asia
Minor. In the spring of B. c. 312. Ptolemy invaded Syria with a large army; and Demetrius,
contrary to the advice of the more experienced
generals whom his father had left with him as a
council of war, hastened to give him battle at
Gaza, but was totally defeated and lost the greater
part of his army. This reverse compelled him to
abandon Tyre and the whole of Syria, which fell
into the hands of Ptolemy, and Demetrius retired
into Cilicia, but soon after in part retrieved his
disaster, by surprising Cilles (who had been sent
against him by Ptolemy) on his march near Myus,
and taking him and his whole army prisoners.
(Diod. xix. 80-85, 93; Plut. Demetr. '5, 6.)
He was now joined by Antigonus, and Ptolemy
immediately gave way before them. Demetrius
was next employed by his father in an expedition
against the Nabathaean Arabs, and in a more important one to recover Babylon, which had been

DEMETRIUS.
lately occupied by Seleucus. This he accomplished
with little difficulty, but did not complete his
work, and without waiting to reduce one of the
*forts or citadels of Babylon itself, he left a force
to continue the siege, and returned to join Antigonus, who almost immediately afterwards concluded
peace with the confederates, B. c. 311. (Diod. xix.
96-98, 100; Plut. Desmetr. 7.) This did not last
long, and Ptolemy quickly renewed the war, which
was however almost confined to maritime operations on the coasts of Cilicia and Cyprus, in which
Demetrius, who commanded the fleet of Antigonus,
obtained many successes. In 307 he was despatched by his father with a powerful fleet and
army to endeavour to wrest Greece from the
hands of Cassander and Ptolemy, who held all the
principal towns in it, notwithstanding that the
freedom of the Greek cities had been expressly
guaranteed by the treaty of 311. He first directed
his course to Athens, where he was received with
enthusiasm by the people as their liberator. Demetrius the Phalerean, who had in fact governed
the city for Cassander during the last ten
years, was expelled, and the fort at Munychia
taken. Megara was also reduced, and its liberty
proclaimed; after which Demetrius took up his
abode for the winter at Athens, where he was received with the most extravagant flatteries: divine
honours being paid him under the title of "the
Preserver" (d 2wTc-np), and his name being ranked
with those of Dionysus and Demeter among the
tutelary deities of Athens. (Plut. Demetr. 8-13;
Diod. xx. 45, 46.) It was at this time also that
he married Eurydice, the widow of Ophellus of Cyrene, but an Athenian by birth, and a descendant
of the great Miltiades. (Plut. Demetr. 14.)
From Athens Demetrius was recalled by his
father to take the command of the war in Cyprus
against Ptolemy. He invaded that island with a
powerful fleet and army, defeated Ptolemy's brother, Menelaus, who held possession of the island,
and shut him up in Salamis, which he besieged
closely both by sea and land. Ptolemy himself
advanced with a numerous fleet to the relief of his
brother; but Demetrius was prepared for his approach, and a great sea-fight ensued, in which,
after an obstinate contest, Demetrius was entirely
victorious: Ptolemy lost 120 ships of war, besides
transports; and his naval power, which had hitherto been regarded as invincible, was utterly
annihilated. (B. c. 306.) Menelaus immediately
afterwards surrendered his army and the whole of
Cyprus into the hands of Demetrius. It was after
this victory that Antigonus for the first time assumed the title of king, which he bestowed also at
the same time upon his son,-an example quickly
followed by their rival monarchs. (Diod. xx. 47 -53; Plut. Demetr. 15-18; Polyaen. iv. 7. ~ 7;
Justin, xv. 2.)
Demetrius now for a time gave himself up to
luxury and revelry in Cyprus. Among other prisoners that had fallen into his hands in the late
victory was the noted courtezan, Lamia, who,
though no longer in the prime of her youth, soon
obtained the greatest influence over the young
king. (Plut. Demetr. 16, 19, 27; Athen. iv. p. 128,
xiii. p. 577.) From these enjoyments he was,
however, soon compelled to rouse himself, in order
to take part with Antigonus in his expedition
against Egypt: but the fleet which he commanded
suffered severely from storms, and, after meeting