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

760 LEOSTHENES. LEOSTHENES.
Christianity. For this offence they were brought Cyclades in B.c. 361. Having allowed himself to
before the governor Lysias, and after being tortured be surprised by Alexander, tyrant of Pherae,' and
in various modes, and (according to the legend) defeated, with a loss of 5 triremes and 600 men, he
miraculously delivered, they were at last beheaded, was condemned to death by the Athenians, as a
probably A. D. 300. Their memory is celebrated punishment for his ill success. (Diod. xv. 95.)
by the Romish church, on August 20th. See the 2. An Athenian, commander of the combined
Acta Sanctorum (in Aug. 20), where several diffi- Greek army in the Lamian war. We know not
culties are critically discussed at length. [W.A.G.] by what means he had obtained the high reputation
LEO'NYMUS. [AUTOLEON.] which we find him' enjoying when he first makes
LEO'PHANES (Asepaci'is), a Greek physician his appearance in history: it has been generally
or physiologist, who must have lived in or before inferred, from a passage in Strabo (ix. p. 433), that
the fourth century, B. c., as he is quoted by Aristotle he had first served under Alexander in Asia; but
(De Gener. Anim. iv. 1. ~ 22) and Theophrastus there seems much reason to believe that this is a
(De Caus. Plant. ii. 4. ~ 12). The passage of Aris- mistake, and that Leonnatus is the person there
totle, which relates to the supposed method of meant. (See Groskurd, Strab. 1. c., and comp.
generating male and female children, is alluded to by Thirlwall's Greece, vol. vii. p. 164.)
Plutarch (De Placit. Philos. v. 7) and Pseudo-Galen It is certain that when we first meet with any
(Histor. Philos. c. 32, vol. xix. p. 324) in both of distinct mention of Leosthenes, he appears as an
which places he is called Cleophanes. The same officer of acknowledged ability and established reopinion (or rather, if the passage in Aristotle be putation in war, but a vehement opponent of the
correct, exactly the contrary) is to be found in the Macedonian interest. Shortly before the death of
treatise "De Superfoetatione," which forms part of Alexander he had collected together and brought
the Hippocratic collection (vol. i. p. 476), and over to Taenarus a large body of the Greek merthis has made M. Littr6 attribute the work in cenaries that had been disbanded by the different
question to Leophanes, though perhaps without satraps in Asia, according to Alexander's orders.
sufficient reason. (Oeuvres d'Hippocr. vol. i. p. (Paus. i. 1. ~ 3, 25. ~ 5 viii. 52. ~ 5; Diod.
879, &c.) [W. A.G.] xvii. 111.) As soon as the news of the king's
LEOPHON, artist. [LOPHON.] death reached Athens, Leosthenes was despatched
LEOPHRON (Aeo'(pwv), son of Anaxilas, to Taenarus to engage the services of these troops,
tyrant of Rhegium. According to Dionysius of 8000 in number: from thence he hastened to
Halicarnassus (Exc. xix. 4, p. 2359, ed. Reiske.), Aetolia, and induced that people to join in the war
he succeeded his father in the sovereign power; against Macedonia. Their example was followed
it is therefore probable that he was the eldest of by the Locrians, Phocians, Dorians, and many of
the two sons of Anaxilas, in whose name Micythus the Thessalians, as well as by several of the states
assumed the sovereignty, and who afterwards, at of the Peloponnese; and Leosthenes, who was by
the instigation of Hieron of Syracuse, dispossessed common consent appointed commander-in-chief,
the latter of his authority. Diodorus, from whom assembled these combined forces in the neighbourwe learn these facts, does not mention the name of hood of Thermopylae. The Boeotians, who, through
either of the young princes. According to the fear of the restoration of Thebes, adhered to the
same author, their reign lasted six years (B. c. 467 Macedonian interest, collected a force to prevent
-461), when they were expelled by a popular the Athenian contingent from joining the allied
insurrection both from Rhegium and Zancle. (Diod. army; but Leosthenes hastened with a part of his
xi. 48, 66, 76.) Leophron is elsewhere mentioned forces to assist the Athenians, and totally defeated
as carrying on war against the neighbouring city of the Boeotian army. Antipater now advanced from
Locri, and as displaying his magnificence at the the north, but with a force very inferior to that of
Olympic games, by feasting the whole assembled the confederates: he was defeated in the first action
multitude. His victory on that occasion was cele- near Thermopylae, and compelled to throw himself
brated by Simonides. (Justin. xxi. 3; Athen. i. into the small town of Lamia. Leosthenes, dep. 3.) [E. H. B.] sirous to finish the warat a blow, pressed the siege
LEOS (Aecrs), one of the heroes eponymi of the with the utmost vigour; but his assaults were reAthenians. He is said to have been a son of Or- pulsed, and he was compelled to resort to the slower
pheus, and the phyle of Leontis derived its name method of a blockade. While he was engaged in
from him. (Phot. s. v.; Suid. s. v.; Paus. i. 5, forming the lines of circumvallation, the besieged
~ 2, x. 10. ~ 1.) Once, it is said, when Athens made a vigorous sally, in which Leosthenes himself
was suffering from famine or plague, the Delphic received a blow on the head from a stone, of which
oracle demanded that the daughters of Leos should he died three days after. (Diod. xviii. 8-13 3;
be sacrificed, and the father's merit was that he Paus. i. 25. ~ 5; Plut. P/oc. 23; Justin. xiii. 5.)
complied with the command of the oracle. The His death was felt as a great discouragement to the
maidens were afterwards honoured by the Athe- cause of the allied Greeks; and Pausanias is pronians, who erected the Leocorium (from Aecns and bably right in regarding it as the main cause of
copc) to them. (Hieronym. in Jovin. p. 185, ed. their ultimate failure. Phocion's remark, on the
Mart.; Aelian, V. H. xii. 28; Plut. Thes. 13; other hand, is well known, that "'he was very well
Paus. i. 5, ~ 2; Diod. xv. 17; Demosth. Epitaph]. fitted for a short course, but not equal to a long
p. 1398; Schol. ad T/ucyd. vi. 57.) Aelian calls one." (Plut. Phoc. 23, de Rep. gerend. 6.) It is
the daughters of. Leos Praxithea, Theope, and certain that Leosthenes gave proofs of no common
Eubule; and Photius calls the first of them Phasi- energy and ability during the short period of his
thea; while Hieronymus, who mentions only one, command; and his loss was mourned by the Athestates that she sacrificed herself for her country of nians as a public calamity. He was honoured with
her own accord. [L. S.] a public burial in the Cerameicus, and his funeral
LEO'STHENES (Aewaf0ev7s). 1. An Athe- oration was pronounced by Hyperides. (Paus. i.
nian, who commanded a fleet and armament in the 29, ~ 13; Diod. xviii. 13). His death took place