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

[EREBOS; E3GINUS. 47:;
events in'literary as- well as political history. (Har- earth, through iwhich the shades pass, into HIade&,
pocrat. s. v. EV-/vos; Dionys. i. 46; Clem. Alex. (Horn. II. viii. p. 36.8; comp. HADES. [L. S.].
Strom. i. p. 145.) This work, of which some frag- ERECHTHEUS. [ERICHTHONIU-S.]
ments are still extant, formed a comprehensive E'RESUS ('Epeor), a son of Macar, from,
chronological history, and appears to have been whom the town of Eresus in Lesbos derived its.
held in high esteem by the ancients. Apollodorus name. (Steph. Byz. s. v.) A- second otherwise
and Eusebius made great use of it, and Syncellus' unknown person of this name was painted in the
(p. 96, c.) has preserved from it a list of 38 kings Lesche at. Delphi. (Pans. x. 27.) [L. S.]
of the Egyptian Thebes. (Comp. Bernhardy,..c, EREUTHA'LION ('EpevOaALwov), an Arcadian,p. 243, &c.) Another work, likewise of a chrono- who, in the armour of Areithbous, which Lycurgus
logical kind, was the'OXvunrtovZKca. (Diog. Lairt. had given him, fought against the Pylians, but.
viii. 51; Athen. iv. p. 154; Schol. ad Eur-ip. Ie- was slain by Nestor. (Hom. II. iv. 319,: vii. 134,
cub. 569.> It contained a chronological list of the &c.) [L. S.]
victors in the Olympic games, and other things ERGA'MENES ('Ep.yacjAeqvsT), a king of Meconnected with them. (Berphardy, p. 247, &c.) roe, an Ethiopian by birth, but who had received'
Among his grammatical works we notice that a Greek education. He was the first who overOn the Old Attic Comedy (tIpl d)s'ApXaeas KoepT- threw the power of the priests, which had been
bias, sometimes simply IIepl Kwou"iars, or Kcaqo- paramount to that of the sovereign, and established
8Lrv), a very extensive work, of which the twelfth a despotic authority. He was contemporary with
book is quoted. It contained everything that was Ptolemy Philadelphus, but we know nothing of
necessary to arrive at a perfect understanding of the relations in which he stood towards that monthose poetical productions. In the first part of the arch. His name has been discovered in the
work, Eratosthenes appears to have entered even hieroglyphics at Dakkeh, whence it is inferred that.
into discussions concerning the structure of thea- his dominions extended as far north as that point.
tres, the whole scenic apparatus, the actors, their (Diod. iii. 6; Droysen, Iellenzisnmus, vol. ii. p. 49,
costumes, declamation, and.the like;, and it is 278.) [E. H. B.]
therefore not improbable that the'ApX1r'eKCroVucs E'RGANE ('Epyadv,) or E'RGATIS, that is,
(Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. i. 567, iii. 232) and the worker, a surname of.Athena, who was beoKEvoypaqKo's (Pollux, x. 1), which are mentioned lieved to preside over and instruct man in all kinds
as separate works, were only portions of the first of arts. (Paus. v. 14. ~ 5, i. 24. ~ 3; Plut. de
part of his work on the Old Comedy. After this Fort. p. 99, a.; Hesych. s. v.) [L. S.]
general introduction, Eratosthenes discussed the E'RGIAS ('Epynfas) of Rhodes, is mentioned as
works of the principal comic poets themselves, such the author of a work on his native island. (Athen.
as Aristophanes, Cratinus, Eupolis, Pherecrates, viii. p. 360.). Gesner and others are of opinion
and others, entering into detailed criticism, and that Ergias is the'same person as Erxias, who was
giving explanations both of their language and the the author of KoAoqwviataKc. (Athen. xiii. p. 561.)
subjects of their' comedies., We: still possess a con- But which of the two namnes, Ergias or Erxias, is
siderable number of fragments of this work (col- the correct one, cannot be determined. [L. S.]
lected in Bernhardy, I. c. pp. 205-237); and from ERGI'NUS ('Epyos), a son of Clymenus and
what he says about Aristophanes, it is evident- that Buzyge or Budeia, was king of Orchomenos. After
his judgment was as sound as his information was Clymenus was killed by Perieres at the festival of
extensive, He is further said to have been engaged the Onchestian Poseidon, Erginus, his eldest son,
in the criticism and explanation of the Homeric who succeeded him as king, undertook to avenge
poems, and to have:written on the life and produc- the. death:of his father. He marched' against
tions of that poet; but nothing certain is known Thebes,. and surpassing the enemy in the number
in this respect. For more complete lists of the of his horsemen, he killed many Thebans, and
works attributed to Eratosthenes, see the Eratos- compelled them to a treaty, in which they bound:
thenica of Bernhardy. [L. S.] themselves to pay him for twenty years'an annual
ERATO'STHENES SCHOLA'STICUS, the tribute of 100 oxen. Heracles once met the heralds
author of four epigrams in' the Greek Anthology of Erginus, who were going to demand the usual
(Brisnck. Anal. vol. iii. p,. 123; Jacobs, vol. iv. p, tribute: he cut off their ears and noses, tied their
93), to which may be added, on the authority hands behind their backs, and thus sent them to
of the Vatican MS., a fifth, which stands in the An- Erginus, saying that this was his tribute. Erginus
thology amongthose of Paul the Silentiary (No. now undertook a second expedition against Thebes,
88). In all probability, Eratosthenes lived under but was defeated and slain by HeraCles, whom
the emperor Justinian. (Jacobs, Anth. Graec..Athena had provided with arms. (Apollod. ii.. 4.
vol. xiii. p. 890; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. iv. ~ 11; Diod. iv. 10; Strab. ix. p. 414; Eustath. ad
p. 474.) [P. S.] Hom. p. 272; Eurip. Here. fiur. 220; Theocrit.
ERATO'STRATUS. [HEROSTRATUS.] xvi. 105.) Pausanias.(ix. 37. ~ 2, &c.), who agrees
E'RATUS ('EpanJs), a son of Heracles by with the other writers -in the first part of the myDynaste, was king of Argos, and made' a suc- thus, states, that Erginus made peace with Heracessfu!l expedition against Asine, which was be- cles, and devoted all his energy to the promotion
sieged and taken. (Apollod. ii. 7. ~ 8; Paus. ii. of the prosperity of his kingdom. In this manner
36. ~ 5.) [L. S.] Erginus arrived'at an advanced age without having
E!REBOS ('Epeeos), a son of Chaos, begot either wife or children: but, as he did not wish
Aether and Hemera by Nyx, his sister. (Hesiod. any longer to live alone, he consulted the Delphic
Tlseog. 123.) Ityginus (Fab. p. 1) and Cicero (de oracle, which advised him to take a youthful wife.
Nat. JDeor. iii. 17) enumerate many personifica- This he did, and became by her the father of Trotions of abstract notions as the offspring of Erebos. phonius and Agamedes, or, according to Eustathius
The name signifies darkness, and is therefore ap- (. c.) of Azeus. Erginus is also mentioned among the
plied also to:the dark and gloomy space under the Argon auts, and is said to have succeeded Tiphys