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

NICANOR. NICARETE. 1'177
of the'three generals 1who were sent by Lysias, the Saevius Nicanor, Marci libertus, negabit
regent of Syria during the absence of Antiochus Saevius Postumius idem, at Marcus docebit.
IV., to reduce the revolted Jews. They advanced
as far as Emmaus, where they were totally de- Suetonius adds, that, according to some accounts,
feated by Judas Maccabaeus, B. C. 165. (1 Mace. in consequence of reports affecting his character, he
iii. iv., 2 Mace. viii.; Joseph. Ant. xii. 7. ~~ 3, 4.) retired to Sardinia and there died. (Sueton. de
He is previously mentioned as holding an admini- IUustr. Granm. 5.) [W. R.]
strative office in Palestine. (Joseph. ib. xii. 5. NICAtNOR, of Paros, an encaustic painter, of
~ 5.) whom we know nothing except that he painted in
13. A friend of Demetrius I. king of Syria, who encaustic before Aristeides. (Plin. H. N. xxxv. 11,
had been detained, together with that monarch, as s. 39.) [P. S.]
a hostage at Rome, and was one of the companions N1CARCHUS (NLtKapXos), historical. 1. An
of his flight. (Polyb. xxxi. 22; Joseph. Ant. xii. Arcadian officer among the Greek forces who went
10. ~ 4.) When Demetrius was established on to assist the younger Cyrus. When the Greek
the throne of Syria, he despatched Nicanor, whom generals were treacherously assassinated by Tissahe had promoted to the dignity of elephantarch, or phernes, Nicarchus was severely wounded, but
master of the elephants, with a large army into not killed, and came and informed the Greeks of
Judaea to reduce the Jews, who were still in arms what had taken place. He was subsequently inunderJudas Maccabaeus. Nicanoratfirstattempted duced to go over to the Persians, taking about
to make himself master of the person of the Jewish twenty men with him (Xen. Anab. ii. 5. ~ 33, iii.
leader by treachery, under pretence of a peaceful 3. ~ 5).
negotiation, but, having failed in this, he gave him 2. One of the generals of Antiochus. We find
battle at Capharsalem, and was defeated with him serving in Coelesyria in the war between
heavy loss. A second action, near Bethoron, Antiochus and Ptolemaeus. Together with Theoproved still more disastrous: Nicanor himself fell dotus he superintended the siege of Rabbatamana,
on the field, and his whole army was cut to pieces. and with the same general headed the phalanx at
(Joseph. Ant. xii. 10. ~~ 4, 5; 1 Macc. vii., 2 Mace. the battle of Raphia [ANTIOCHUS, Vol. I. p. 196].
xiv. xv.) [E. H. B.] (Polyb. v. 69, 71, 79, 83, 85.) [C. P. M.]
NICA'NOR (Nrcavwp). 1. Aristotle's adopted NICARCHUS (NiKapXos), literary. 1. A person, repeatedly mentioned in his will, whom the son introduced by Aristophanes (Acharn. 856),
philosopher destined to be his son-in-law. (Diog. whom Suidas mentions as a sycophant (s. vv. /.dKpOS
Lairt. v. 12.) [See Vol. I. p. 317.]?ye iUeKOs and Qpavra).
2. A person mentioned in the will of Epicurus. 2. An epigrammatist. Reiske (It. Notit. p. 249),
(Diog. Laiirt. x. 20.) on insufficient grounds, conjectures he was a na3. A celebrated grammarian, who lived during tive of Samos. From the use of a Latin word in one
the reign of the emperor Hadrian, A. D. 127. Ac- of his epigrams (Jacobs, Alnth. Graec. vol. iii. p. 66),
cording to Suidas (s. v.) he was of Alexandria; we conclude that he lived at Rome. The inference
according to Stephanus Byzantinus (s. v.'Iepa'ro- that he lived near the beginning of the second
ALs) he was of Hierapolis. His labours were prin- century of the Christian era seems well founded.
cipally directed to punctuation, hence he received It is drawn not only from the general style of his:the ludicrous name of,r'LyAaTfas (Suidas, 1. c.), writings, but from the fact, that in one of his epiand, from his having devoted much of his attention grams (xxxi.) he satirizes Zopyrus, an Egyptian
to the elucidation of Homer's writings, through physician. From Plutarch (Symp. iii. 6) we learn
means of punctuation, he is called by Stephanus that a physician of this name was his contemporary,
(!. c.) od Yve "Os,'Opoe. He wrote, also, on the punc- and Celsus (v. 23) mentions Zopyrus in connectuation of Callimachus, and a work lEpl KaedJAov tion with king Ptolemy. (Jacobs, Ant/hlo. Graea.
aTLy1i5s. He is copiously quoted in the Scholia vol. xiii. p. 922.)'Thirty-eight epigrams are given'I~arciana on Homer. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. i. under his name in the Greek Anthology. (Jacobs,
pp. 368, 517, vol. iii. p. 823, vol. vi.-p. 345.) vol. iii. p. 58, &c.) But the authorship of seven
4. Of Cos. He wrote a commentary on Theo- of these is doubtful. On the other hand, the third
critus, quoted in the Scholia on vii. 6. (Fabric. of Lollius Bassus, and four others of uncertain
Bibl. Graec. vol. i. pp. 781, 798.) authorship, are assigned to him. The merit of
5. Stephanus Byzantinus mentions a writer of these epigrams is not great. They are mostly
this name to whom he adds that of Aeavupos, as satirical, and are often absurdly extravagant. What
the author of a work called M'rovoMaalas. Athe- is worse, they are sometimes disfigured with gross.
naeus quotes the same work, but calls the writer a ness and obscenity. (Jacobs, Anthol. Graec. II. cc.
Cyrenian, without giving him the surname. This and vol. x. p. 17, &c.; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. iv.
is probably the same writer with the Nicanor men- p. 484.) [W. M. G.]
tioned in connection with'the ancient origin of NICA'RETE (NsKapkcr,). 1. The mother of that
the Egyptians by the Scholiast on Apollonius Euxitheus, whose right of citizenship Demosthenes
Rhodius, iv. 262. (Steph. Byz. s. v. "T8r-; Athen. defended against Eubulides., (Dem. p. 1320, ed;
vii. p. 296, d; Apoll. Rhod. p. 160, ed. Wel- Reiske.)
lauer.) [W. M. G.] 2. A courtezan, and proprietress of courtezans,
NICA'NOR, SAE'VIUS, is celebrated by amongst others of Neaera, against whom we have
Suetonius as the first grammarian who acquired an oration of Demosthenes, KaTd Nalupas. Athefame and honour among the Romans by teaching. naeus (xiii. p. 593, f) mentions her, but a comHe was the author of commentaries, the greater parison of his statements with those of Demosthenes
portion of which was said to have been suppressed (especially p. 1351, ed. Reiske) will show that, if
(intercepta dicitur), and of a satire where he de- the text be correct, he has misrepresented the stateclares himself to have been a freedman, and to ments of the orator.
have been distinguished by a double cognomen,- 3. A woman of Megara. Athenaeus states her