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

0OANNES. JOANNES. 577
onys. Perieg. 143), where the extremities' of Asia the united armies of Asan, king of Bulgaria, and
and Libya, India and Aethiopia, were conceived John Vatatzes, the Greek emperor of Nicaea, as
to be close to each other, and where some writers is narrated in the life of the latter. [JOANNES
place the Gorgones. (Schol. ad Pind. Pyth. x. III.] Constantinople would have fallen but for
72.) The mention, in the verses following, of the him. Marvellous stories are told of his bravery
griffins and Arimaspae, who are generally assigned and the power of his arm. After a reign of nine
to northern regions, creates' some difficulty, though years John of Brienne died in 1237, leaving sevethe poet may have mentioned them without mean- ral sons; but he was succeeded on the throne
ing to place them in the south, but only for the of Constantinople by Baldwin II. A daughter
purpose of connecting the misfortunes of Io with of John of Brienne was married to the emperor
the best-known monsters. From the Indian Bos- Frederic II. of Germany. [JOANNES III.; BALporus, To is to arrive in the country of the black DUINUS II.] (The sources quoted in the lives
people, dwelling around the well of the sun, on the of these two emperors; Du Cange, Histoire de
river Aethiops, that is, the upper part of the Nile or Constantinople sous les Eimpereurs Franfais, p. 88,.
the Niger. She is to follow the course of that river, &c.) [W. P.]
until she comes to the cataracts of the Nile, which JOANNES I. ZIMISCES (Iwvs T% tul0-KiS),.
river she is again to follow down to the Delta, emperor of Constantinople (. ri. 969-976), was
where delivery awaits her. (Comp. Eurip. Iphig. descended from an illustrious Armenian family. He
Taur. 382, &c.; Apollod. ii. i. ~ 3; Hygin. Fab, was the grandson of Theophilus, whose name was.
145.) conspicuous during the reign of Romanus I. LeThe mythus of Io is one of the most ancient, capenus, and the grand-nephew of Curcuas, the
and at the same time one of the most difficult to brother of Theophilus, who was still more eminent.
explain. The ancients believed Io to be the moon, The surname Zimisces was given to Joannes. on acand there is a distinct tradition that the Argives count of his diminutive size, that word signifying:
called the moon Io. (Eustath. ad Dionys. Perieg. in the Armenian language a man of very small sta92; Suid. and Hesych. s. v.'I.) This opinion ture. Zimisces served from his early youth in the
has also been adopted by some modern critics, who Greek armies, and astonished both his friends and
at the same time see in this mythus a confirmation foes by the heroic deeds which he perforned on the
of the-belief in an ancient connection between the field of battle. During the regency of Theophano,
religions of Greece and Egypt. (Buttmann, Mytho- the widow of the emperor Romanus, Nicephorus
log. vol. ii p. 1 79, &c.; Welcker, DieAeschyl. Trilog. Phocas became the leader of the empire, and was,
p. 127, &c.; Schwenk, Etymol. Mythol. Andeutun- constantly supported by Zimisces, who saved him
yen, p. 62, &c.; lMlytlolog. der Griechl. p. 52, &c.; from ruin when the eunuch Bringas conspired
Klausen, in the Rhein. Museum, vol. iii. p. 293, against his life. Believing that the friendship be&c.; Voelcker, l'ythol. Geogr. der Griech. u. Rim. tween Nicephorus and Zimisces was only pretended,
vol. i.) That Io is identical with the moon cannot Bringas wrote to' Zimisces, offering him great rebe doubted (comp. Eurip. Ploen, 1123; Macrob. ward —perhaps the crown-if he would kill Nice_Sat. i. 19), and the various things related of her phorus, but Zimisces not only showed the letter to,
refer to the phases and phenomena of the moon, his friend, but urged him to assume the imperial
and are intimately connected with the worship of crown. This Nicephorus did in 963, and reigned
Zeus and Hera at Argos. Her connection with as colleague of the two minor sons of Romanus and
Egypt seems to be an invention of later times, and Theophano, Basil II. and Constantine VIII. Niwas probably suggested by the resemblance which cephorus married the widow Theophano, and ap —
was found to exist between the Argive Io and the pointed Zimisces second commander of the armies,
Egyptian Isis. [L. S.] himself being the first. In this capacity Zimisces
JOANNES, Latin emperorof Constantinople,the performed such extraordinary exploits, and gained
third son of Everard, count of Brienne, and Agnes, such decisive victories, that he became the idol of
countess of Miimpelgard, was born in 1148. HeI the army, and was acknowledged to be the first
was one of the leaders of the Latins who took general in the East. The Arabs were then masters
Constantinople in 1204, and in 1210 was chosen of all Syria and Cilicia. In the battle at Adana,
king of Jerusalem, which was then in the hands of (963) they were routed with great slaughter by
the Turks. In 1218 he commanded the famous Zimisces, and 5000 of their veteran troops having
Latin expedition against Egypt, and made himself entrenched themselves on a steep hill, refusing to
so conspicuous, through his military skill and un- surrender,, the gallant commander of the Greeks
daunted courage, that he was looked upon as the put himself at the head of a chosen body, stormed
greatest hero of his time. It was for this reason the entrenchments, and exterminated the infidels.:
that in 1228 the Latins of Constantinople chose Henceforth that hill was called the bloodhill. In
him, though he was then merely titular king of the following year Zimisces conquered the greater
Egypt, to govern for the minor emperor, Baldwin part of Cilicia, crossed Mount Amanus, entered
II.; and in order to strengthen his authority, they Syria, and spread terror through the valley of the
invested him with the title and power of em- Orontes. Mopsuestia, which was then called
peror. Although 80 years old, John accepted the Massissa, resisted the protracted siege of Nicephooffer, but first went to Europe to levy troops, with rus, who gave up all hopes of taking it, and was
which he arrived at Constantinople in 1231,where retiring, -when Zimisces approached with a few
he was crowned with great solemnity, and pleased brave troops, and took the town by storm. His
both the Latins and Greeks by his majestic appear- -eminent services were rewarded with ingratitude.
ance (he was the tallest man they had ever seen) Through the intrigues of the emperor's brother,
and his energetic administration. Not only un- Leo, he was deprived of his command, and sent
broken by age, but still uniting the strength of a into exile. The empress Theophano, however, who
powerful man with the' agility of a youth, he de- was his mistress in secret, contrived that he should
fended Constantinole with great success against be sent to Chalcedon, opposite Constantinople,
VOL. II. PP